Joyous Exchange

For the Nascar fans who may have missed it....

2011-02-20T20:44:00.001-08:00

How God Makes us His Friends- 2 Corinthians 5:17-21 from Erick Sorensen on Vimeo.

Thrēskeia Upocrites

2011-02-11T21:25:00.000-08:00

Luke 20:41-47- Religious Hypocrisy from Erick Sorensen on Vimeo.

He Made Himself Nothing

2011-02-03T12:00:00.000-08:00

PHILIPPIANS 2:5-11

[5] Have this mind among yourselves, which is yours in Christ Jesus, [6] who, though he was in the form of God, did not count equality with God a thing to be grasped, [7] but made himself nothing, taking the form of a servant, being born in the likeness of men. [8] And being found in human form, he humbled himself by becoming obedient to the point of death, even death on a cross. [9] Therefore God has highly exalted him and bestowed on him the name that is above every name, [10] so that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, in heaven and on earth and under the earth, [11] and every tongue confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.

COMMENT:

If you remember from yesterday's post, Paul is pleading with the Church to be united. First he motivates them with what they have RECEIVED from Christ. Then he moves on to the actions one does to reach the goal of unity: "consider others more significant than themselves." But for Paul everything begins and ends in Christ. And so he continues today with one of the most extraordinary passages describing just what Christ has done for us, His Church, using His sacrifice as an example for us all to follow:

Through our faith in Jesus Christ, we have been given a new mind. It has been transformed and is being transformed, renewed after the mind of Christ. In Christ, we are given a new power, a new ability to die to ourselves, to pick up our cross and follow Him. What does this look like?

"Though he was in the form of God..." Jesus Christ is God in the flesh. Period. The word "form" here is to be understood as "the outward display of the inward reality." (Rogers & Rogers, pg. 451). The idea is that though Jesus has existed for eternity, He at one point came in flesh (was fully human) and was the exact representation of God in His being.

"did not count equality with God a thing to be grasped, but made himself nothing, taking the form of a servant, being born in the likeness of men...." The idea that's being conveyed is that though Jesus, being God, had every right to claim equality with God the Father (indeed He did receive praise), He willingly emptied himself of the use of His divinity (though not all) while here on earth. Instead of the Son of Man laying on the bed of a King, "he had nowhere to lay his head." Instead of the Lord of Lords stomping on His enemies, He loved them, and wooed them to His Father. Everything He did was done in humble obedience to God the Father.

"And being found in human form, he humbled himself by becoming obedient to the point of death, even death on a cross." Not only did Jesus, God the Son, limit His power and live humbly, the Son of God would submit Himself to death and death of the worst, most cursed kind: "even death on a cross." Why? Because that was ultimately the purpose of His coming. Through this death, He would set the captives free. "The Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve and to give His life as a ransom for many." His death was for you.

But as you know that's not the end of the story...

"Therefore God has highly exalted him and bestowed on him the name that is above every name, so that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, in heaven and on earth and under the earth, and every tongue confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father." Jesus rose on the third day from the grave, proclaiming His victory over sin, death, and the devil. God has vindicated Him through this action. Indeed if Christ truly has risen from the dead than He must be listened to, respected, revered, worshiped. He must be the name that is above every name, for His name is the only One we can say has truly shown His rule over this world. He has ascended into heaven and is seated at the right hand of God the Father. His is the ultimate place of authority, and all power and glory belong to Him!

Now go back to what Paul's original subject was: The Church working united! This passage of amazing theology about Christ is sort of given as a side-note to explain Paul's main thought! Christ's attitude, His mindset is to be our model. We are to humble ourselves, make ourselves nothing, give of ourselves for the benefit of others (even if at the time, it doesn't seem like there's a bit of benefit to us for doing so). In the end, God will exalt us as well. As Jesus said, "In the kingdom of God, the first will be last and the last will be first."

That all being said, let me re-emphasize and extremely important point about Christ's life, death and resurrection: Though all this is an example to us, that is NOT THE PRIMARY REASON FOR HIS LIFE, DEATH AND RESURRECTION." The primary reason was for Him to pay the price for your sins. Only after you grasp that, hold firmly to it and make it THE thing, can you then look to Him as example.

Soli Deo Gloria,

Pastor Erick

RECEIVING...GROWING...GOING....

The Key to a Healthy Church

2011-02-02T11:25:00.000-08:00

PHILIPPIANS 2:1-4

So if there is any encouragement in Christ, any comfort from love, any participation in the Spirit, any affection and sympathy, complete my joy by being of the same mind, having the same love, being in full accord and of one mind. Do nothing from rivalry or conceit, but in humility count others more significant than yourselves. Let each of you look not only to his own interests, but also to the interests of others.

COMMENT:

I so love digging into Paul's writing and preaching. And the reason that is is because Paul saturates everything he writes in the Gospel. There is no command given to a Church without it first being based on and fueled by the Gospel. This passage is no exception. Paul is going to give commands for how we ought to live, but first and foremost he writes, "So if there is any encouragement in Christ, any comfort from love, any participation in the Spirit..."

Don't pass over that first part too quickly. "If you have any encouragement in CHRIST.... any comfort from LOVE....any participation in the SPIRIT...." These are things first and foremost that are first received by you the Body of Christ! As I always harp on, everything starts with what we receive from Christ in the Gospel. Only after we are saturated in being dependent receivers, can we move on to the next part....

"Complete my joy by being of the same mind, having the same love, being in full accord and of one mind." Here's the goal: Unity in the Gospel. That's the action Paul commands us to carry out. Now how do we go about doing that?

"Do nothing from rivalry or conceit, but in humility count others more significant than yourselves. Let each of you look not only to his own interests, but also to the interests of others." This instruction is THE surefire way to unity in the gospel. Can you imagine what would happen if this was said of the individuals of our Church body? "There's a church where people consider others more significant than themselves." How counter-cultural! How magnetic! Oh, that God would make me a person that wants to consider others interests before my own! Let's pray that this would be the case VCC...

Soli Deo Gloria,

Pastor Erick

RECEIVING....GROWING....GOING....

A Life Worthy of the Gospel

2011-02-02T11:24:00.000-08:00

PHILIPPIANS 1:27-30

Only let your manner of life be worthy of the gospel of Christ, so that whether I come and see you or am absent, I may hear of you that you are standing firm in one spirit, with one mind striving side by side for the faith of the gospel, and not frightened in anything by your opponents. This is a clear sign to them of their destruction, but of your salvation, and that from God. For it has been granted to you that for the sake of Christ you should not only believe in him but also suffer for his sake, engaged in the same conflict that you saw I had and now hear that I still have.

COMMENT:

What does it mean to "let your manner of life be worthy of the gospel of Christ"? The first thing I think we tend to do with statements like these is pour our own meanings into them: "Oh it must mean not eating really delicious food." "It means driving poor quality cars." "It means not enjoying anything in this world too much...." and on and on it goes with what we think is "good, religious behavior." But folks, we don't have to go there because the text actually goes on to tell us what living a life worthy of the gospel of Christ looks like:

1. Standing firm in one spirit/one mind- The Bible emphasizes the importance of unity throughout it's pages. Jesus asked the Father before He died on the cross that His Church would be "One as we are One." Paul over and over refers to us as the Family of God, the Temple of God, the Body of Christ, all singular units, but with many parts. A life worthy of the gospel stands firm together for the gospel. That said, biblically speaking, unity must be united around the essentials of our faith. We can disagree about worship style, dress, politics, etc, etc, but we must be united about the Gospel. Augustine put it this way: In Essentials Unity, In Non-Essentials Liberty, IN ALL THINGS CHARITY."

2. Striving side by side for the faith of the gospel- A life worthy of the gospel is passionate about that Gospel. The good news is worth debating about and defending to those around us. Too often the things we find ourselves united around are various political causes (which can be good), but the Bible explicitly teaches that first and foremost, the Gospel is our cause worth fighting for (of course when I say fighting I do not mean physically speaking).

3. Not frightened by your opponents- Living a life worthy of the Gospel is living without fear of what anyone on the outside of the Church will do in response to your faith in Jesus. Luther said it this way,“Faith is a living and unshakable confidence, a belief in the grace of God so assured that a man would die a thousand deaths for its sake." So Paul writes, ""For it has been granted to you that for the sake fo Chrityou should not only believe in him but also suffer for his sake..." Why suffering? Romans 5:2-5 answers that question:

[2] Through him we have also obtained access by faith into this grace in which we stand, and we rejoice in hope of the glory of God. [3] More than that, we rejoice in our sufferings, knowing that suffering produces endurance, [4] and endurance produces character, and character produces hope, [5] and hope does not put us to shame, because God's love has been poured into our hearts through the Holy Spirit who has been given to us.
(Romans 5:2-5 ESV)

Soli Deo Gloria,

Pastor Erick

RECEIVING...GROWING...GOING....

The Heart of Christian Living

2011-02-02T11:22:00.000-08:00

PHILIPPIANS 1:19-26

Yes, and I will rejoice, [19] for I know that through your prayers and the help of the Spirit of Jesus Christ this will turn out for my deliverance, [20] as it is my eager expectation and hope that I will not be at all ashamed, but that with full courage now as always Christ will be honored in my body, whether by life or by death. [21] For to me to live is Christ, and to die is gain. [22] If I am to live in the flesh, that means fruitful labor for me. Yet which I shall choose I cannot tell. [23] I am hard pressed between the two. My desire is to depart and be with Christ, for that is far better. [24] But to remain in the flesh is more necessary on your account. [25] Convinced of this, I know that I will remain and continue with you all, for your progress and joy in the faith, [26] so that in me you may have ample cause to glory in Christ Jesus, because of my coming to you again.

COMMENT:

Ultimately, as Bob Dylan pointed out, "you gotta serve somebody." Most of the time in this fallen world, we end up serving in some way or another our own selfish motives. But there are all sorts of ways this "service" can be expressed; even the things that look selfless, can ultimately be ways of serving ourselves. Take for example the parent who without ceasing worries about their child (Now I'm not talking here about healthy concern for your child's well being, but I'm talking about making yourself sick, unable to sleep anxiety over your child). From the outside of things it may look as though that worry for the child actually comes from pure unadulterated love. But scratch a little further beneath the surface and you find that the main reason the parent is really worried is because of how the child's issues will reflect on them. "If they end up being a drug addict, then people will think I'm a bad parent." "If they end up marrying someone who isn't good for them, people will think I raised them poorly." "My child needs to be a success, or I'm a failure in life..." All these sorts of statements, though understandable, ultimately show who the parent is really serving.

For Paul, as much as he would have to battle against his own fleshly desires and sins (Romans 7), his goal in life was to serve his Lord. He writes,

Do you see that? Paul is aware that death is looming while forcibly held in a Roman prison. Yet he writes to the Philippians that no matter what he rejoices, because his life's goal hasn't changed and can't be changed: "No matter what the circumstance, I want to honor Christ in my body. For to me to live is Christ, and to die is gain." He is ready to meet his Master, no matter when that day comes. This is indeed a wonderful, fearless, bold way to live. No fear in death, and overwhelming purpose in life.

In light of that fact (that Paul still has much work to do in this life), he tells the Philippians that he is confident that God's not done with him here yet. Yes, he actually wants to go home to the Lord in heaven, but he's still got work to do for the Church. His love of the Church compels him to stay put and work for the benefit and glory of the Church in Philippi. This is Godly service....

Let's pray that in our service, which will inevitably happen, we will ultimately be concerned about God's will for our lives, and benefiting our neighbor. After all that's what Jesus said was at the heart of Christian living:

[37] And he said to him, “You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind. [38] This is the great and first commandment. [39] And a second is like it: You shall love your neighbor as yourself.

(Matthew 22:37-39 ESV)

Grace and Peace,

Pastor Erick

RECEIVING....GROWING....GOING....

A PRAYER OF LOVE FOR THE CHURCH

2011-02-02T11:20:00.000-08:00

PHILIPPIANS 1:1-11

[1:1] Paul and Timothy, servants of Christ Jesus,

To all the saints in Christ Jesus who are at Philippi, with the overseers and deacons:

[2] Grace to you and peace from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ.

[3] I thank my God in all my remembrance of you, [4] always in every prayer of mine for you all making my prayer with joy, [5] because of your partnership in the gospel from the first day until now. [6] And I am sure of this, that he who began a good work in you will bring it to completion at the day of Jesus Christ. [7] It is right for me to feel this way about you all, because I hold you in my heart, for you are all partakers with me of grace, both in my imprisonment and in the defense and confirmation of the gospel. [8] For God is my witness, how I yearn for you all with the affection of Christ Jesus. [9] And it is my prayer that your love may abound more and more, with knowledge and all discernment, [10] so that you may approve what is excellent, and so be pure and blameless for the day of Christ, [11] filled with the fruit of righteousness that comes through Jesus Christ, to the glory and praise of God.

COMMENT:

Upon reading over the text for this morning, I was struck by one overarching theme: the emotive love Paul displays towards his readers at the Church in Philippi. This is a man who loves the Church, and that love pours out into words of great hope and joy. He tells them that he "thanks God in all his remembrance of them", "holds them in his heart", and gushes, "For God is my witness, how I yearn for you all with the affection of Christ Jesus." Why does he love the Philippian Church so much?

1. They are fellow Believers- This may seem like an oversimplification, but the truth is the bond Paul feels for the Philippians is first of all based on their common bond in Christ. That's really true for all Christians. Our first and foremost connection and love for one another should not be based on the fact that we have certain peripheral things in common, but the overarching fact that we all stand as sinners saved by our gracious God in Christ Jesus. Because of this, Paul can write, "I am sure of this, that he who began a good work in you will bring it to completion at the day of Jesus Christ." Why is He sure of this? Because they have borne fruit in that....

2. They are partners in the Gospel with him (vs. 3-5 & 7) - Or in other words, the Philippians have pledged their financial and spiritual support to Paul, and he knows it. We have to remember that Paul essentially traveled the world preaching the Gospel and planting Churches at the cost of others throughout the Christian world. Philippi was one of these places that gave what they could, and Paul is appreciative. (As a side-note, it is always a good thing to show our appreciation and gratitude towards those who support us.)

Based on this love Paul has for the Philippians, he prays thus:

"It is my prayer that your love may abound more and more with knowledge and all discernment..." Jesus said, "By this all people will know that you are my disciples, if you have love for one another.” And yet, love is not just emotion or zeal, but it is grounded in knowledge and discernment. Oh may we as a Church have this same balance of love and knowledge...

Why does Paul want their love to abound more and more with knowledge and all discernment?

Answer: So that they may approve what is excellent, and so be pure and blameless for the day of Christ, filled with the fruit of righteousness that comes through Jesus Christ, to the glory and praise of God." Amen.

Soli Deo Gloria,

Pastor Erick

RECEIVING....GROWING....GOING....

Devotions in Philippians

2011-02-02T11:19:00.000-08:00

PHILIPPIANS

The astute observer will notice two things: 1. The title and theme of our devotions are different today than they have been for the last three months. 2. The regularity of these "daily" (lol) devotions has not been very "daily" lately.

These two observations are related because, to tell you the truth, after researching and writing about various Christian world-view issues for the last 5 months, I was starting to get a little tired of the topic. Not that the topic of world-view isn't important; it is very important and will be probed more in future devotions (as we still have more issues to cover), but I found myself wanting to just dig into a book of the Bible more and more, rather than just dealing with specific topics.

Therefore, for a little while, we shall take a short excursion through the letter to the Philippian Church. We'll begin that process today by giving the letter a proper introduction, and tomorrow we'll begin unearthing it's treasures by reviewing the text.

Who? The letter to the Philippian Churches was written by the Apostle Paul (with some help from Timothy it appears) to the "Saints in Philippi" (1:1).

What? The letter is written to thank the Philippians for their support of his missionary work. Apparently, the congregation (s) spent money, resources, time and prayer on Paul's ministry, and Paul wants to acknowledge this (1:3-11). Because of this connection to his ministry, Paul also wants to exhort them to live worthy of the Gospel to which they have been called (1:27). How do they live worthy of the Gospel that they have been called into? They exude joy! That is the word that dominates this letter and is really what this letter is all about.

When? Of course, as with any question of dating the epistles, there is not always agreement among scholars, but the most likely scenario seems to place this letter of Paul sometime around 60 a.d. Why? Because we know he was imprisoned by Rome at that time, and we also see him reference this imprisonment (1:7 & 12-15). Interesting that a man can write about having so much joy in Christ while wasting away in a Roman prison eh?

Where? Philippi was an important historical city (located in modern day Greece), and quite different than many of the other places where the gospel took root. The city was named after the father of Alexander the Great, Philip II of Macedonia. It was primarily Gentile (as it seems there weren't even enough Jewish men living there to start a synagogue; you needed 10 men according to the rules, and they just weren't there (Acts 16:13). Also, the city was part of a major trading route between East and West and therefore was full of culture, people and different religious views.

Tomorrow, we'll dig into Philippians 1:1-11....

Soli Deo Gloria,

Pastor Erick

RECEIVING....GROWING....GOING.....

Receiving...Growing...Going...

2011-01-31T10:02:00.000-08:00

What God Wants For His Church: The Mission of V.C.C. from Erick Sorensen on Vimeo.

Mission

2011-01-28T19:06:00.000-08:00

A direct and sobering message from the author of Church Planter, Darrin Patrick. I haven't read, nor am I endorsing, his book. I did, however, appreciate this video.

From Glory to Glory

2011-01-24T07:10:00.000-08:00

Luke 20:27-40- What's Heaven Like? from Erick Sorensen on Vimeo.

God's Politics

2011-01-16T22:57:00.000-08:00

Luke 20:19-26- God's Politics from Erick Sorensen on Vimeo.

Baptism

2011-01-09T20:50:00.001-08:00

Baptism from Erick Sorensen on Vimeo.

Luke 20:9-19

2011-01-03T17:51:00.000-08:00

The Parable of the Wicked Tenants from Erick Sorensen on Vimeo.

JESUS CHANGES EVERYTHING!

2010-12-22T11:14:00.001-08:00

Advent Week 4: Joseph's Change of Mind from Erick Sorensen on Vimeo.

"My grace is sufficient for you..."

2010-12-12T16:43:00.000-08:00

Advent Week 3:Questions? He's Got Answers from Erick Sorensen on Vimeo.

"DOESN'T THE BIBLE SAY 'THOU SHALT NOT KILL?'" and OTHER MYTHS PART I

2010-12-08T11:45:00.000-08:00

Does the Bible allow for capital punishment?

I would say, not only does it allow for capital punishment, it encourages it when warranted. When is it warranted? Well, certainly the law in numerous places (Exodus 21, Numbers 35, etc.) tells the people of Israel to practice capital punishment in many cases. But one could argue, "Those laws were meant for Israel's society and are not laws made for all people at all time." And they'd be right! There are many laws in the Mosaic code that we don't adhere to because they were and are meant strictly for Israel.

But the call for capital punishment from God comes even before the forming of Israel. Genesis 9:6 commands the whole world (not merely one nation) to a universal principal of justice:

“Whoever sheds the blood of man, by man shall his blood be shed, for God made man in his own image."

Now couple this verse with how Romans 12 & 13 describe the working of civil government:

"Beloved, never avenge yourselves, but leave it to the wrath of God, for it is written, “Vengeance is mine, I will repay, says the Lord.”

So Romans 12 says to us individual Christians that we are to never personally seek out vengeance for wrongdoing done to us. Fine.

Now look at Romans 13, directly following the verse just quoted:

Let every person be subject to the governing authorities. For there is no authority except from God, and those that exist have been instituted by God. Therefore whoever resists the authorities resists what God has appointed, and those who resist will incur judgment. For rulers are not a terror to good conduct, but to bad. Would you have no fear of the one who is in authority? Then do what is good, and you will receive his approval, for he is God's servant for your good. But if you do wrong, be afraid, for he does not bear the sword in vain. For he is the servant of God, an avenger who carries out God's wrath on the wrongdoer. Therefore one must be in subjection, not only to avoid God's wrath but also for the sake of conscience.

Did you read that? Remember how many times we've talked about the doctrine of vocation? In that doctrine we are seeking to show that God fulfills most of what He does in this world through various means (usually people). He gives grace through preachers preaching; gives food through farmers farming. How does He deliver vengeance to the lawbreaker? Not through individual Christians because Christians are called to turn the other cheek and love their enemies. Rather, God delivers His vengeance in this world through civil governments. The Christian cannot take vengeance because vengeance is God's, but then directly after that Paul declares the government is "God's servant, an avenger...." We individual Christians are to "leave it to the wrath of God" to deal with the evildoer. But who carries out God's wrath on the wrongdoer? The governing authorities. Either Paul is contradicting himself in some strange and weird way, or Paul is distinguishing between two spheres of life: Civil and Spiritual (we've talked about this before too!).

Ok, we've established that God avenges evil (at least in part) and delivers his wrath on the wrongdoer through the governing authorities. Now, what does Paul say the governing authorities carry around with them to deliver vengeance and wrath? A sword. What do swords do? They stab, slice, dice with the intention of severely wounding/killing someone.

So now, we're back at governmental killing of lawbreakers. Is is warranted from Scripture? It seems indisputable to me that it is. However, this is not the case for many within the Church. Objections come up like, "Doesn't the Bible say 'You shall not kill?" "How can we be sure the right person is being executed?""But doesn't the Bible say to turn the other cheek and love our enemies?"

I will deal with those objections and more tomorrow...

Grace and Peace,

Pastor Erick

RECEIVING FROM CHRIST....GROWING IN CHRIST....GOING WITH CHRIST....

MIND YOUR OWN BUSINESS PART IV

2010-12-08T11:44:00.001-08:00

"CONSUME RESPONSIBLY"

Aren't beer commercials great? In beer commercial world, people argue over whether a beer should be known for being less filling or tasting great. In this world, frogs croak out words, and clydesdales dance through snow covered hills. In beer commercial world, people that drink beer are usually good looking (when's the last time you saw a beer commercial starring a guy with an inflated beer gut?) and never drunk; pretty girls are always just hanging around, and the bars are always well lit and uber hip.

But then at the very end of the commercial an announcer says quickly, "Consume Responsibly." The reason? You will get drunk, not be very attractive, no pretty girls will hang out with you, you'll end up in some dive bar with no windows hunched over a toilet. You will not care whether a beer is less filling, you will not think it tastes great and you will be dependent upon someone to drive you home on something less romantic than a clydesdale. Being responsible with our consumption (not just with beer but with all things) is pretty important stuff.

To be an American is almost synonymous with the word Consumer: It's how our economy runs. If we don't consume, our country and for that matter the world, go broke. But just because we are consumers, doesn't mean we have to consume everything placed in front of us. Biblically, we are called to be responsible, thoughtful, engaged with our consumption of the things business produces for us. So I've compiled a list of questions one can ask themselves to hopefully be a better (i.e. more biblical) consumer:

1. Is the Business ethical?

I admit, this is not a very easy question to answer a lot of the time. Some say "such and such" a company is evil, while others defend it as a fine organization. So, the rule of thumb is if you know that a company does things that violate God's law or your conscience (this could be much, depending on each individual's conscience), don't support them.

2. Is supporting this business, causing me to sin?

This may sound obvious, but if a company produces something that will cause you to sin, then don't support them. For example, there is no way in any universe, that a Christian could justify investing in a porn distributor. One may say, "Hey, I don't watch the stuff, I'm just making a profit." Sorry folks, it doesn't work like that... "But sexual immorality and all impurity or covetousness must not even be named among you, as is proper among saints."

Ephesians 5:3

3. Is supporting this business harmful to my neighbor?

Maybe more important than the question of whether a product is harmful to me, is whether it is harmful to my neighbor. In my mind, this is where the biggest challenge comes for Christians in North America (with regard to business). Do we buy shoes if we know they're made in sweat shops in third world countries where the workers are abused and taken for granted? What if we find out a large corporation who makes a great product, in order to make that product, is polluting and contaminating waters in India to do it? Again, I recognize that not everyone has the time or the ability to research every company in the world trying to sell them something. So the rule of thumb is, if you know a company is doing something that willfully harms your neighbor (remember your neighbor is not just Charlie next door, but every person on planet earth!), don't support them with your business.

4. Is the product needful?

Please ask yourself this question more. The following are conversations I could've had in my own head:

"Yes, yes, I know you want to eat out, but Ramen noodles will do the job for 1/30 the cost. "But Ramen noodles aren't very satisfying." "I know but they do the job right?" Yes, yes, I know you want the 60 inch flat-screen, but can you get by with the 32 inch? But 60 inches makes the characters bigger. Yes, but 32 will get the job done right?

Is there anything sinful about going out to eat all the time? No. Could the money be spent more wisely? Yes. Is there anything sinful about owning a 60 inch T.V.? No. Could the money spent on a 60 inch TV probably be spent more wisely? I'll let you answer that.

5. Is the product worth it?

Ask yourself this more too. What is worth your time, sweat, anxiety, tears etc? That is really what hard earned money represents right?

Tomorrow, we move on to the subject of Capital Punishment...

Soli Deo Gloria,

Pastor Erick

RECEIVING FROM CHRIST...GROWING IN CHRIST...GOING WITH CHRIST...

MIND YOUR OWN BUSINESS PART III

2010-12-08T11:42:00.000-08:00

DIGGING INTO A THEOLOGY OF WORK

In our last devotion on world-view, I discussed a biblical theology of work. We saw how a biblical theology steers us away from two opposite errors, namely, in work is found all meaning, and in work is found no meaning. Today we move from the workers to the employers, that is, business owners. Here are three biblical principles Christian businesses should seek to follow:

1. Quality over quantity-

It's pretty easy to produce a quantity of garbage (we all do it everyday!), what's more difficult is to produce something that is truly quality. In our consumer culture, we have become accustomed to most of the things we own having a short life. There used to be T.V. repair men, now we just buy a new one; there used to be vacuum repair guys, now we just buy a new one.

As a person operating a business, one of the things God has called you to do with that business is to produce something that brings glory to Him. "All things are to be done for the glory of God." Now does this mean everything has to be the finest quality? Of course not, but it does mean that we seek to do the best with what we do have. We don't cut corners in our production just to save a few bucks, if in the end that means a product that is more poorly made.

2. Service to the Community-

A biblical business is not just a service to the owners, but to the employees, their consumers, and the broader community of neighbors all around them. John Stott, in his book, Issues Facing Christians Today states it well:

Work is intended not only for the fulfillment of the worker, but also for the benefit of the community. Adam did not cultivate the garden of Eden merely for his own enjoyment, but to feed and clothe his family. throughout the Bible the productivity of the soil is related to the needs of society. Thus God gave Israel a "land flowing with milk and honey", and at the same time issued instructions that the harvest was to be shared with the poor, the alien, the widow and the orphan. similarly in the New Testament, the converted thief is told to stop stealing and start working with his own hand, so that "he may have something to share with those win need."

If a business detracts from the good of the community, then that business is not operating according to Biblical standards. With this guide in mind, a Christian cannot in good conscience work for a business that lies to the community, or sells smut to the community, etc.

3. Valuing your employees-

One can never underestimate the power of letting your employees know how much they are valued. Without them, your business doesn't exist. Colossians 4:1 says, "Masters, treat your slaves justly and fairly, knowing that you also have a Master in heaven." Luke tells us that "the worker deserves his wages." So the Christian business seeks to reward it's employees for good work by giving them decent, competitive pay, some flexibility and allowance for time off. However, even more than this, I think the most important thing here is that your employees are shown appreciation through your words and deeds. Here's Stott again:

The knowledge that our work is beneficial and appreciated adds considerably to our sense of of job satisfaction. I understand that Henri De Man's studies in Germany between the wars, and the Hawthorne experiments which were conducted at the same time at the Chicago plant of the Western Electric company, were the first pieces of scientific research into this now well-accepted fact. The Hawthorne studies in particular showed "that workers would increase their output even when the lights were dimmed to the strength of moonlight, if they thought that their labors were considered by other people to be important and significant."

"In a survey conducted by the Work foundation in July 2004... pay was less important to people that the content of their job and fulfilling personal ambitions."

If you're interested in seeing what it actually looks like to run a Christian business according to these principles, check out any article on In-N-Out Burger. Their food is most definitely focused on quality over quantity (thus their drive thru line takes longer than almost any fast food place, but it doesn't hurt business. Why? Because people love the quality of the product so much, they're willing to wait!). They serve the community they're in not just by their quality food, but by their charitable work as well. And lastly, their employees know they're valued. They're paid more than most, if not all, fast food restaurants for the job they do; they're instilled with a sense of pride over the job they do. It really is unlike any other business, though Chick Fila (another Christian business) is run very similarly, and once again, the difference is stark between their service and other places.

Now I'm hungry....We'll talk more about this stuff tomorrow.

Grace and Peace,

Pastor Erick

RECEIVING FROM CHRIST....GROWING IN CHRIST....GOING WITH CHRIST....

Lutheran Air

2010-12-07T08:39:00.000-08:00

Why Christians Go Postal Over Facebook, Jay-Z, Yoga, Avatar, and Culture in General

2010-12-07T08:30:00.000-08:00

An Excellent post from Mark Driscoll on Engaging Culture. I've literally copied and pasted the whole thing from The Resurgence:

Mark Driscoll » Mission Mind Culture

It was only last week that the Washington Postasked for my opinion on the New Jersey pastor calling for Christians to stop using Facebook. Had I known what would erupt this week, I might have agreed with him.

The big idea of my Post blog was that Facebook doesn’t cause adultery, people do. Calling for a boycott of Facebook is not the answer because the issue is the heart. Even if someone doesn’t commit adultery because of Facebook, if that sin remains in their heart, they will find another way to act upon it. Sadly, after the story broke, it was revealed that the pastor protesting against Facebook was, in fact, guilty of prior adultery, along with his wife. Of course, their adultery had nothing to do with Facebook, according to the news reports. So, while I pray for the couple to get beyond whatever may be troubling their marriage by God’s grace, it simply confirmed my big idea that sinners are ultimately responsible for sin.

Facebook, like many technologies and cultural phenomena, is an opportunity for my heart and the hearts of others you and I interact with to be revealed and transformed. Funny that this week, a simple comment I made appreciating the talent of Jay-Z generated hundreds and hundreds of comments across multiple threads on my Facebook page. Compare that to nineteen comments on my post regarding a news article about the Christian who is being raped, beaten, and tortured for his faith and needs some people to push for his freedom.

The backstory is this. While flipping through TV channels recently, I noticed an enormous concert by Jay-Z. The event was simply epic. Madison Square Garden was packed and people were raising their hands and singing along with religious zeal. By no means a hip-hop expert, but someone who did grow up listening to the earliest days of rap as a non-Christian, I have been aware of his influence for some time. He has sold fifty million albums, garnered ten Grammys, and was honored as one of the Ten Most Successful Artists of the previous decade by Billboard Magazine. He’s also helped to launch the careers or at least influence the music of Beyoncé, Eminem, Rihanna, Kanye West, Notorious B.I.G., Timbaland, Linkin Park, and Dr. Dre, among others. Some of these friends joined him on stage for the portion of the concert I watched, which was quite a performance.

Back to Facebook, where I posted that despite using bowling words, Jay-Z is a genius. I was very surprised to see how heated the ensuing debate became. Scanning the comments, it became clear that there was a polarization between two camps of thought about how Christians should engage culture. One side cited Philippians 4:8 and 1 Peter 1:13ff and advocated that Christians should not listen to music like Jay-Z. The other side cited 1 Corinthians 9, Romans 14, and John 17:15 and advocated that Christians have freedom in Christ and should be in the world but not of the world. All in all, it was a predictably ugly display of Internet flame-throwing where it gets personal fast and people say things digitally they would never say in a face-to-face conversation. Still, I’d like to address the issue of how Christians should engage culture—mostly for those caught in the crossfire of the two extremes.

This blog is not intended to defend everything I’ve ever said and done, as, like all sinners, there are things in retrospect I would say and do differently. This blog is also not intended to defend or impugn Jay-Z. He’s a gifted producer and musician, some of his lyrics are vulgar, and though it will likely never happen, if I ever got to chat with him I would be curious to hear what he thinks about Jesus.

Are You a Missionary?

What I’ve found over the years is that whenever I speak about something culturally related from a Christian perspective, a debate rages. This has been the case since the earliest days of my ministry. This is because I consider myself a missionary in culture. When we started our church we did so in what was among the least churched cities in the nation, seeking to reach the least churched demographic—young, educated, single, urban men. The truth is, these kinds of young men are generally missing from the American church. One thing these men of all races are doing is listening to rap music.

So, as a missionary, I find it a good thing to be aware of what is going on in culture in general as well as in music in particular. Though not a musician myself, I have some five thousand songs on my iTunes account from a wide range of genres and styles. Music is among the most defining and revealing aspects of any culture, and so in addition to enjoying some music, I study lots of music. This endeavor is helped, in part, by a communications degree from one of the top programs in the nation, where I spent a few years analyzing advertising, marketing, political speeches, film, music, and the like.

“
Here’s the big idea: it’s not about music, it’s about missions.
”

The God of the Bible is a sender by nature. He is a missionary God who has sent his people into the world since Abraham. In the Old Testament he sent prophets like Isaiah, Daniel, Jeremiah, and Jonah over cross-cultural boundaries. He sent his Son, Jesus Christ, to earth to live as a man, in a particular time and place, with a particular people as a missionary in a sinful culture. The Father also sends the Holy Spirit to Christians so that we, like Jesus, might also live as missionaries in culture. The gospel that portrays this most clearly is John, where Jesus says roughly forty times, “The Father has sent me,” and then says in John 20:21, “As the Father has sent me, I am sending you.”

As a missionary, I do not view culture passively, merely as entertainment. Rather, I engage it actively as a sermon that is preaching a worldview. I teach my children to do the same. Their computer is fully visible in the middle of our kitchen and dining area, with protective software to help ensure they are not prematurely exposed to content they cannot handle, dangerous people, and also such things as pornography. The television used by our five children is also mounted for all to see in the most visible section of our home to help ensure we actively oversee our children’s cultural intake. That television also has a password that my wife or I must enter if anything is to be recorded or watched beyond a certain age-appropriate rating.

We also watch shows with our children. Those shows are recorded on a TiVo so that we can stop and have discussions during them, helping our kids understand the ideology that is being presented and how to think about it critically. We want our kids to be innocent but not naïve. Naïve Christians are the most vulnerable to engaging culture ignorantly and unpreparedly. If a Christian kid does not know how to walk as a Christian in culture, it’s no surprise that once he or she leaves their parents’ home after graduation, they are statistically likely to fail continue walking with Jesus.

The attitude we have for our children is the same we have for our church. This is why we have a pastor leading film and theology discussions. This is why we have a large contingency of Christians who are in the music business but do not wave the flag of Christian music. Rather, their theology informs their songwriting and artistry. Like our children, our goal is not to create a safe Christian subculture as much as to train missionaries to live in culture like Jesus. This helps explain why we baptized, by God’s grace, almost a thousand new converts last year alone—people who simply would not have connected with a typical Christian church existing in a cultural cul-de-sac.

Syncretism vs. Sectarianism

Regarding missiology, the question is, how are Christians to be missionaries in their cultures? Historically, and biblically, there are two erroneous extremes that Christians swing between: syncretism or sectarianism.

Syncretists go too far into culture, abandoning or diluting the gospel in the name of relevance. Liberals in the early twentieth century did this by pandering to the high culture of academic modernity and abandoning belief in the inerrancy of Scripture, the supernatural, and the divine nature of Christ. The shells of mainline churches are their legacy. Most recently, the Emergent Church did much of the same as they chased after the postmodern mood of our culture by questioning the virgin birth of Christ, the inerrancy of Scripture, the exclusivity of Christ for salvation, and God’s design for heterosexual marriage.

Sectarians are better known as fundamentalists who impose man-made rules on people in the name of achieving holiness by avoiding sinners and hiding out in a “Christian” culture. They are prone to seeing others sin more easily than their own sins of hypocrisy and religious pride, while arguing about morality when they should be explaining how to be redeemed. Whereas syncretists go too far, sectarians don’t go far enough. Neither follows the entire example of Jesus, though both would disagree passionately.

The general concern of sectarians is that to be in culture is to be in sin. All Christians are commanded by God to avoid universal sins—offenses the Bible condemns for all people in all cultures—as well as particular sins, or offenses that are sinful for some people under some circumstances but not for all people under all circumstances. Christians are to do so without unfairly condemning or restricting the freedoms of fellow Christians who involve themselves differently in controversial cultural matters. For example, I personally disdain cigarettes, but I cannot forbid everyone in my church from smoking, because the Bible does not. This is, in part, what Paul means throughout the New Testament when he speaks of weak and strong Christians. In truth, every Christian is both weak and strong. We all have some areas in which we need to restrict our freedoms because of our weaknesses, while we are able to use our Christian liberty in areas in which we are strong.

Unity, Not Uniformity

I recognize that Christians will have different personal convictions in matters of culture and I welcome those differences that are not sinful, because what pleases God is unity, not uniformity. Uniformity undermines mission and often is promoted by erroneous restrictive and permissive theologies. Restrictive Christians go too far and name everything a universal sin, forbidding some cultural activities that the Bible does not, such as listening to certain musical styles, getting tattoos, watching movies, smoking cigarettes, consuming alcohol moderately, enjoying some sexual pleasures within marriage, and body piercing. Conversely, permissive Christians tend to name everything a particular sin and bless activities that the Bible forbids, such as drug use, fornication, homosexuality, and cohabitation before marriage.

I’m not advocating either a permissive or a restrictive approach to debatable cultural issues. Rather, I am encouraging Christians to involve themselves in culture not merely for the purpose of entertainment but primarily for the purpose of education. As a missionary, you will need to watch television shows and movies, listen to music, read books, peruse magazines, attend events, join organizations, surf websites, and befriend people that you might not like to better understand people whom Jesus loves. For example, I often read magazines intended for teenage girls, not because I need to take tests to discover if I am compatible with my boyfriend or because I need leg-waxing tips, but because I want to see young women meet Jesus, so I want to understand them and their culture better.

Garbage In, Garbage Out?

Sadly, a theology of “garbage in, garbage out” remains quite popular but has numerous flaws. First, there is no such thing as a pure culture untainted by sin and sinners, including Christian entertainment, which has had its share of scandalous behavior. One such example is the fact that as I’m writing this blog, the leader of a major Christian television network has publically confessed to adultery. Second, it is uncertain what distinguishes clean “Christian” and unclean “secular” entertainment forms and why Bibleman is so much better than Spiderman.

Engaging culture requires discernment by God’s people to filter all of the cultures they encounter, Christian and non-Christian, through a biblical and theological grid in order to cling to that which is good and reject that which is evil. As we engage culture (watching films and television, listening to music, reading books, shopping at stores, and so on), we must do so as theologians and missionaries filled with wisdom and discernment, seeking to better grasp life in our culture. We do this so we can begin the transforming work of the gospel in our culture by contextualizing the good news of Jesus. Not compromising. Not changing. Contextualizing. Practically, this means doing what Paul says in 1 Corinthians 9:22–23, “I have become all things to all people, that by all means I might save some. I do it all for the sake of the gospel, that I may share with them in its blessings.” The truth is that every ministry is contextualized, the only difference is to which culture and which year of that culture. Everything from pews to chairs, sound systems, projectors, suits, and a printed Bible in the English language are very recent missiogical contextualizations in light of the two thousand years of Christianity.

For those who are familiar with my ministry, this all may seem very confusing in light of comments I have made on other cultural issues. For those who have raised objections and questions in a gracious manner, with all sincerity I want to say thank you! They help me learn how to articulate more effectively my deeply held biblical convictions about Christ, Christians, church, and culture. They help me learn and grow, which I appreciate and need.

One helpful taxonomy I have used for years to help teach on missiology is as follows:

· Receive – There are things in culture that are part of God’s common grace to all people that a Christian can simply receive. This is why, for example, I am typing on a Mac and am going to post this blog on the Internet without searching for an expressly Christian computer or communication format.

· Reject – There are things in culture that are sinful and not beneficial. One example is pornography, which has no redeeming value and must be rejected by a Christian.

· Redeem – There are things in culture that are not bad in and of themselves, but can be used in a sinful manner and therefore need to be redeemed by God’s people. An example that has resulted in a great deal of media attention is sexual pleasure. God made our bodies for, among other purposes, sexual pleasure. And, although many have sinned sexually, as Christians we should redeem this great gift and all its joys in the context of marriage.

As you can see, each issue requires discernment. Liberal syncretists tend to receive too much. Fundamental separatists tend to reject too much. So, while I would reject yoga because it is a Hindu worship act, it is possible for the Christian to redeem some of the exercise principles, as my friend, Rose, extols. Likewise, it’s not a sin to watch a film such as Avatar, enjoy the technological mastery, and learn about how to tell a great story. But, it is imperative for a Christian to not embrace the blatant pagan worldview that does not distinguish between Creator and creation, upon which the entire storyline of the film is constructed.

That said, is it possible to appreciate the musical and entrepreneurial talent of Jay-Z without praising his character or beliefs? Yes. Is it possible to watch and listen to Jay-Z to learn about culture, what people are valuing, and why some men have much larger audiences than any preacher because of how they present their message? Yes. Should Christians agree with the every message he and other artists present? No. Should Christians who like rap check out guys I have enjoyed getting to know a bit, such as Lecrae? Yes. Should all Christians listen to Jay-Z? No. Should Jay-Z sit down and talk to me about Jesus? Yes. Jay-Z, whenever works for you is good for me, and if need be I’d even watch a Nets game.

Making His Path Straight: Repentance

2010-12-05T18:05:00.000-08:00

Advent Week 2:Are You Repentant? from Erick Sorensen on Vimeo.

Is the Christmas Story Historical?

2010-12-03T15:03:00.000-08:00

Luke 1:1-4- Did Christmas Really Happen? from Erick Sorensen on Vimeo.

New Page CXVI Album Available Now!

2010-11-30T08:43:00.000-08:00

The new Page CXVI album is here! Spread the word!

(My deepest apologies to Jeff Proctor for my liberal use of exclamation points.)

Your King Comes....

2010-11-29T08:38:00.000-08:00

Advent; The King Comes... from Erick Sorensen on Vimeo.

Holy, Holy, Holy

2010-11-24T08:36:00.000-08:00

Only 6 days until the new album is available.

04 Holy, Holy, Holy by PageCXVI

A THEOLOGY OF WORK

2010-11-23T09:08:00.000-08:00

When I was 19 and first starting off in the work world, I found myself in a job I didn't much appreciate. I knew I had to do it, and I knew that this was what "being an adult" meant. But really, was this all there was? I struggled and struggled for awhile, but finally, God in His grace revealed to me (through His Word) a doctrine, a viewpoint that changed my whole perspective. That is, I began to do some reading up on the idea of vocation from a biblical perspective.

Up until this point, if I heard the word vocation at all, I tended to think that it was just another word for someone's job. What I found out was that the word vocation was really the Latin word for "calling." I found out that someone's vocation was not merely their job, but their calling at any given time in life. A person didn't just happen to work somewhere, but rather at that time and place (barring anything inherently sinful) was called to work and serve his neighbor through that job. A person didn't just happen to be a parent, they were called to be Parents. A person didn't just happen to go to college, they were called to be a Student. One person could have all of these callings and more at the same time. The Scripture had made clear, after all, that we were "to do all things to the glory of God" in service to our neighbor.

All of the sudden, the seemingly mundane work I was doing on a daily basis seemed to have eternal significance. I wasn't just loading a truck with packages, I was serving hundreds of people throughout the world, by loading their packages well. God was using me to load trucks! I was called. When I went to school, I wasn't merely taking in information, I was called to be a Student!

There is much more I could write about the doctrine of vocation (as I personally think it is the most under-appreciated doctrine recovered during the Reformation), but I have written on it much before. The reason I give a brief overview of this doctrine today is because I think it helps us steer clear of two errors that we have historically seen in people's view of work:

1. Work is Meaningless-

A common view of work is that it is something that we must do just to pay the bills, or that thing we do during the week that makes it possible to do what we really want to do on the weekend. Work for many is drudgery and something to be avoided at all costs; many struggle to find any meaning in what they're doing at all. A biblical theology of work keeps us from that. From the beginning God models for us the value of work as He works for 6 straight days creating the inhabitable universe. At the end of each day, God seems to find satisfaction as He pronounces His work "Good." As Ecclesiastes says, "There is nothing better for a person than that he should eat and drink and find enjoyment in his toil." Work is meaningful because through it, God uses you to model Himself: Working for the good of your neighbor. As Jesus said, "The greatest commandment is this,"Love the Lord your God with all your heart, soul, mind and strength and Love your neighbor as yourself." So whether you shovel dirt, fold papers, load boxes, make decisions, change diapers, etc. all of these things are means by which your neighbor is served!

2. Work is Meaning-

On the other hand, a biblical view of work keeps us from the error of finding all meaning in work. Communists and Capitalists alike have unfortunately both been bilked into seeing work this way. In the Communist scheme what matters Ultimately (since there is no god to speak of) is what you do to contribute to the broader society by your work. On the Capitalist side, "he who dies with the most toys wins." Both of these views make work idolatry (the thing to be worshipped) rather than the true God.

Notice after God is done creating the world He takes the seventh day for rest. Why? Did God run out of breath? Of course not. We're told in Exodus 20 and by Jesus that the reason God took this "sabbath rest" was as a model for us. Work was to cease for a day a week, for the purpose of paying homage to our true God. Not our boss, not our stuff, not our success, but our God who made all these things. He is Meaning, and work is merely a good gift from Him.

Tomorrow, we talk about what a Godly business looks like....

Soli Deo Gloria,

Pastor Erick

RECEIVING FROM CHRIST....GROWING IN CHRIST....GOING WITH CHRIST....

Wrapped Up in the World...

2010-11-22T11:53:00.000-08:00

The 5 Challenges to Christianity in So. Cal. from Erick Sorensen on Vimeo.

MIND YOUR OWN BUSINESS!

2010-11-18T11:02:00.000-08:00

BUSINESS FROM A BIBLICAL WORLD-VIEW

Today, we're shifting topics in our study of World-View: We're going to try and find out what God has to say about business.

At first, this topic sort of seems like an easy one to discuss. I mean, who doesn't partake in business multiple times a day right? We buy from various companies over the internet, buy food at the grocery store, pay for "meals" at McDonalds, put gas in our cars and on and on it goes. We participate in business, because we are busy. Everything we watch on television is funded by companies wooing us to do business with them. We drive down the freeway, billboards and signs are everywhere seeking to give us just the right incentive to go with them, rather than the other guy! Billions of dollars are spent every year just studying how we, the consumers, make our decisions to buy products.

Is there even a need for the Bible to speak to us on this issue? Doesn't business just naturally work itself out? Not exactly Ayn Rand... The issue is an issue of stewardship, both for the business owner, and the consumer. What responsibility does the Christian business person have? What responsibility does the Christian customer have? To be a Christian in business does not mean having a business card with a Jesus fish on it; it does not just mean playing Air 1 or K-WAVE in your office. Being a Christian in business means you strive to create and sell a great product; it means working hard for the benefit of others; it means you're honest and ethical; it means you do it all for the glory of God; it then means making a profit.

For the consumer, it means thinking about what products you support; it means being wise with what we buy; it means being generous towards the Lord for the benefit of others, but skimpy toward yourself and the benefit of yourself!

We'll spend the next few days fleshing this out. Tomorrow, we'll look at a business' primary responsibility....

Soli Deo Gloria,

Pastor Erick

RECEIVING FROM CHRIST....GROWING IN CHRIST....GOING WITH CHRIST....

WHY NO FEMALE PASTORS? PART III

2010-11-17T15:38:00.000-08:00

BUT WHY THOUGH?

"For Adam was formed first, then Eve; and Adam was not deceived, but the woman was deceived and became a transgressor."

So far in my attempts to answer the question of why females aren't called to be Pastors, I've shown the evidence from Scripture and dealt with the possible arguments against this view. We've seen this is Scripture's teaching, but we still haven't attempted to answer the broader, nagging question of "WHY?"

The reasons Paul gives in the text are twofold:

1. Adam was created first. Here Paul is emphasizing that just as Adam was given the charge of leading His wife in spiritual matters before the Fall (He was supposed to let her know of God's command not to eat from the tree; he was supposed to protect her by God's word, but failed), so too now, the man is still given charge in leading in Spiritual matters in the home and the Church.

2. Eve was deceived. At least part of the reason that the woman is not allowed to lead in the Church is because she was the one deceived. Now, this in no way suggests that Adam was innocent in this event (as the rest of the the New Testament clearly shows: Romans 5 for starters). He wasn't even deceived; he knew better!!! Nevertheless, because of this deception, the woman is not allowed to lead within the Church in a Pastoral role. Does this mean that women are more prone to deception in spiritual matters than men? The text doesn't say directly, but may say it indirectly? I'm just not sure.

To tell you the truth, it's difficult to answer from a broader theological perspective. There are abundantly talented women that teach brilliantly in schools, at work, at home, etc.; it seems to me they'd be able to teach in the Church with no problem at all! There are women in the rest of their lives that have high powered positions of authority over many men i.e. school principals, lawyers, Senators, etc. They are gifted leaders and it seems they'd do just fine leading the Church. Why couldn't they be Pastors?

Here's really the only and best answer I can give: Because God says so. For whatever reason, in His perfect and sovereign plan for this world He has said that the Husband is to lead the home, and a Man is to oversee His Church. A wife is to submit to her husband, and a woman is not to Pastor the Church. I don't know the answer to the question "Why?" in this scenario anymore than I know it when someone is suffering. Oh, I know why suffering comes (because of sin), I know what God does with suffering (builds our character into the image of Christ), but I don't know "Why suffering?" There are some questions that God has not given us complete answers to. With these, He calls us to trust Him.

Do you trust that God knows what He is doing? Do you trust that His will for His Church is perfect? Do you trust His word over and above your reason?

Soli Deo Gloria,

Pastor Erick

RECEIVING FROM CHRIST....GROWING IN CHRIST....GOING WITH CHRIST....

HAVE IT ALL OR WANT IT ALL?

2010-11-17T11:37:00.000-08:00

From Pastor Jamie Munson:

The American Reality

The Rich Fool of Jesus’ parable could be a poster boy for the American Dream. He worked his land, earned a good living, and planned to enjoy the fruits of his labor. But he could also pass for what is too often the American Reality. Ruled by selfishness and greed, he ignored the One who created the land, the One who made it produce a harvest, and the One who numbered his very days.

Big Idea: Stewardship

Everything we have comes from God and belongs to God: life, family, money, resources, time, job, talents…everything (John 3:27; 1 Cor. 4:7). We are stewards of what God has given us. He owns it; we use it.

In addition to the breath in our lungs and the food on our table, God has given us forgiveness, righteousness, and eternal life through the work of Jesus: “an inheritance that is imperishable, undefiled, and unfading, kept in heaven” (1 Pet. 1:4).

Gratitude, Greed, and Grumbling

The totality of God’s gifts is much more than we deserve. Though many Christians would nod their heads in agreement, few live as though it were actually true. Rather than gratitude for God’s grace we exhibit greed for our own gain. The difference between these two outlooks influences and directs every aspect of life:

	Gratitude	Greed
Attitude	Humility (Phil. 2:3)	Grumbling (Phil. 2:15)
Perspective	Grace: “I am a sinner who deserves death but Jesus paid the price andgave me his perfect righteousness.”	Entitlement: “I am a good person who deserves heaven—plus a comfortable, pain-free existence in the meantime.”
Desire	Jesus is enough to satisfy my life.	Jesus is not enough. I want wealth / fame / comfort / power as well.
Money	God gives. Therefore my money is his, and I use it to glorify him.	I earn. Therefore my money is mine, and I use it however I please.
Possessions	Contentment: I have enough	Covetous: I never have enough
Church	Serve as a member of God’s family	Be served as a consumer
Job	Work heartily for the Lord; cultivating thanks for God’s provision (Deut. 8:17; Col. 3:23)	Work begrudgingly for the man; becoming bitter and jealous against others (James 3:16)
Family	A blessing to embrace	A burden to escape
Future	Eternal: optimistic/hopeful (2 Cor. 4:7–9)	Temporal: pessimistic/anxious
Worship	Time, energy, and resources go to God	Time, energy, and resources go to me
Identity	Jesus and his achievement	My abilities and my achievements
Giving	Generous	Guilt- or gain-motivated (or non-existent)

Which column most accurately describes your life? In which areas are you encouraged? Where do you need to repent and seek forgiveness? Your church, your small group, and your family are following your example, for good or ill.

Three Kinds of People

2010-11-17T10:06:00.000-08:00

Luke 19;11-28- Three Kinds of People from Erick Sorensen on Vimeo.

Joyful, Joyful, We Adore Thee

2010-11-17T08:54:00.000-08:00

Here is another taste of Page CXVI's new album. I love this band. The new album drops on November 30th.

05 Joyful, Joyful, We Adore Thee by PageCXVI

Jesus said the American Dream is stupid.

2010-11-15T01:02:00.000-08:00

Be Still My Soul

2010-11-10T23:54:00.001-08:00

Another song from the upcoming new Page CXVI album.

01 Be Still My Soul by PageCXVI

WHY NO FEMALE PASTORS? PART II

2010-11-10T21:18:00.000-08:00

Let a woman learn quietly with all submissiveness. I do not permit a woman to teach or to exercise authority over a man; rather, she is to remain quiet. For Adam was formed first, then Eve; and Adam was not deceived, but the woman was deceived and became a transgressor.
(1 Timothy 2:13-14 ESV)

Yesterday I left off with a series of possible objections to my view that biblically, only males can be Pastors. Today, I'll try and answer those objections as well as dig into the broader Theological reasons why the Bible teaches this doctrine:

1. Isn't this just a command for that time and place?-

At first, this seems like the most logical possible objection there is to the text in 1 Timothy. After all, in 1 Corinthians 11 we're told that men shouldn't wear their hair long, and women need to go before the Lord with a head covering. We don't require these things today, so why can't women's ordination fall under the same category? The issue is basically historical, and contextual. When we look back at first century Rome, in Corinth, we see that when a woman did not wear a head covering (cloth or long hair) she was either saying, "I'm available" to the world (when she was already married) or she was usurping her husband's role as the Leader, saying, "I have the authority over him." For a man to wear long hair (at that place and time) meant that he was seeking to be effeminate or give away his authority. But in our culture, long hair and short hair have no such meaning and never have. Therefore, we don't observe the letter of the principle laid down, but the spirit of the principle laid down. The context helps determine our understanding and interpretation.

With our passage in 1 Timothy (as well as others I'm not covering), the context does not revert to something cultural, but something universal. Read what Paul appeals to to make his case: "For Adam was formed first, then Eve; and Adam was not deceived, but the woman was deceived and became a transgressor." He does not refer to local issues, or local people, but to the very first people of the human race! He appeals to the created order of things and therefore is speaking to something that applies to all people in the Church for all time. As has been said before, context is always the key.

In response, some have said that in the Church Timothy was Pastoring, there must have been women usurping authority and trying to teach the Church false doctrine. The reality is though, we have no such evidence of any practice going on. Also, when false teachers are mentioned in the letter, they are only males. If females were indeed permitted to teach and were not teaching rightly, surely they would have been mentioned by name (as are Hymenaeus, Alexander and Philetus.)

2. Isn't this sexist? Are you saying that women aren't as smart as men?-

I suppose the easiest way to answer this objection is to say if the Bible were saying that women can't be Pastors because they're not as smart as men, then yes, it would be sexist. But the Bible is not saying any such thing. Rather, the Bible is merely appealing to specific ways God has called men, and for that matter, specific ways, God has called women in the Church. That leads to the next point...

3. Are you saying women can't be leaders in the rest of society?

No not at all. As a matter of fact in the Old Testament we see the example of Deborah leading the nation of Israel politically (Judges 4) and Esther also ruled as a Queen. God has gifted some women to lead in society, just as he has gifted some men to lead in society. The two areas where God has not permitted a woman to lead are in the family and in the Church, as Pastors.

4. I thought Galatians 3 said that in Christ "there is neither male nor female." What gives?

Good question! Again there is some interpretive principles that need to be put into effect here in order to understand what this text means, and what it does not mean. First off, context always shows us the way forward. Second, we always must remember that we have to interpret Scripture with Scripture. That is to say, no verse of Scripture stands alone, but is understood in light of what the rest of Scripture says about the issue at hand. For example, if one were to read the Sermon on the Mount in isolation from the rest of Scripture, it would be nearly impossible not to conclude that our salvation comes purely by our works. But when we read it in light of everything else, we see that the Sermon on the Mount is meant to show us the impossibility of being saved by our works, so that we would indeed flee to Christ!

So then the context of Galatians 3 (Click the link to verify what I'm saying :) Paul is hitting on one of his major themes in his writings, which is, the Unity we have in Christ. Over and over he emphasizes this between Jews and Gentiles, so as to bring the two groups together. He then moves on to say "there is neither slave nor free, male nor female..." Some have thought therefore, this meant in the body of Christ these distinctions ceased to exist. Yet, in many other letters that Paul wrote, he specifically wrote to slaves (Ephesians 6) and specifically to free men (Ephesians 6) addressing them individually. He specifically writes to females (Ephesians 5) and specifically writes to males (Ephesians 5) giving them their individual instructions.

Is Paul then contradicting himself or is it something else? Well the rest of Scripture gives us the answer: Throughout Paul's letters, he emphasizes the importance of being members of the Body. In those discussions he shares the importance of Diversity and Unity within that Body. We are all part of One Body, but in this One Body there are many members. So in the sense of Unity, there is neither male nor female. Christ doesn't judge us or give us any standing based on these things; on the other hand, as individual members of the Body we remain male and female, with distinct differences and callings as the rest of Scripture points out.

It looks like I've already written too much, so tomorrow, I'll get into the broader Theological reasons why women are not called to be Pastors...

Soli Deo Gloria,

Pastor Erick

RECEIVING FROM CHRIST....GROWING IN CHRIST....GOING WITH CHRIST....

WHY NO FEMALE PASTORS?

2010-11-10T10:22:00.000-08:00

I desire then that in every place the men should pray, lifting holy hands without anger or quarreling; likewise also that women should adorn themselves in respectable apparel, with modesty and self-control, not with braided hair and gold or pearls or costly attire, but with what is proper for women who profess godliness—with good works. Let a woman learn quietly with all submissiveness. I do not permit a woman to teach or to exercise authority over a man; rather, she is to remain quiet. For Adam was formed first, then Eve; and Adam was not deceived, but the woman was deceived and became a transgressor.

(1 Timothy 2:8-14 ESV)

I can't think of a more difficult Biblical topic to tackle in our day then the issue of Female Pastors. Women are in leadership positions all over the general society and have been for quite some time. There have been Queens who ruled without the aid of a King; there have been C.E.O's, C.I.A. Agents, Soldiers, Professors, etc. all leadership positions in society. Because of this, most, if not all of the Mainline Churches (the largest denominations of the various Protestant sects) have ordained Females into the rosters of the Clergy for sometime now. And yet, I am a Pastor of a Church that still believes that a woman cannot be a Pastor?! And I believe that my Church is right on the issue!? Why the difference? Why the forbidding? I'll do my best to try and answer the difficult questions with as much Biblical data as God gives. To start off, let's get down to the fundamentals and work our way out from there:

1. God is Creator of all- We believe, teach and confess that God is Creator. He created the universe, the galaxies, the stars, the fish, the birds, the mammals, the people: "Male and Female He created them." As Creator and Ruler over all of His creation, He makes the rules.

2. God Has Spoken- We believe, teach and confess that God the Creator has spoken in His holy Word, the Bible. Because it is God's Word (though penned by individual human authors), we believe that this Word cannot have error, as God cannot have error. If "all Scripture is God breathed" as Paul insists in writing to Timothy (2 Timothy 3:15-16) then like His initial creation, it must be perfect.

- This is a point at which the Mainline Churches and Evangelical Churches disagree; long ago, mainliners gave up the idea of "an inerrant Bible" preferring to use the word "inspired." That sounds fine, but what that practically ended up meaning was "Sure, God wrote through these authors, but their own opinions, errors and limited thinking unfortunately got into the mix as well." But then, where does this "finding of errors" stop? What or who becomes the authority in determining what is error, and what is true? Science? Theologians? Me? You? The doctrine of inerrancy hinges on God's perfect Personage, and His claims to have written this book. As 2 Peter describes it:

"And we have something more sure, the prophetic word, to which you will do well to pay attention as to a lamp shining in a dark place, until the day dawns and the morning star rises in your hearts, knowing this first of all, that no prophecy of Scripture comes from someone's own interpretation. For no prophecy was ever produced by the will of man, but men spoke from God as they were carried along by the Holy Spirit." (2 Peter 1:19-21 ESV)

3. God's Word is Binding- So then, if the Bible is God's perfect word, what it says has ultimate authority for faith and conduct. It tells us what to believe and what to do. It does not tell us everything (for example, that vitamins are good for us), but what it does clearly speak of, we are obligated to obey whether it makes any sense to us or not.

4. God's perfect Word says- In the Church, "a woman is not permitted to teach or exercise authority over a man." So then, God is the Authority; in His authoritative Word He says women can't teach or exercise authority. Because the position in the Church where a person both teaches and exercises authority over a man is the position of Elder, we hold that a woman cannot be an Elder/Pastor (in the New Testament they are the same office). A woman can teach a class at Church to a group of men; a woman can teach and exercise authority over children and other women, but she cannot be an Elder/Pastor.The only question that remains is "Does this passage really say what it appears to be saying?" Tomorrow, I'll take that up.

As you can imagine, there are many, many objections to this point of view from both Godly people and not so Godly people. Let me list a few, and tomorrow, I'll try and answer them:

1. Isn't this just a command for that time and place? (There are indeed commands like that)

2. Isn't this sexist? Are you saying that women aren't as smart as men?

3. Are you saying women can't be leaders in the rest of society?

4. I thought Galatians 3 said that in Christ "there is neither male nor female." What gives?

I'm sure there's more I'll think of by tomorrow, but if you have any comments or feedback you'd like to share on this issue, please let me know, and I'll be happy to discuss it....

Soli Deo Gloria,

Pastor Erick

RECEIVING FROM CHRIST....GROWING IN CHRIST....GOING WITH CHRIST...

CHRISTIAN FEMINISM?

2010-11-10T10:00:00.000-08:00

Is it possible to be a Christian and a Feminist? There are so many possible ways to answer that question that it’s hard to know where to begin. So let’s begin with some basic definitions:

Feminism- a doctrine that advocates equal rights for women (Princeton’s definition)
Christian- Someone, who being saved by Christ from the condemnation of their sins before God, now seeks to conform their life to the teachings of their Master as revealed in Scripture.

Can these two words come together to describe someone? Well, since a Christian is someone who seeks to conform their lives to Scripture, let’s see what that Scripture has to say about it:

Genesis 1 & 2 clearly show that just as man was created in the image of God, so woman was created in the image of God. They are distinct, and different, but both created in His image. Therefore, both have the same infinite value, but also have differing roles.
Galatians 3 also confirms this is true not just for the general creation, but especially so for the Christian Church. Paul writes, ‘For as many of you as were baptized into Christ have put on Christ. There is neither Jew nor Greek, there is neither slave nor free, there is no male and female, for you are all one in Christ Jesus.”

So, if Feminism truly is what the above definition states, “A doctrine that advocates equal rights for women,” not only can a Feminist be a Christian, but every Christian should be a Feminist! Unless that is, one can come up with a Scriptural proof somewhere that teaches women are not equal to men; but no such text exists. As a matter of fact, one could say that Christianity really was the first Feminism! Who found the risen Jesus? Women. Who funded some of Jesus’ ministry? Women. Who were called to be Deacon/Leaders in the Church? Women. No other system on earth at the time had anything close to the sorts of rights that were granted women within Christianity. So it’s no problem for Christians to say “Women should be paid equally for the same job that a man does; women should have the opportunity to run for political office, host a talk show, fly a plane, etc, etc, etc.”

So what then is the problem? Why would it seem (implied in the initial question) there is conflict between Feminism and Christianity? The answer is that the definition above would not be an accurate description of what most modern Feminism is. If some Feminist organization does truly just seek women's equality, again, we have no issues. But unfortunately, much of modern Feminism has almost nothing in common with the earlier feminism of Susan B. Anthony or Elizabeth Cady Stanton, which indeed did fight for equal rights for women. The earlier feminism really did focus on women gaining the right to work, vote and be freer in the society without having the permission of a man. They were Pro-Life, and abhorred abortion, believing that one of God’s greatest gifts to women was actually the ability to give birth.

The vast majority of well known Feminist organizations today are fiercely Pro-Choice (almost all of them support the right to partial birth abortion which is exactly what it sounds like: deliver a baby somewhat out of the womb, then stab it’s skull with scissors; there is no, literally NONE, no scientific evidence that suggests there is any reason to allow this procedure to continue.), promote deviant sexual behavior and “sexual expressiveness” and almost always promote “other spiritualities” (if you needed any sort of proof, just go to NOW’s website). Lost in this of course is any actual love and admiration for those traits that just may be…wait for it….gulp….inherently feminine (more on that tomorrow).

In closing then, let me put things this way: If one holds to the technical definition of Feminism, than Christians should support Feminism. But if one means by Feminism the right to abortion, sexual deviancy and "other spiritualities" than it’s hard to see how the two world-views are compatible at all.

Tomorrow, relating to this, I’ll cover the question “If the Bible teaches women are equal, why aren’t they allowed to be Pastors?”

Soli Deo Gloria,

Pastor Erick

P.S. It is entirely possible that I am not seeing something accurately in my posts, so please feel free to e-mail or comment anytime to discuss disagreements, or questions you may have. I really do welcome the discussion!

RECEIVING FROM CHRIST....GROWING IN CHRIST....GOING WITH CHRIST....

New Page CXVI Song

2010-11-03T22:29:00.000-07:00

Here is one of the new songs that is going to be on the new Page CXVI album, Hymns III, that is set for release on November 30.

02 Be Thou My Vision by PageCXVI

I LOVE BEING A LUTHERAN...

2010-11-02T15:00:00.001-07:00

The Reformation- Being re-formed by the Gospel from Erick Sorensen on Vimeo.

GOD IS "PRO-LIFE" PART IV

2010-11-02T14:56:00.001-07:00

GOD IS PRO-LIFE

HOW TO HELP

Last week I briefly laid out the case for being against abortion. We saw that it is thoroughly biblical, inescapably reasonable and by every possible scientific and philosophical definition, the killing of an innocent human being. God says that we, as His people, are to stand up for the rights of the innocent and victimized (read the 5th commandment for starters, then read the whole book of Amos, finally move on to James in case you weren't sure about this fact.) But how in the world do we go about this? Below, I'll offer 5 recommendations that if put into place, can significantly make an impact:

1. Pray- I can't say it enough, but God calls us to constantly seek, knock and ask for what we need. "Pray without ceasing."

2. Support local Crisis Pregnancy Centers- What is a Crisis Pregnancy Center? Generally speaking, a Crisis Pregnancy Center is the antithesis to Planned Parenthood. Whereas Planned Parenthood has no problem encouraging people towards the option of abortion, Crisis Pregnancy Centers seek to show the other alternatives the Mother has. They show an ultrasound (usually in color) to the Mom so she can see for herself that what is in her body is not a reptile, or some floating piece of goo, but an actual human being. They talk with the mother about giving the child up for adoption. Some offer childcare for the baby to be, job placement for the Mom, and much, much more. Support them financially, or with your time, talents, anything. They almost always need help.

3. Familiarize yourself with Pro-Life and Pro-Choice arguments- I know for many of you, the issue is so emotional that you can't even stand reading the rhetoric of the other side, but if we are to win the argument in the culture, you must. Conversion on this issue will not come from the top down (meaning legislation, though that would be appropriate still, because it is the protecting of life!), but in real life conversations. The truth is, most people that are "pro-choice" haven't really thought about it all that much; they need to be shown the overwhelming evidence of your argument. But in order to do this, you need to know the sorts of arguments even the most skilled pro-choice advocate will bring up in order to persuade them and others around. For a fantastic resource in this regard, check out this teaching series from Stand to Reason called "Making Abortion Unthinkable." The arguments here are absolutely unassailable.

4. Support Pro-Life Causes- Notice I did not write "support Democrats", or "support Republicans". What I wrote was support Pro-Life causes. I'll leave it to your own conscience to decide how best to do that...

In sort of a related topic, recently someone asked me whether it was possible to be a Christian and a Feminist. Tomorrow (and maybe the next day), I'll attempt to answer that question.

Soli Deo Gloria,

Pastor Erick

RECEIVING FROM CHRIST...GROWING IN CHRIST....GOING WITH CHRIST....

GOD IS "PRO-LIFE" PART III

2010-11-02T14:55:00.001-07:00

WHAT ABORTION ACTUALLY IS:

(CONFRONTING THE RHETORIC OF THE PRO-CHOICE MOVEMENT)

Let me begin this post by saying that I don't want to post this. It would be vastly more comfortable if we could all stay inside the safe fog that is the rhetoric of the pro-choice movement. "Who are you to tell a woman what she should do with her body?" "A woman should have the right to choose." "It's about women's rights." Or the line of most young males with no backbone: "That's a personal choice; I could never understand what it's like to be a woman in that position."

Note: This is a line that can only be said by the unthoughtful, since we constantly, male and females, make judgments about things that are right and wrong. For example, I have never heard anyone say this about someone choosing to shoot up heroin: "That's a personal choice; I could never understand what it's like to be a person in that position." No, if they're any sort of friend to their drug addicted friend, they actually try and make a case for why shooting up heroin is bad for them. But for some reason when it comes to ending the life of babies, we just aren't sure about it's morality? The reason I think is because we have convinced ourselves of the lie that whatever is in the womb of that mother is something in some way different than, like, a real human baby. The choice movement has come up with insane distinctions such as "viable fetuses vs. unviable fetuses" to determine when the most moral time for an abortion might be. All the while, no one is really dealing with the question, "Viable or not, is what is in the mother an actual human being?" So to answer this question, I am going to do two things today.

1. Detail the development of a baby in the womb

2. Detail the sorts of abortion procedures given to these babies in the womb

The resource I have for this information comes from www.lifesitenews.com. Admittedly, this site is biased, but the information contained therein can be confirmed by multiple sources elsewhere. This site just compiles the data in the most organized fashion.

Here is what legalized abortion looks like:

There are many methods of abortion. The procedure used depends largely upon the stage of pregnancy and the size of the unborn child. Dr. J.C. Willke, in his book, Abortion: Questions and Answers (Hayes Publishing Co. Inc, Cincinnati, 1985), has divided the methods of abortion into three main categories: those that invade the uterus and kill the child by instruments which enter the uterus through the cervix; those that kill the preborn child by administration of drugs and then induce labour and the delivery of a dead baby; and, those that invade the uterus by abdominal surgery.

Dilation of the uterus is required in cervical methods of abortion. The usual method of dilation is to insert a series of instruments of increasing size into the cervix. A set of dilators, metallic curved instruments, are used to open the cervix sufficiently to accommodate the instruments of abortion. In contrast with a normal birth, where the dilation occurs slowly over a period of many hours, the forceful stretching by the abortionist to open the cervix takes a matter of seconds. This premature and unnatural stretching of the cervix can result in permanent physical injury to the mother.

Laminaria (dehydrated material, usually seaweed) is sometimes used to reduce damage to the cervix. Inserted into the cervix the day before the scheduled abortion, it absorbs water and swells, gradually pushing open the cervix in the process.

At Eight Weeks

At eight to nine weeks the eyelids have begun forming and hair appears. By the ninth and tenth weeks the preborn child sucks her thumb, turns somersaults, jumps, can squint to close out light, frown, swallow, and move her tongue.

At this early stage of development, suction abortions are performed using a smaller tube, requiring little dilation of the cervix. This is called "menstrual extraction." However, if all the fetal remains are not removed, infection results, requiring full dilation of the cervix and a scraping out of the womb.

Suction Aspiration

This is the most common method of abortion during the first 12 weeks of pregnancy. General or local anaesthesia is given to the mother and her cervix is quickly dilated. A suction curette (hollow tube with a knife-edged tip) is inserted into the womb. This instrument is then connected to a vacuum machine by a transparent tube. The vacuum suction, 29 times more powerful than a household vacuum cleaner, tears the fetus and placenta into small pieces which are sucked through the tube into a bottle and discarded

Dilation and Curettage (D&C)

This method is similar to the suction method with the added insertion of a hook shaped knife (curette) which cuts the baby into pieces. The pieces are scraped out through the cervix and discarded [Note: This abortion method should not be confused with a therapeutic D&C done for reasons other than pregancy.]

At Twelve Weeks

By the end of the third month all arteries are present, including the coronary vessels of the heart. Blood is circulating through these vessels to all body parts.

The heart beat ranges during this fetal period from 110 to 160 beats per minute. All blood cells are produced by the liver and spleen, a job soon taken over by the bone marrow. White blood cells, important for immunity, are formed in the lymph nodes and thymus.

Vocal chords are complete, and the child can and does sometimes cry (silently). The brain is fully formed, and the child can feel pain. The fetus may even suck his thumb. The eyelids now cover the eyes, and will remain shut until the seventh month to protect the delicate optical nerve fibers.

14 weeks: Muscles lenghten and become organized. The mother will soon start feeling the first flutters of the baby kicking and moving inside.

15 weeks: The fetus has an adult's taste buds and may be able to savor the mother's meals.

16 weeks: Five and a half inches tall and only six ounces in weight, eyebrows, eyelashes and fine hair appear. The child can grasp with his hands, kick, or even somersault.

At Eighteen Weeks

The fetus is now about 5 inches long. The child blinks, grasps, and moves her mouth. Hair grows on the head and body.

20 weeks: The child can hear and recognize mother's voice. Though still small and fragile, the baby is growing rapidly and could possibly survive if born at this stage. Fingernails and fingerprints appear. Sex organs are visible. Using an ultrasound device, the doctor can tell if the child is a girl or a boy. The one on the left is a baby girl.

Dilation and Evacuation (D&E)

This method is used up to 18 weeks' gestation. Instead of the loop-shaped knife used in D&C abortions, a pair of forceps is inserted into the womb to grasp part of the fetus. The teeth of the forceps twist and tear the bones of the unborn child. This process is repeated until the fetus is totally dismembered and removed. Usually the spine must be snapped and the skull crushed in order to remove them.

Salt Poisoning (Saline Injection):

Used after 16 weeks (four months) when enough fluid has accumulated. A long needle injects a strong salt solution through the mother's abdomen into the baby's sac. The baby swallows this fluid and is poisoned by it. It also acts as a corrosive, burning off the outer layer of skin. It normally takes somewhat over an hour for the baby to die from this. Within 24 hours, labor will usually set in and the mother will give birth to a dead or dying baby. (There have been many cases of these babies being born alive. They are usually left unattended to die. However, a few have survived and later been adopted.)

At Six Months

Seen here at six months, the unborn child is covered with a fine, downy hair called lanugo. Its tender skin is protected by a waxy substance called vernix. Some of this substance may still be on the child's skin at birth at which time it will be quickly absorbed. The child practices breathing by inhaling amnionic fluid into developing lungs.

Prostaglandin Chemical Abortion

This form of abortion uses chemicals developed by the Upjohn Pharmaceutical Co. which cause the uterus to contract intensely, pushing out the developing baby. The contractions are more violent than normal, natural contractions, so the unborn baby is frequently killed by them -- some have even been decapitated. Many, however, have also been born alive.

Hysterotomy or Caesarean Section

Used mainly in the last three months of pregnancy, the womb is entered by surgery through the wall of the abdomen. The technique is similar to a Caesarean delivery, except that the umbilical cord is usually cut while the baby is still in the womb, thus cutting off his oxygen supply and causing him to suffocate. Sometimes the baby is removed alive and simply left in a corner to die of neglect or exposure.

At 30 Weeks

For several months, the umbilical cord has been the baby's lifeline to the mother. Nourishment is transferred from the mother's blood, through the placenta, and into the umbilical cord to the fetus. If the mother ingests any toxic substances, such as drugs or alcohol, the baby receives these as well.

32 weeks: The fetus sleeps 90-95% of the day, and sometimes experiences REM sleep, an indication of dreaming.

Partial-Birth Abortion

Five steps to a partial birth abortion:

Guided by ultrasound, the abortionist grabs the baby's legs with forceps.
The baby's leg is pulled out into the birth canal.
The abortionist delivers the baby's entire body, except for the head.
The abortionist jams scissors into the baby's skull. The scissors are then opened to enlarge the skull.
The scissors are removed and a suction catheter is inserted. The child's brains are sucked out, causing the skull to collapse. The dead baby is then removed.

At 40 Weeks

The baby, now approximately seven and a half pounds, is ready for life outside its mother's womb. At birth the placenta will detach from the side of the uterus and the umbilical cord will cease working as the child takes his first breaths of air. The child's breathing will trigger changes in the structure of the heart and bypass arteries which will force all blood to now travel through the lungs.

Tomorrow, we'll talk about how we should deal with those who are pro-choice, or who have had an abortion. We'll also begin to deal with our next topic, Feminism and Christianity.

Soli Deo Gloria,

Pastor Erick

RECEIVING FROM CHRIST...GROWING IN CHRIST....GOING WITH CHRIST...

GOD IS "PRO-LIFE" PART II

2010-11-02T14:54:00.001-07:00

GOD IS PRO-LIFE

WHY BEING ANYTHING BUT PRO-LIFE IS IRRATIONAL

How is it possible that a Jewish Atheist, former writer for the Village Voice and traditionally a supporter of the A.C.L.U., is pro-life? Doesn't one have to be religious to be pro-life? Well, if you're Nat Hentoff, the answer is clearly "No." In virtually all realms, Hentoff is as secular as one can get, and yet he is fiercely pro-life. The following is a bit of his own personal coming around on the issue:

"For me, this transformation started with the reporting I did on the Babies Doe (instances where babies born with defects had been allowed to die. Click here to read more). While covering the story, I came across a number of physicians, medical writers, staff people in Congress and some members of the House and Senate who were convinced that making it possible for a spina bifida or a Down syndrome infant to die was the equivalent of what they called a "late abortion." And surely, they felt, there's nothing wrong with that.

Now, I had not been thinking about abortion at all. I had not thought about it for years. I had what W. H. Auden called in another context a "rehearsed response." You mentioned abortion and I would say, "Oh yeah, that's a fundamental part of women's liberation," and that was the end of it.

But then I started hearing about "late abortion." The simple "fact" that the infant had been born, proponents suggest, should not get in the way of mercifully saving him or her from a life hardly worth living. At the same time, the parents are saved from the financial and emotional burden of caring for an imperfect child.

And then I heard the head of the Reproductive Freedom Rights unit of the ACLU saying - this was at the same time as the Baby Jane Doe story was developing on Long Island - at a forum, "I don't know what all this fuss is about. Dealing with these handicapped infants is really an extension of women's reproductive freedom rights, women's right to control their own bodies."

That stopped me. It seemed to me we were not talking about Roe v. Wade.These infants were born. And having been born, as persons under the Constitution, they were entitled to at least the same rights as people on death row - due process, equal protection of the law. So for the first time, I began to pay attention to the "slippery slope" warnings of pro-lifers I read about or had seen on television. Because abortion had become legal and easily available, that argument ran - as you well know - infanticide would eventually become openly permissible, to be followed by euthanasia for infirm, expensive senior citizens.

And then in the New York Review of Books , I saw the respected, though not by me, Australian bio-ethicist Peter Singer boldly assert that the slope was not slippery at all, but rather a logical throughway once you got on to it. This is what he said - and I've heard this in variant forms from many, many people who consider themselves compassionate, concerned with the pow erless and all that.

Singer: "The pro-life groups were right about one thing, the location of the baby inside or outside the womb cannot make much of a moral difference. We cannot coherently hold it is alright to kill a fetus a week before birth, but as soon as the baby is born everything must be done to keep it alive. The solution, however," said Singer, "is not to accept the pro-life view that the fetus is a human being with the same moral status as yours or mine. The solution is the very opposite, to abandon the idea that all human life is of equal worth." Which, of course, the majority of the Court had already done in Roe v. Wade."

If someone who is pro-choice is to be logically consistent, Singer is absolutely right: There is no fundamental difference in person-hood between the baby in the womb, and the baby outside of the womb. During the Roe vs. Wade trial, attorneys for the right to choose (to kill a baby), held up posters seeking to make the case that what was growing in the womb may not be truly human yet; maybe they were just going through different evolutionary stages (this is real, I'm not making this up). But now, we know better (we really always have, but we will seek to rationalize anything we do): What is growing in the womb of the mother is actually a human being. If what is growing in the womb is a human being and has all the characteristics of a human being, then it deserves the protections that we give all human beings in the society.

I don't have space (or time) to dig much further now, but there is so much more that could be said. For starters, check out this link with pro-life responses to pro-death (choice) arguments. Notice that not one of the responses references a religious text (the Bible or anything else) to make the case. Reason is overwhelmingly on the side of the pro-life cause, so be confident in your stand!

Tomorrow, we deal with what abortion actually is (medically speaking) and with the specific objection that a woman should have the right to choose...

Soli Deo Gloria,

Pastor Erick

RECEIVING FROM CHRIST...GROWING IN CHRIST....GOING WITH CHRIST....

GOD IS "PRO-LIFE"

2010-10-26T13:23:00.000-07:00

A LOOK AT ABORTION

Well, this should be interesting....!

If you've been paying any attention to what I've written thus far about Christians and world-view, you know I have been very critical of Churches identifying themselves with politics too much. No Church should swear their loyalty to any particular party, but should be salt and light to both political parties. The church should not baptize any particular policies as being "God's policies." As a Pastor, I shouldn't and I won't do that (though I have in the past, and regretted it :( )

That being said, as individual Christians who are citizens of both kingdoms we are responsible to seek justice in the society around us especially for the poor, the widow, and the orphan (James 1:27). Sometimes this care for the downtrodden, the innocent, the helpless forces us to confront policies that aren't just godless, but are actively fighting against God's design for his world. For example, in World War II, the vast majority of those who helped Jews, Gypsy's and others escape the Holocaust were Christians being disobedient to their government's policies. They heard about the killing of innocents, and saw the enslavement of their neighbors and their conscience couldn't help but take action.

Over the next week as we discuss abortion, my hope is that you would see the silent Holocaust that is abortion in this country and the world (No, I'm not being dramatic, that's what it is.) My hope is that you would see God's clear teaching about the importance of life; that you would garner the arguments from natural law that show the importance of life; My hope is that it would spur your conscience into action as well. Action that mourns over the millions of victims (around 50,000,000 since the Roe vs. Wade decision: 1,220,00 babies killed per year, 101,667 babies killed per month, 3,340 babies killed per day, 139 babies killed per hour, 2 babies killed every second. Just in the U.S. alone); Action that has compassion on those who have had abortion so that they might be healed by the Great Physician; Action that seeks to help those that are pregnant now through Crisis Pregnancy Centers and adoption alternatives.

So to start off, let's just deal with two simple passages from Scripture about how God feels about innocent human life:

1. Genesis 1:27- So God created man in his own image, in the image of God he created him; male and female he created them.

During the 6 days of Creation, God created many nouns. There were animals, and places, and things, and then He created People. What made people unique is that they were the only part of God's creation, out of the billions of nouns that were made, that were created in His image. Not only that, though He created everything else with His powerful Word, for some reason, with man, He bent down, shaped his body with His own hands and breathed life into his nostrils (Genesis 2). God says He cares about human life so much, that He writes in Genesis 9, “Whoever sheds the blood of man, by man shall his blood be shed, for God made man in his own image."

2. Psalm 139:13-16: 13 For you formed my inward parts; you knitted me together in my mother's womb. 14 I praise you, for I am fearfully and wonderfully made. Wonderful are your works; my soul knows it very well. 15 My frame was not hidden from you, when I was being made in secret, intricately woven in the depths of the earth. 16 Your eyes saw my unformed substance; in your book were written, every one of them, the days that were formed for me, when as yet there was none of them.

I don't think I have to say much more about this passage; God takes great interest in each of the members of His human creation. The implication is clear: If God cares this much about human persons (from the moment of conception) shouldn't we?

Tomorrow, we'll see why being Pro-Life is not merely a religious stance, but in fact, is an unassailable position from mere reason.

Soli Deo Gloria,

Pastor Erick

RECEIVING FROM CHRIST...GROWING IN CHRIST....GOING WITH CHRIST...

Spiritual Blindness

2010-10-24T17:45:00.000-07:00

Luke 18- Sight from Erick Sorensen on Vimeo.

NORMAL SEXUALITY PART IV

2010-10-22T16:05:00.001-07:00

MARITAL SEXUALITY

So far in this discussion of God's design for sex we've talked about what it isn't (any relations in thought, word, or deed outside of marriage) and what it is (intimacy, and vulnerability and it's highest level between two people God has united in Marriage). Now, the question must be asked, "Is there any sexual activity that is prohibited between the married couple?" The answer is once again, a comforting, yes and no: :)

YES:

The Bible allows much freedom among the married partners when it comes to sex. As a matter of fact, the Song of Solomon describes what appears to be all sorts of different sexual activity besides intercourse. That being said, there are still Theological reasons that we have to say there are prohibitions in marital lovemaking. First of all, we always have to remember, as Ephesians 5:22-33 tells us, that marriage is to be a picture of the relationship Jesus Christ, the Groom, has with His Church the Bride. How does Jesus treat His bride? He gives up everything for her well being, caring for her, loving her, and honoring her. How does the Bride treat her Groom? With respect, honor, submission, and love. Sex is always to flow out of that mindset towards one another. It is not selfish (masturbation), but selfless (Making love).

Therefore, though the Bible may not forbid something, that doesn't mean that it's automatically "allowed." If your spouse is not comfortable doing something that you want to do, or feels dishonored or dirtied by it, then you are sinning against her/him (and causing her/him to sin) by doing it. That's the Biblical rule on marital love. The question you ought to be asking is, "How can we share this time together, so that it increases our love for one another?" Does this mean being prudish? No, not at all. Have fun, enjoy the gifts God has given, just make sure that both of you are enjoying it.

Secondly, really just as an aside: Because you are married and only encouraged to lust after that person alone, it is obviously forbidden to bring pornography into the marriage (or for that matter any other thing that will cause you to lust after anyone besides your spouse).

NO:

As far as specific actions go within the marriage bed, the Bible is pretty much silent. Yes I know, that may come as a complete shock, but it's true. Enjoy your freedom, in love to your Spouse, to the glory of God!

Next week we'll completely change directions, as we'll talk about a Biblical position on "Life issues."

Grace and Peace,

Pastor Erick

RECEIVING FROM CHRIST...GROWING IN CHRIST....GOING WITH CHRIST....

Page CXVI - Hymns I & II

2010-10-22T15:34:00.000-07:00

If you haven't listened to these two albums yet, now is your chance. Page CXVI have made both of their albums available to be streamed right from our blog. Enjoy!

For all you musicians out there, here are the complete chord charts for both albums:

Chord charts for Hymns I

Chord charts for Hymns II

There is more music on the way. Hymns III and Hymns IV are already in the works. Hymns III should be out around November 30th. You can find the complete song lists for both albums here.

NORMAL SEXUALITY PART III

2010-10-21T15:10:00.001-07:00

THE GIFT OF SEX

Yesterday, after exposing many of the ways in which we as persons find ourselves drawn to or even participating in abnormal sexual practices, I felt like the whole thing was incomplete. It's not that I wanted to add more prohibitions on to the list (though I could have), because there was plenty on there already for us to get the picture of Biblical sexuality; It was that I felt like the vast majority of us have already heard these prohibitions a lot,without hearing the encouragements. So here's what Scripture encourages in regard to sex:

1. Part of God's good creation- Sex is good. Done. After 6 days, God pronounced His creation good, and human persons very good. Part of that "very good-ness" was the sexual nature of human beings. Sex did not come after the Fall, as if before sin was in the world, storks dropped off babies at Adam and Eve's doorstep, but before. No, God said clearly, "Be fruitful and multiply." It is a gift.

2. Meant for marriage- Sex is a gift that is included with marriage. To separate sex from marriage is to put it out of place; It may work for a bit, but not the way it's designed too. Sex is designed to be an expression of intimacy and vulnerability between the marriage partners. There is no other relationship in which a person can have such intimacy, and be so vulnerable as marriage. Without these trust building elements that can only truly be found in this one sort of relationship, the people are either playing pretend, or worse, just masturbating with another person. Genesis 2:24-25 describes the perfect marriage in just this way:

Therefore a man shall leave his father and his mother and hold fast to his wife, and they shall become one flesh. 25 And the man and his wife were both naked and were not ashamed.

3. Sex should be frequent- It's always amazing to me how many people react to this statement with shock and awe. For some reason, many people can accept the first two points, that is they agree that sex is good, and that it's meant for marriage, but then think it should only be done on high holy days or something. This is nonsense. This is a silly carryover from the medieval church and has no basis in the Scriptures at all. The fact is, Paul in 1 Corinthians 7 encourages married people to have sex all the time. Just read:

7:1 Now concerning the matters about which you wrote: “It is good for a man not to have sexual relations with a woman.”

(He means here "It is good for a person not to marry because then they are freed up to just serve the Lord and not worry about familial obligations... more on this at another time)

2 But because of the temptation to sexual immorality, each man should have his own wife and each woman her own husband. 3 The husband should give to his wife her conjugal rights, and likewise the wife to her husband. 4 For the wife does not have authority over her own body, but the husband does. Likewise the husband does not have authority over his own body, but the wife does. 5 Do not deprive one another, except perhaps by agreement for a limited time, that you may devote yourselves to prayer; but then come together again, so that Satan may not tempt you because of your lack of self-control.

Translation: Because you may be easily tempted to stray on your spouse in thought, word or deed, have sex all the time. This does not mean that any one of the partners in the marriage can demand sex at anytime they feel like. But it does mean that a healthy marriage will also have regular sexual activity.

So then what we know so far is the Bible encourages frequent sexual activity in marriage, and that God thinks it's good. Tomorrow, we'll go a little deeper into what if anything is off limits for the married couple sexually....

Grace and Peace,

Pastor Erick

RECEIVING FROM CHRIST...GROWING IN CHRIST....GOING WITH CHRIST....

NORMAL SEXUALITY PART II

2010-10-20T19:28:00.000-07:00

NORMAL SEXUALITY

PARENTAL WARNING: NOT FOR YOUNG CHILDREN; READ WITH CAUTION

Believe it or not, sex is a topic that the Bible has a lot to say about. The prevailing thought for many has been just the opposite: If the Bible has anything to say, we're certainly not going to talk about it, and if we do, all we'll say is that it's bad and dirty. Done. Unfortunately, the people of God when it comes to this subject, have often times found themselves being more prudish than God, and that to their shame. The fact is, if their was ever a time the Church needed to speak with clarity on sex, it is now. Not that immorality wasn't around before, but it seems that in America we're exposed to it constantly on Billboards, T.V., the Internet and on and on it goes. We are sex crazed and mores about it are not determined by God's view on the subject, but are based on what the culture tells us, or worse, what our own bodies tell us. To counteract this, let's take some time to detail what the Bible forbids, and tomorrow we'll discuss what the Bible encourages in regard to sex.

1. Adultery- This of course is the sixth commandment (at least according to us Lutherans) and really sets the tone for everything else the Bible teaches on sexuality. The idea behind this of course is that one must always remain sexually faithful to their spouse (whether married yet or not) in thought, word, and deed, (Matthew 5:27-30). So, right off the bat, we learn that sex is not always prohibited. As a matter of fact, one of the first commands to Adam and Eve (the first married couple) was to have sex and lots of it ("be fruitful and multiply"). Sex was something that God created to be enjoyed between a married couple with the ultimate result being multiplication. The Bible even seems to imply in Genesis 2:24 that the marriage wasn't consummated until the sexual union took place!

So then, any sexual activity outside of the marriage bed in thought, word, or deed is prohibited and thereby sinful. Any sex outside of marriage would be considered abnormal and deviant, not reflecting God's plan. After all, since He created it, He probably knows how it works best. Everything else I will write about are different facets of adultery.

2. Masturbation- Many a teenager has sought to show that the Bible doesn't say anything specifically about masturbation and therefore it's ok right? Not exactly. It is true that the subject is not really brought up in it of itself, but the principles the Bible teach clearly speak against it. Jesus said, "But I say to you that everyone who looks at a woman (or a man) with lustful intent has already committed adultery with her in his heart." In one's minds eye, if lust is going on for someone who is not your spouse, than it's forbidden.

3. Pornography- Going along with number 2 of course is number 3, pornography. There is no allowance for this at all; it is cheating mentally with another person's spouse, or daughter, or son. I know this is obvious to most of you, but more and more, porn has become acceptable in the broader society.

4. Trans sexuality- Again, not to strike on the obvious, but any sort of trans sexuality is forbidden. God made sex for a man and a woman in marriage, not a man dressed as a woman with another man, or a woman dressed as a man with a man, or any other deviancy.

5. Homosexuality- Romans 1 and 1 Corinthians 6 plainly state that homosexual behavior is considered abnormal, and thereby sinful, by God. Remember, God as the Creator of sex says that He created it for the purpose of a married male and female.

6. Necking, Making Out, Feeling Up, Dry Sex, Oral Sex etc, etc.- Outside of marriage, all of these things are forbidden. Once again, how many seek to justify some of this behavior because they say it's not "sex". LOL, please...

I'm sure there is much more that I could say here about what's forbidden, but I think you get the point. Every person at some time or another has struggled with temptation towards immorality, and frankly, failed. How does the Bible say we should handle this temptation?

1 Corinthians 6:18- Flee from sexual immorality.

1 Corinthians 10:13- No temptation has overtaken you that is not common to man. God is faithful, and he will not let you be tempted beyond your ability, but with the temptation he will also provide the way of escape, that you may be able to endure it.

1 John 1:9-10- If we confess our sins He is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and cleanse us from all unrighteousness.

Tomorrow, we talk about what Godly sexuality actually is....

Soli Deo Gloria,

Pastor Erick

RECEIVING FROM CHRIST....GROWING IN CHRIST....GOING WITH CHRIST....

NORMAL SEXUALITY?

2010-10-19T15:12:00.000-07:00

I know, I know.... even the very mention of anything "normal" combined with the word "sexuality" is almost unheard of today. After all, to think in such terms is seen as being puritanical, and repressed (even, dare I say the dreaded F word: Fundamentalist....AAHHHHHHH!). No, no, no, sexuality is something flexible (Kinsey) and unpredictable, based on what one's passions drive them to do next. As a matter of fact, many have been saying for quite some time, the truly healthy person is the person who just lets loose sexually, without any thought for what may be "appropriate" (there's another word that implies a standard and is therefore anathema).

This philosophy is really nothing new: The oldest religions always had devious sexual encounters as part of their fertility rights. King David and Solomon had thousands of different women in their harems. Out of Greece came the philosophy of Hedonism (Aristippus, 435-355 B.C.) which simply taught that the only truly good thing in life was pleasure and the avoidance of pain. Sexual Immorality has always been around and will always be around, so this isn't a "thinking about the good old days when people were pure" kind of writing. Rather, this is a discussion about what the Bible says the proper sexuality is. To answer that question, I'm going to spend the next week going over the topic. First, we'll begin tomorrow with a brief discussion of what's considered improper and why. Next, we'll move on to what proper sexuality is and finally, we'll deal with how this is actually lived out in the life of the Christian. Before tomorrow, let me close with this:

1 Corinthians 6:18-20- 18 Flee from sexual immorality. Every other sin a person commits is outside the body, but the sexually immoral person sins against his own body. 19 Or do you not know that your body is a temple of the Holy Spirit within you, whom you have from God? You are not your own, 20 for you were bought with a price. So glorify God in your body.

Soli Deo Gloria,

Pastor Erick

Nothing in my hand I bring, simply to the cross I cling

2010-10-17T17:27:00.000-07:00

Everything and Nothing- The Story of the Rich Young Ruler from Erick Sorensen on Vimeo.

The Reason for God DVD

2010-10-15T15:58:00.001-07:00

I have said so many times that I think Tim Keller's book "The Reason for God" is the best basic Apologetics book out there today, and is right up there with C.S. Lewis' "Mere Christianity" as one of the best of all time. So I was very pleased to hear about this DVD series based on the ideas in the book. The goal is to help you and I be able to use these arguments ourselves in conversations with our lost friends and neighbors.

(Yes I bought it.)

Wondering where to plant a Church?

2010-10-15T15:55:00.000-07:00

How about a gay bar in the Bible belt?

Free Education

2010-10-12T20:54:00.000-07:00

Here are a bunch of free MP3's from D.A. Carson's lectures and sermons from recent visits to the Ridley Mission and Ministry College in Melbourne, Australia. Take advantage of these. The students who attend these universities pay hundreds and, in the case of Ridley, thousands of dollars for them.

D.A. Carson is research professor of New Testament at Trinity Evangelical Divinity School in Deerfield, Illinois. He has been at Trinity since 1978. Dr. Carson's areas of expertise include biblical theology, the historical Jesus, postmodernism, pluralism, Greek grammar, Johannine theology, Pauline theology, and questions of suffering and evil. He is a member of the Tyndale Fellowship for Biblical Research, the Society of Biblical Literature, the Evangelical Theological Society, the Canadian Society of Biblical Studies, and the Institute for Biblical Research. Dr. Carson has written or edited more than fifty books.

Thank you to Ridley for making them available and thank you to the Gospel Coalition Blog for posting them on their blog.

Sermons on Five Psalms

Psalm 1
Psalm 2
Psalm 40
Psalm 48
Psalm 110

Workshops on Preaching and Biblical, Systematic, Historical, and Pastoral Theology

1A
1B
2A
2B
2C
3A
3B

Cross-Cultural Training

Why Become “All Things to All People”?
How to Increase Cross-cultural Awareness

Christ-expo: How Can We Believe?

Five evangelistic sermons on the Gospel of John (each followed by Q&A)

How Can We See God? (John 1:1–18)
How Can We Start over Again? (John 3:1–21)
How Can God Have a Son? (John 5:16–30)
How to Get the Best Bread in the World (John 6:25–59)
How Can I Believe Jesus Rose from the Dead? (John 20:24–31)

Sermon at St. Alfred’s

Suffering: A Theological Response

THE ATTRIBUTES OF A GODLY MAN

2010-10-12T10:16:00.000-07:00

<--------------Not a Godly Man:

Trying to write a list of what makes a Godly man is kind of difficult. It's not that there isn't a lot of material on the subject (there is), nor is it because the Bible's silent on the issue (it isn't). Rather, the difficulty comes in trying to narrow down which things need to be said out of the vast array of things that are said! Nevertheless, I'll try and give it a whirl today, and maybe tomorrow, before we move on to the topic of sexuality. Here are 6 words that may just be broad enough to define what a Godly man looks like:

Responsible- Telling a man that he needs to be responsible is nothing new; as a matter of fact it really goes back to our first parents in the Garden of Eden. It was Adam that was given responsibility to "steward" God's creation and to take care of his wife. Men, it is your responsibility to lead your families to the Lord in prayer and Bible reading; it is your responsibility to make sure they're fed, and healthy; it is your responsibility to take care of your household. This point does not just refer to married men or fathers though, this refers to every man! Men were created to be responsible, as much as your sinful nature may fight against it, you know it's true. This leads to lack of purpose and spiritual entropy... and well, that's bad.

Hard Working- Complimenting the idea of being responsible, is the importance of being hard working. Solomon writes in Ecclesiastes 3:22, "So I saw that there is nothing better than that a man should rejoice in his work, for that is his lot." Men come to ruin if they don't have something to work hard on. Now, I'm not talking about workaholics, I'm talking about working with purpose. Again, man you were created from the very beginning to work (before it was cursed with difficulty), and it is still your lot in life. There is no excuse in Scripture for a lazy man. As a matter of fact, Proverbs states the fate of the lazy rather nicely: The desire of the sluggard kills him, for his hands refuse to labor.

Humble- The Apostle Paul, in a passage to long to quote here, urges men in Philippians 2 to be just like Christ. How? Through being humble. It is entirely opposite of our nature to see humility as a Godly attribute. Partly because of our misunderstanding of the word; mainly because we're proud sinners. We make a great mistake when we see humility as similar to weakness, or cowardice. There is a broad difference: Weakness is being "humble" because your a scared wimp refusing to stand up; humility is having the ability to stand up, but not doing so in order to serve another. Humility just means not seeing yourself as the center of the universe. This takes God given strength.

Strong- I don't mean by strong here, muscle or fake action star bravado, etc. What I mean by strong here is moral strength, leadership strength, dependable strength. You can have next to no muscle and be the strongest guy around. The key is finding strength in the Lord and His words. Proverbs 24 says, "A wise man is full of strength, and a man of knowledge enhances his might, for by wise guidance you can wage your war, and in abundance of counselors there is victory."

Integrity- When you go to work, you do the best job you can. You speak the truth to your friends and neighbors. You seek to walk in a way that is consistent with your confession about what you believe. People can accept and love a man who honestly makes mistakes, not living up to his own standards; people cannot accept a man who makes mistakes and pretends he hasn't. It's not perfection, it's honesty, it's integrity.

Biblical- "All Scripture is breathed out by God and profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, and for training in righteousness, 17 that the man of God may be competent, equipped for every good work." I could spend a few days on these two verses alone, but obviously this under girds everything else I've just written. If the Word is not central to your life, then you may be a "good man" on the outside, but the inner man will crumble. Men learn how to be "competent, equipped for every good work" by being taught from the Scriptures, reproved by the Scriptures, corrected by the Scriptures, trained by the Scriptures.

I guess what I'm really trying to say in all this is look to Jesus on how to be a man. He's the ultimate example of manhood right? But don't just look to him as the example; look to him as the One who will make you into a Godly man. "Be a man", own up and look to Him for the forgiveness you need for not being a good enough man. He'll take care of you.

Grace and Peace,

Pastor Erick

RECEIVING FROM CHRIST....GROWING IN CHRIST....GOING WITH CHRIST....

Being Missional May Kill Your Church

2010-10-10T19:39:00.000-07:00

Here is an insightful post from Pastor Mark Driscoll:

You may be thinking, “Seriously? I thought being missional was cool?” or “I thought being missional was going to grow my church?” Well, I have good news and bad news for you.

Missional Shift

The good news is there is a healthy mission shift happening in the church. Missional is the new sexy. The shift that is taking place in the church is called by some the “Missional Church Shift.” Churches are becoming missionaries in their communities that do not focus on strategies and formulas that have worked among people who live in other areas. Instead they find strategies that help them connect with the people in their context.

In Breaking the Missional Code, Ed Stetzer explains how the church has shifted to missional thinking in the following way:

From programs to processes
From demographics to discernment
From models to missions
From attractional to incarnational
From uniformity to diversity
From professional to passionate
From seating to sending
From decisions to disciples
From additional to exponential
From monuments to movements

Before you get too stoked, not everyone is going to like this. Before you and your church become missional you may want to count the cost first.

Everyone wants to blog about being missional, but few people actually want to live on mission. Why? Being missional will cost you something. Look at Jesus in John 6. When Jesus told the people what it really meant to follow him, many of his followers bailed on him. And I have news for you; people will bail on you too.

What If It Means Killing Your Church?

Warning: Being missional may actually kill your church. Notice I said, “Your church.” Being missional will not kill Jesus’ church, but it just might kill your church. In many circumstances, this is exactly what needs to happen.

Too many of our churches are built on personalities, buildings, and programs instead of Jesus and his mission. We are addicted to our church subcultures, numbers, and personal agendas. If we are honest, we all want our churches to be successful. But what if being successful meant focusing on a few instead of the multitude? What if being successful meant losing a lot of our church crowd who don’t really want to follow Jesus or live on mission anyway?

Before you try to transition your church from programs to processes, from models to missions, from attractional to incarnational, from uniformity to diversity, from professional to passionate, from seating to sending, from decisions to disciples, and from monuments to movements, ask yourself—am I ready for a throwdown? But when the dust settles, you will see Jesus’ church emerges.

Advice For Becoming Missional

If this sounds like I am discouraging you from leading your church to live on mission, I am not. In fact, I challenge you to begin to lead your church on mission today. Go for it!

Here are a few ways to begin a missional shift in your local church:

Take baby steps. Don’t blow your church up all at once. Your church will never be missional if you don’t have anyone left.
Personally live and lead on mission. It all begins with you. As the pastor or lead church planter, you are the example that others will follow.
Recognize the needs of your community and pray about how you can meet their needs.
Begin to preach and teach on mission. Remember, baby steps.
Just do it. Get people to leave the four walls of the church and get out into the community.
by Mark Driscoll on Sunday, October 10, 2010 at 1:00pm

Growing into Childhood

2010-10-10T18:00:00.001-07:00

Luke 18:15-17- Faith Like a Child from Erick Sorensen on Vimeo.

World View Matters

2010-10-08T14:56:00.000-07:00

WORLD VIEW MATTERS

For awhile now, I've been seeking to make the case that having a biblical world view will inform everything we do in life. Because God is the God of all the universe(s), He has something to say about everything (either specifically, or principally). Undergirding this position, I came across an interesting article in yesterday's USA Today and thought I'd share it with y'all. The article's entitled American's Views of God and is based on a recent survey produced by Baylor University. The researchers asked nearly 2,000 different people to answer a few questions about what they thought God was like. Based on their answers they grouped the people's God into 4 different types: Authoritative, Benevolent, Critical, and Distant. Before jumping to the article, notice how a person's view of God shapes their view on morals, politics, money, etc. (Now keep in mind: Just because people say they have a certain view of God or morality does not mean they live in any way consistent with that confession, but they at least know what their view of God ought to lead to in their thinking about other issues). The big idea is, your thoughts about God (or the Atheist's non-god) will directly shape how you think and act in everyday life:

Four views of God
Froese and Bader's research wound up defining four ways in which Americans see God:
•The Authoritative God. When conservatives Sarah Palin orGlenn Beck proclaim that America will lose God's favor unless we get right with him, they're rallying believers in what Froese and Bader call an Authoritative God, one engaged in history and meting out harsh punishment to those who do not follow him. About 28% of the nation shares this view, according to Baylor's 2008 findings.
"They divide the world by good and evil and appeal to people who are worried, concerned and scared," Froese says. "They respond to a powerful God guiding this country, and if we don't explicitly talk about (that) God, then we have the wrong God or no God at all."
•The Benevolent God. When President Obama says he is driven to live out his Christian faith in public service, or political satirist Stephen Colbert mentions God while testifying to Congress in favor of changing immigration laws, they're speaking of what the Baylor researchers call a Benevolent God. This God is engaged in our world and loves and supports us in caring for others, a vision shared by 22% of Americans, according to Baylor's findings.
"Rhetoric that talks about the righteous vs. the heathen doesn't appeal to them," Froese says. "Their God is a force for good who cares for all people, weeps at all conflicts and will comfort all."
Asked about the Baylor findings, Philip Yancey, author of What Good Is God?, says he moved from the Authoritative God of his youth — "a scowling, super-policeman in the sky, waiting to smash someone having a good time" — to a "God like a doctor who has my best interest at heart, even if sometimes I don't like his diagnosis or prescriptions."
•The Critical God. The poor, the suffering and the exploited in this world often believe in a Critical God who keeps an eye on this world but delivers justice in the next, Bader says.
Bader says this view of God — held by 21% of Americans — was reflected in a sermon at a working-class neighborhood church the researchers visited in Rifle, Colo., in 2008. Pastor Del Whittington's theme at Open Door Church was " 'Wait until heaven, and accounts will be settled.' "
Bader says Whittington described how " 'our cars that are breaking down here will be chariots in heaven. Our empty bank accounts will be storehouses with the Lord.' "
•The Distant God. Though about 5% of Americans are atheists or agnostics, Baylor found that nearly one in four (24%) see a Distant God that booted up the universe, then left humanity alone.
This doesn't mean that such people have no religion. It's the dominant view of Jews and other followers of world religions and philosophies such as Buddhism or Hinduism, the Baylor research finds.
Rabbi Jamie Korngold of Boulder, Colo., took Baylor's God quiz and clicked with the Distant God view "that gives me more personal responsibility. There's no one that can fix things if I mess them up. God's not telling me what I should do," says Korngold. Her upcoming book, God Envy: A Rabbi's Confession, is subtitled, A Book for People Who Don't Believe God Can Intervene in Their Lives and Why Judaism Is Still Important.
Others who cite a Distant God identify more with the spiritual and speak of the unknowable God behind the creation of rainbows, mountains or elegant mathematical theorems, the Baylor writers found.
This distant view is nothing new. Benjamin Franklin once wrote that he could not imagine that a "Supremely Perfect" God cares a whit for "such an inconsiderable Nothing as Man."
The Baylor researchers' four views of God reveal a richness that denominational labels often don't capture. They found that Catholics and mainline Protestants are about evenly divided among all four views, leaning slightly toward a Benevolent God. More than half of white evangelicals identify with an Authoritative God; that view is shared by more than seven in 10 black evangelicals, they said.
How we see daily life and world events
How did we get to this multifaceted state? A three-night TV series starting Monday on PBS, God in America, examines our religious history, one rife with people contesting over visions of God.
It begins with the first Europeans arriving with visions of a New Eden and clashing immediately, first with Native Americans, then with each other.
Even in 1680, it was clear that "European religion would not survive unchanged" in America, says Boston University religion professor Stephen Prothero, one of the narrators for the series, created by Frontline and WGBH-TV Boston.
By the time of the Founding Fathers, "God was seen as a more distant deity, not someone who will row the boat across the Delaware for us," series producer Marilyn Mellowes says.
History is portrayed in the PBS series as waves of mini-dramas: challenges to religious order, the rise of concepts of political liberty, the establishment of First Amendment rights to freedom of speech and religion — and the fits and starts of working out what it means to be a nation without one state-sanctioned religion.
Each generation makes righteous claims for social justice, for God on their side in combat, for the truths they want to teach their kids, Mellowes says.
The PBS series finds today's fights over Muslim efforts to build mosques echoes past religious liberty struggles such as the fight in the 1770s by Baptists in Virginia to be free to preach, or the 1940s push by Catholics in New York to educate their children outside Protestant-run public schools.
When asked about Baylor's findings, Prothero says views of God are splintering, even though "Protestants had control of the culture right up into the 20th century. ... It shouldn't be surprising that the model now is more like a different God for every person. Baylor found four Gods; other researchers could have found eight or maybe 16."
Bader and Froese looked at themes, including:
•Morality. People with an Authoritative God are about three times more likely to say homosexuality is a choice, not an inborn trait, than those who see a Distant God — affecting their views on gay rights, particularly on marriage and adoption.
•Science. Those who see God as engaged in daily life (authoritative or benevolent) are nearly twice as likely as those whose God is critical or distant to say that God often performs miracles that defy the laws of nature.
•Money. "We are all values and pocketbook voters now," the Baylor sociologists write. "In general, your values reflect your God and your God reflects your pocketbook."
In research done at the height of the recession, the authors found "lower economic status is strongly related to the belief that God harshly judges and is angry with the world." This reflects a view that it is personal faith or faith-based action, not the government, that solves poverty, they write.
•Evil, war and natural disasters. Does God cause mayhem, allow it or have no role? "When we talked about Hurricane Katrina and 9/11, the Authoritative God type was most likely to think God had a hand, directly punishing us for society's sinful ways," Bader says.
But believers in a Benevolent God "will focus on a fireman who escaped, or the people who rebuild homes, or the divine providence of someone missing a flight that crashed on 9/11," Bader says.
To someone who sees a Distant God, the 9/11 terror attacksamounted to a sign of man's inhumanity, not God's action or judgment, Bader says. And they see a storm as just a storm.
Believers in a Critical God say whatever happens now, "God will have the last word," Bader says.
So how do our views of heaven differ?
Political scientists Robert Putnam of Harvard and David Campbell of Notre Dame address this in their new book, American Grace: How Religion Divides and Unites Us, also based on nationwide surveys.
They found unifying threads: Americans of every stripe overwhelmingly believe that all good people go to heaven, that many faiths contain truth and that religious diversity is good for the nation.
Putnam and Campbell's optimistic conclusion is that we are able to live with vast religious diversity because we are "enmeshed" in networks of people we care about — your Catholic aunt, your Methodist spouse, your spiritual-but-not-religious child and your evangelical neighbor.
The Baylor sociologists also see this.
"With our high level of religious freedom and pluralism," Froese says, "all kinds of views of God will do very well."
The national conversation about God, Bader says, is "much richer than showdowns between screaming evangelicals and screaming atheists. This is the way we tell the stories of the world around us."

(Note: I'm struck at how all of these titles for God, authoritative, benevolent, critical, and distant could accurately be attributed to the true God of the Bible. The problem often in our thinking is not that we don't think about God, we just don't think about Him rightly. Also, I am not necessarily agreeing with their definitions of the various "gods"; what they say is "authoritative" I might say is "holy", etc; not having looked at all the questions, I'm not sure. Again, just showing that the way you think about God is directly related to how you think about other things.)

Grace and Peace,

Pastor Erick

RECEIVING FROM CHRIST....GROWING IN CHRIST....GOING WITH CHRIST....

Brother Preaching

2010-10-06T18:54:00.000-07:00

The Pharisee and the Tax Collector from Erick Sorensen on Vimeo.

BIBLICAL MANHOOD PART II

2010-10-06T12:19:00.000-07:00

(Not in church!)

BIBLICAL MANHOOD PART II

Where are the men? That's the question the Christian Church has been asking itself for the last 40 years or so. In that period of time there has been a shift in the Church's population. Whereas in the past, the Church usually had a majority of men, now it is reversed, with the majority being female. Books have been written asking the question, "Where are the men?" and books have been written seeking to give the answer: "Watching football." Books have been written trying to tell us why men have left the Church, and here's some of the things they tell us:

1. Content of music- Sometime in the early 70's there was a shift in the content of music sung in Evangelical Churches. Traditionally, the music had been hymns and the lyrics focused on concrete facts. But in the aftermath of the hippie movement, the Church's music began focusing much more on feelings in music. So with repetition, the Church would sing of the "beauty of Jesus' face," or over and over again, "I love you, I love you, I love you Jesus," etc. Is there anything inherently wrong with these lyrics? Not really, but men aren't known for pouring out their emotion this way, and they found themselves not being able to relate at all. One Preacher I know of referred to modern worship music as "love songs to a sky-fairy." Maybe he's right? Now I'm not at all suggesting that hymns only had biblical lyrics (there are plenty of awful, mushy, sappy hymns), but they were the exception, rather than the rule. Thankfully, modern worship music, seems to be going in a better direction as of late.

2. Felt Needs Preaching- What I mean by this is preaching began to focus on people's difficulties and challenges in life, rather than on declaring facts about God from the pulpit. Everything became about relationships, being a better this or that. The theory goes that men felt like they were being sold a bill of goods, and didn't want anything to do with it. Tell men facts, but just telling them stories that relate on a purely heart level, was again not appealing.

3. Female Preachers- With the rise of women pastors, the church's male population declined drastically. Whether this was based on strong biblical conviction that women aren't allowed to be Pastors (they are not, 1 Timothy 2:12) or just based on male chauvinism (probably the real reason for many), the fact is men did not want anything to do with this change.

4. A Lack of Standards- As more and more Churches began losing faith in the authority of the Word of God to be the final say so, and instead substituted therapeutic methods for leading the Church, more and more men left. Men thrive on things being black and white, on standards being laid out, and fuzziness being wiped away. The more and more clear and challenging the demand of a church is, the more likely men are to attend. The more safe, the more old lady-ish, the more wishy-washy, the less likely.

5. Nothing for men- Lastly, the reason men have left the Church is because there doesn't seem to be anything for them to do there. For some reason, many men have been made to feel that unless they preach, or teach, or play an instrument, there's not a place for them in the Church. Their wife may be teaching children, organizing potlucks, attending women's groups, etc., but there just isn't anything for the man.

In closing, let me just say, that in no way do I think our own Church has been above these problems, or for that matter that all the reasons listed are even problems. I merely bring up this issue about men and the Church because it does us well to think about how to reach any group of people that we may not be.

Tomorrow, we'll seek to define from the Bible, what a Godly man looks like...

Soli Deo Gloria,

Pastor Erick

RECEIVING FROM CHRIST....GROWING IN CHRIST....GOING WITH CHRIST....

Biblical Manhood in Changing Times

2010-10-06T12:04:00.000-07:00

I wasn't planning on writing on men today, but I came across this article from Albert Mohler based on a recent Newsweek story entitled Man Up, Man Down (normally I'd link to the story, but apparently it's not online yet). The times they are a changing....

Man Up or Man Down? Newsweek Redefines Masculini
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R. Albert Mohler Jr.
September 24, 2010
“We’ve arrived at another crossroads,” declares Newsweek — and this one represents a crisis for masculinity. As the magazine’s current cover story asserts, “The prevailing codes of manhood have yet to adjust to the changing demands on men.” With this cover story dedicated to “rethinking” masculinity, Newsweek launches itself into a very relevant cultural conversation.
“Man Up!” is the message the magazine conveys on its cover, though by the time a reader actually reads the article, he or she may be forgiven for having little idea of what this means. If, indeed, the traditional male is “an endangered species,” where does this leave men?
Writers Andrew Romano and Tony Dokoupil get right to the heart of that matter when they ask, “What’s the matter with men?” They point to the recent recession, which we now know has led to a significant and seemingly permanent change in the workforce — and largely at the expense of men. By some estimates, eight out of ten jobs lost in the recession were in sectors of the economy that are traditionally dominated by men, such as construction and manufacturing. In 1945, the male share of the labor force was 70 percent. Now it is less than 50 percent. In the nation’s largest cities, women often make more than men on average do. Women now outnumber men at virtually every level of higher education, starting with a six to four advantage in undergraduate registrations. The list goes on.
So, how do men recover? By reasserting masculinity? Here is a warning from Romano and Dokoupil:
But suggesting that men should stick to some musty script of masculinity only perpetuates the problem. For starters, it encourages them to confront new challenges the same way they dealt with earlier upheavals: by blaming women, retreating into the woods, or burying their anxieties beneath machismo. And it does nothing to help them succeed in school, secure sustainable jobs, or be better fathers in an economy that’s rapidly outgrowing Marlboro Manliness.
Well, men will certainly not recover a healthy manhood by aping crude stereotypes or cultural constructions of “Marlboro Manliness.” At the same time, the path to recovery doesn’t lie in denying the truth about gender differences or roles.
The authors point to a “New Macho,” a redefined masculinity that is shaped around what Newsweek sees as the new realities in both the economy and the home. The new man is a nurturing man, they argue, as ready to change a diaper as to change a tire. And as for work, even as jobs in the traditionally male sectors of the society disappear, men must find new roles in sectors previously associated primarily with women. These are also concentrated in nurturing roles or positions in the information economy.
The new jobs are to be found in health care and education, for example. Future projections call for over 500,000 new teaching jobs in the next decade, along with 582,000 new nurses. Newsweek predicts that 6.9 million new jobs will appear in the social sector of the economy, where men have often been thin on the ground.
Men, Romano and Dokoupil argue, are ill equipped for this new economy, under-educated and often unemployed. Men will adjust to the new reality or be left behind.
The most interesting portion of the Newsweek cover story concerns the home front. The authors admit that the “New Macho” is “a path to masculinity paved with girly jobs and dirty diapers.”
American readers of the magazine are likely to note very quickly that Romano and Dokoupil seem quite enamored with Europe and its welfare and social policies. They highlight Sweden’s liberal parental leave policy as evidence of how government can act to redefine a reality as basic and ingrained as gender roles. In Sweden, “men are expected to work less and father more” and to see themselves as equally competent at child-rearing.
The message is plain — men will have to redefine masculinity as they take on “girly” jobs, transform themselves into nurturers, and celebrate a fully egalitarian society in terms of gender. Working for a female boss will become standard, as will the expectation that a stay-at-home father is as common as a stay-at-home mom.
On that point, Newsweek confidently points to a future that is not likely to happen quite as described. Americans may say that they are for services like paid parental leave, but when it comes to any tangible policy, economic factors are likely to scuttle the plan.
Of course, the call for men to be more engaged with their children is never wrong. Indeed, in this case, the political Left is picking up on themes long driven by the Right, and by conservative Christians in particular. The difference is that the Christian concern for asserting a man’s responsibility and fulfillment in fatherhood is not about social egalitarianism. Rather, it is driven by a biblical conception of true manhood as defined through the roles of husband and father.
Still, as much as we might complain about Newsweek’s rather predictable tip of the hat to the welfare state and the end of many gender distinctions, there is a sense in which the writers come very close to getting a big point just right.
They explain:
The truth is, it’s not how men style themselves that will make them whole again—it’s what they do with their days. The riggers, welders, and boilermakers of generations past weren’t wearing overalls to feel like men, as Susan Faludi, the author of books on both sexes, has pointed out. Instead, “their sense of their own manhood flowed out of their utility in a society, not the other way around,” she writes. “Conceiving of masculinity as something to be”—a part to play—“turns manliness into [something] ornamental, and about as ‘masculine’ as fake eyelashes are inherently ‘feminine.’?”
We may be surprised to find ourselves in agreement with Susan Faludi here, but she is absolutely right. Our fathers and grandfathers did not put on overalls to play dress up. They were headed for work. Faludi is profoundly right when she writes that “their sense of their own manhood flowed out of their utility in a society, not the other way around.”
A true masculinity is grounded in a man’s determination to fulfill his manhood in being a good husband, father, citizen, worker, leader, and friend — one who makes a difference, fulfills a role for others, and devotes his life to these tasks. Most of our fathers went to work early and toiled all day because they knew it was their duty to put bread on the table, a roof over our heads, and a future in front of us. They made their way to ball games and school events dead tired, went home and took care of things, and then got up and did it all over again the next day.
Today’s men are likely to be more nurturing, but they are also statistically less faithful. They may be changing more diapers, but they are also more likely to change spouses. Men must be encouraged and expected to be both faithful fathers and faithful husbands. Otherwise, any society is in big trouble.
The Newsweek cover story is an undisguised alert that the world is changing. A healthy masculinity should motivate men to find their way in this new world of changed economic realities and work opportunities, and to do this while remaining men. The unanswered question fromNewsweek’s analysis is this: Will men change the new work of work, or will the new social realities change men?
Though barely mentioned in the article, the most haunting question is about today’s boys. The magazine’s cover features a shirtless man holding a young boy. It is the boy’s face that looks at the reader. We had better hope that the “new masculinity” of the uncharted future is one that leads that boy and his generation to become authentic and faithful men.

More on men and what makes a Godly one tomorrow....

Soli Deo Gloria,
Pastor Erick

RECEIVING FROM CHRIST...GROWING IN CHRIST....GOING WITH CHRIST....

GENDER ISSUES PART II

2010-09-28T08:17:00.000-07:00

GODLY WOMANHOOD

A BRIEF SCRIPTURAL OVERVIEW

Yesterday I promised at the end of our devotion that we would spend some time defining Biblical expectations of each gender. Today we'll start that process by looking at 4 verses that deal with Godly womanhood. The passages are not in any particular order of importance, because all these characteristics are things to strive for!

1. Proverbs 31:30- "Charm is deceitful, and beauty is vain, but a woman who fears the Lord is to be praised."

Ok, maybe I wasn't accurate, number 1 really is number 1 in importance. This verse comes out of the famous "perfect wife" chapter, Proverbs 31. In that chapter all sorts of activities this wonderful woman does are described, but at the very end, the author says of all the things that were impressive about her, this was the real foundation to it all. A Godly Woman begins and ends her day with a fear and love for God. Above her own beauty, and above her own charm, what really matters is her relationship to the Lord.

2. Proverbs 11:16- "A gracious woman gets honor, and violent men get riches."

Ok, why in the world would I quote this Proverb? Only to accent the importance of graciousness from a woman. It is a general truism not only in Scripture, but in the rest of life, that a gracious woman will receive honor, just as it is generally true in life that men of violence end up rich (think Don Corleone). Peter in chapter 3 of his first epistle mentions how godly it is for a woman to carry herself in a gracious tone to the rest of the world around her.

3. Proverbs 11:22- "Like a gold ring in a pig's snout is a beautiful woman without discretion."

The less modest, the more piggy. Godly women strive for modesty. They do not look to show off what they got. They are not going to find their security in a stranger's eyes being drawn to their beauty, but rather will find their security in the gaze of their heavenly Father. 1 Peter 3 says,

Do not let your adorning be external—the braiding of hair and the putting on of gold jewelry, or the clothing you wear— 4 but let your adorning be the hidden person of the heart with the imperishable beauty of a gentle and quiet spirit, which in God's sight is very precious. 5 For this is how the holy women who hoped in God used to adorn themselves

4. Proverbs 21:19- It is better to live in a desert land than with a quarrelsome and fretful woman.

A godly woman is going to try and not be argumentative, yelling, nagging and screaming. The more a woman does fret and quarrel, the more unattractive she becomes to everyone around her, not just men.

We'll continue this list tomorrow, because there's still much more to be written....

Soli Deo Gloria,

Pastor Erick

Why We Must Pray

2010-09-26T20:46:00.001-07:00

Persistently Praying from Erick Sorensen on Vimeo.

In the World’s Eyes, A Dismal Failure

2010-09-24T18:06:00.000-07:00

Here is an encouraging story submitted to The Gospel Coalition's Ordinary Pastors Project.

This is the story of an ordinary pastor who loved much.

It’s also a story of sheep and wolves, of youthful idealism meeting the cynical establishment, of how the gospel affected both.

When a fresh-faced, 29-year-old pastor arrived in a one-church town in rural Pennsylvania with his wife and small children, he came committing to live and die there. He came dedicating his life and energies, trusting God to care for him as he cared for them. What he came to was a flock living in fear of dominating personalities, leadership themselves too fearful to stand against the abuse, and a long-standing commitment to the status quo.

But there was work to be done, so he rolled up his sleeves and dug in. His days were filled with prayer, visiting the sick, hospitality, counseling, and study. He wasn’t perfect. He made mistakes. At times, he sinned. But he preached the truth of Christ to them and lived the love of Christ among them.

Predictably, his ministry conflicted with the powers that be and soon met with personal slander and financial manipulation. His family was subjected to the disgrace of food stamps and welfare. Yet he persisted, captured by the promise that God’s Word does not return empty. Perhaps one more day, one more conversation, one more something.

Finally one day he turned to his wife and simply said, “You and I suffer from Messiah-complexes, and there’s only one Savior.”

It was enough. God would care for his sheep. He needed to care for his family. So with heavy heart, he drafted his resignation and submitted it to the ruling board. It was met with cool indifference.

As a last pastoral act, he determined to visit the membership personally to explain why he needed to leave them. Love demanded nothing less than to look each in the eye, thank them for their faithfulness, and commit their families to the hand of the Father. What he found was a congregation fundamentally changed by the gospel. Years of spiritual neglect and abuse had broken.

“Please don’t leave,” they pleaded. “You are our pastor. You are our shepherd. No one has ever cared for us like you have.”

Testimonies of marriages restored, lives rescued by Christ, and hearts alive with grace poured forth. Where fear once dominated, the power and courage of Christ had taken root.

For three long, complicated years, he had loved, fought for, and protected the flock. For three long, complicated years, he had preached Christ. For three long, complicated years, he thought that nothing had changed.

He was wrong.

Truthfully, for some nothing had. Their hearts had been hardened to the same sweet gospel rain that had watered the sprouts of grace in so many others. And in the end, without repentance and a structure for dealing with sin, there was no way to save the organization. The ruling personalities dug in, choosing to remove the pastor from the pulpit for the remainder of his tenure. The congregation, in turn, voted with their feet, choosing to leave what for many of them was the only church they had ever known, eventually committing themselves and their families to other true shepherds of the gospel.

If success were measured in structures and organizations, his ministry was a dismal failure. But gospel success is not measured this way; it is measured in lives changed and redeemed; it is measured in captives being set free and in judgment brought on oppressors.
Remember this, ordinary pastor: Gospel success is God’s faithfulness to his Word; it is his promise to build his church; and it is his commitment to not overlook your work and love in service to his saints. Remember this ordinary pastor, and be encouraged.
* * *
TGC’s Ordinary Pastors Project seeks to find wisdom and honor in faithfulness, demonstrated in varied contexts. Learn more from the introduction by Matt B. Redmond. If you’d like to honor and encourage the ordinary pastor who shaped you, tell us about him in about 500 words and include a photo, or record a video testimonial of five minutes or less and send the link to ordinarypastors@thegospelcoalition.org. This submission came anonymously from a pastor’s wife.

The Already and the Not Yet

2010-09-23T10:09:00.001-07:00

The End is Near from Erick Sorensen on Vimeo.

"Male and Female He created them...."

2010-09-21T16:13:00.001-07:00

GENDER ISSUES

Gender distinctions seems to be such a thing of the past... . We may not have realized it, but Gender distinctions and any sort of traditional roles for males and females have been dispensed with some years ago. The days of the male being the primary "breadwinner" and the Mother being the "homemaker" are not the norm now (most of you undoubtedly know this, since you either were raised by working Mom's, are a working Mom or are being raised currently by a working Mom.) Both parents are the breadwinners, and both parents the homemakers. Females in this country are more educated than males. In many scenarios, it is the female who is bringing home the bread so to speak, while the male stays at home. The economic structure of our country has come closer and closer to placing no inherent value on one's gender and their ability to get the job done.

Frankly, we have to acknowledge that many of these changes in the broader society have real benefit. Women should have been given equal rights in the workplace, the polling booth and any other area of life. It's good that women canmake a living out in the workplace and don't have to just be dependent upon a man. We just can't help but take things too far in one direction or the other though.

With this background, it was natural that the culture might stop seeing the importance of gender at all. What difference does it make whether one is born so called "female" or so called "male?" Just a few years ago, advances in sociological studies seemed to show that most everything about us came from how we were raised. The theory went, "Raise a girl with trucks, she'll like trucks; raise a boy with dolls, he'll like dolls." Their gender has nothing to do with what they may or may not be interested in (Anyone who actually has children knows this sort of thinking only could be held by someone working in a lab, rather than living with actual children, but now even Science backs up what human beings have always known: Men and Women are different.) What's the result?

Lady Gaga.

I'm assuming most of you have not heard much about Lady Gaga. She's a pop singer who has become increasingly a symbol of modern gender confusion. She is a woman, who dresses like, and presents herself as, a male transvestite. A while back rumors floated all over that indeed she may really be a man! And she didn't confirm or deny for quite some time, playing with the whole thing, because that's part of her/his appeal. She now has come completely "out of the closet" declaring herself to be, guess what? Bi-Sexual. I know, shocking.

Let's just take a step back and ask ourselves "What does the Bible say about Gender differences?" We'll start with one verse today:

Genesis 1:27- "So God created man in his own image, in the image of God he created him; male and female he created them."

What does the text say? At creation, God made a "distinction" between male and female. Why did He create female? "Then the Lord God said, “It is not good that the man should be alone; I will make him a helper fit for him.” Man would not be good on his own. And apparently man would not be good with just another man or a buddy around... he needed someone distinct from him, and yet like him. The same holds true for the woman: She needed someone like her, but distinct from her.

Male and Female with all their innate differences (and yes there are many) were created to compliment one another. How does this happen? Tomorrow we'll take a look at that by discussing how each gender can cultivate the characteristics he or she is called to have from God's word.

Confusion and Chaos?!

2010-09-21T15:01:00.000-07:00

A BIBLICAL VIEW OF GENDER & SEXUALITY

I'm really tired of hearing the word "post-modern." Not because of what it is necessarily (though that's tired too), but because the word's just played out beyond belief. Everyone in academia, pop culture and now mainstream Christian culture uses the buzzword so much that it's become nearly meaningless (I guess that's fitting since that is the central tenet of post-modern thinking; nothing has any inherent meaning). That being said, I'm not creative enough to come up with a new word, so it has to work for now....

If there is anything to me that is a clear sign of the "postmodern culture" (remember "no meaning") we live in, it is the mass confusion and silly statements made regarding gender and sexuality. We've heard statements like, "There's no difference between genders besides physical parts." LOL.

One professor I heard about declared that there was not 1, not 2, not 3, but count them, 7 different genders! LOL if it wasn't so depressing!

Sexuality, depending on who you talk to, is either fixed from birth (Gay Activist Groups, everything coming out of Hollywood for at least a generation) or extremely flexible (Gay Activist Groups, Kinsey, Drug Addicts). "Sexual mores, norms and expectations are a thing of the past, and only those trying to oppress your freedom make such rules." Therefore, when it comes to sex there is nothing moral or immoral about it. The only rule our culture stands by when it comes to sex is "wear a condom; protect yourself." That last word there, "yourself" is really what sex is all about now anyway right? What makes me feel good? What do I want? Who am I attracted to now?

Ok, so now I've picked on the culture's errors when it comes to gender & sexuality. Now comes the Church: The Church has been a place throughout most of its history that has treated women poorly. Yes, Jesus was revolutionary for His fair treatment of women, but His Church did not follow suit very often. Women were often treated like chattel and were used and abused while scandalous men used the Bible to seemingly back up their abuse! Often times because of the Church's influence, women were not allowed to work, not allowed to vote, and were forced to stay home doing the "women's work" (cooking, cleaning, and raising children).

When it comes to sexuality, the Church has been really bad at teaching biblically on this too. From near the church's earliest days, asceticism became an accepted means of achieving "higher spiritual planes" in the Christian life. Therefore, people should mortify the desires of the body. One of the ways we mortify of course is by not having sex! The Church, instead of teaching what Paul taught in 1 Corinthians 7 (that husband and wife should have sex all the time for the benefit of their relationship), abandoned it to teach monkish nonsense from the halls of Greece and Egypt. Sex came to be seen as only usable and advisable for the purpose of childbirth. "Sex for enjoyment ought not be done; it's dirty!" This false, unbiblical view of sex of course was rebelled against, first by Protestants when they allowed Pastors to marry, and secondly by the culture at large. The Protestants sought to hold on to a Biblical view of sex (not very well I might add), and the culture did not.

What's the point in all this discussion? Just this: The Culture's a mess in their view of these things, but the Church gave them plenty of ammunition. Let's say next week, we spend some time trying to get a really biblical view of Gender and then move on to what the Bible says about Sex. Sound good?

Soli Deo Gloria,

Pastor Erick

RECEIVING FROM CHRIST....GROWING IN CHRIST....GOING WITH CHRIST....

"The Consequences of Ideas" by Dr. R.C. Sproul

2010-09-19T16:35:00.001-07:00

Below is a free copy of R.C. Sproul's "The Consequences of Ideas" from Google Books. Here is the synopsis from Ligonier Ministries' website:

The greatest thinkers of all time are impacting us still. From public-policy decisions and current laws to world events, theology, the arts, education, and even conversations between friends, history’s most influential philosophies have wrought massive consequences on nearly everything we see, think, and do.

Thus it is critical for Christians to understand the ideas that are shaping them. The greater their familiarity with the streams of thought that have saturated Western culture through the ages, the greater their ability to influence this culture for Christ.

With The Consequences of Ideas, now in paperback, R. C. Sproul expertly leads the way for thoughtful readers. Tracing the contours of Western philosophy from the ancients to the molders of modern and postmodern thought—including Plato, Aquinas, Descartes, Kant, and Freud—Sproul proves that ideas are not just passing fads; they endure for generations to come and demand our serious attention.

This will stretch your brain a bit. Enjoy!

GOD'S WELFARE? PART III

2010-09-15T10:02:00.000-07:00

GOD'S WELFARE? PART III

WHO SHOULD I GIVE TO?

Yesterday we set up the ultimate Biblical Standard for helping the poor which was twofold:

1. Presence- Feeding and healing the physical needs of the poor

2. Preaching- Feeding and healing the spiritual needs of the poor.

We discussed how if the two aren't together than we really have an incomplete vision of Christian generosity. There is no fight between the two, but rather one should always serve the other.

What relief organizations have tried to find the balance here? Below I'll list 5 organizations that I believe are pretty close to the mark:

1. Lutheran Brethren International Mission- This is our denomination's world mission wing and it really does do great work. The gospel is preached, and people are fed.

2. Living Water International- This group focuses on providing clean water for extremely impoverished areas that have no access to such a necessity. And they do all this "in the name of Jesus."

3. Operation Christmas Child- As a Church we've contributed to this organization for many years. The concept is simple: We give a present for Christmas time to the poor in another country. The organization preaches the gospel to the recipients.

4. World Vision- This organization really has had staying power; their reach has spread far and wide. There has been some question as of late about their balance when it comes to the preaching part, but as far as I know they still do send people with the hope of converting locals to Jesus.

5. First Lutheran Food Pantry- Every 2nd and 4th FRIDAY (from 3-5) and SATURDAY (from 7:30-11) of the month, our host Church is literally feeding hundreds of people in the central Fontana area. Support this ministry with your money and time!

There are a number of other great organizations that deserve mention, but space does not permit. At least here you have a starting point.

Isaiah 58:6-8-

6 “Is not this the fast that I choose to loose the bonds of wickedness, to undo the straps of the yoke,
to let the oppressed go free, and to break every yoke? 7 Is it not to share your bread with the hungry and bring the homeless poor into your house; when you see the naked, to cover him, and not to hide yourself from your own flesh? 8 Then shall your light break forth like the dawn, and your healing shall spring up speedily;
your righteousness shall go before you; the glory of the Lord shall be your rear guard.

Soli Deo Gloria,

Pastor Erick

RECEIVING FROM CHRIST....GROWING IN CHRIST....GOING WITH CHRIST....

Who. Is. Jesus?

2010-09-14T20:19:00.001-07:00

Will the Real Jesus Please Stand Up from Erick Sorensen on Vimeo.

GOD'S WELFARE? PART II

2010-09-14T10:26:00.000-07:00

FINDING THE BALANCE

In our last devotion we talked about the Christian's obligation to care for the poor in some way or another. It will not do just to tell the poor among us (and for that matter in the rest of the world), "I'll pray for you" without helping them in some material way, if we have any means to do so. (1 John 3:17-18).

And yet helping the poor isn't as easy as it might seem. It may make us feel good to give the homeless a few bucks, but is there not some aching feeling that what we're doing is only enabling them to continue bad habits? Are we really helping someone when we just give them money? Then what? I guess we can find an organization that is dedicated to helping the poor, but that's not so easy either right? Which organization is trustworthy and truly will use the funds given to them to help the poor and not line their pockets? Which organizations are overwhelmed with overhead? Who has the time to really do the fact-checking?

How should we as Christians go about fighting poverty? Lesslie Newbigin, a Missionary in India for years, had a great deal to say about how we should reveal the kingdom to the world. He offers two words of instruction that must go hand in hand if we Christians are to be Biblically faithful:

1. Presence- This is the part of our calling that indeed does show itself to the world through good deeds, especially for the poor. Throughout the gospels and the book of Acts, we see the Church bringing healing, food and physical refreshment to the communities they visit. When Jesus came he did not merely tell them He was the Bread of Life, but fed them first physical bread to eat! The presence of God was seen through the good works (or signs) done. However, the good works alone were never enough. Signs always point to Something! Newbigin writes,

"So words without deeds are empty, but deeds without words are dumb. It is stupid to set them against each other. It is, for example, stupid to say: "The one thing that matters is to go everywhere and preach the gospel; all other activities such as schools and hospitals and programs for social action are at best merely auxiliary and at worst irrelevant." Why should people believe our preaching that the kingdom of God has come near in Jesus if they see no sign that anything is happening as a result, if they can see no evidence that disease and ignorance and cruelty and injustice are being challenged and overcome? Why should they believe our words if there is nothing happening to authenticate them?"

2. Proclamation- Along with good works for our neighbors, always, always, always there was a proclamation of some sort telling them where these good works came from. They are (good works and preaching) never separated in the Gospels. We do things for the poor in the name of Jesus. Newbigin again:

"On the other hand, it is equally stupid to say: "Preaching is a waste of time. Forget it and get on with tackling the real human problems of poverty, injustice and oppression." That is to repeat the folly of the people who are fed in the desert (when Jesus fed the 5,000). It is to confuse the sign with the the thing it points to. Our best programs are not the kingdom of God; they are full of our pride and ambition- as the world easily sees. But apart from these obvious inconsistencies, we surely know that human beings have a greater and more glorious destiny than even the best of our programs can offer. To a hungry man a good meal looks like heaven; when he has eaten he knows that it is not. We know that our true life is beyond our grasp, and we are deceived when we invest all our hopes, and encourage others to invest all their hopes, in programs that do not reach beyond the horizon of this present age."

So then who are the groups that have found the proper balance when it comes to helping the poor? Tomorrow, I will give a list of at least 5 organizations that I'm convinced are both Present and Proclaiming that we can confidently work alongside with...

Soli Deo Gloria,

Pastor Erick

RECEIVING FROM CHRIST....GROWING IN CHRIST....GOING WITH CHRIST....

GOD'S WELFARE?

2010-09-10T14:51:00.000-07:00

CHRISTIANS AND THE PROBLEM OF POVERTY

I want to state two facts as plainly as I can:

1. Every Christian is called in some way to care for the poor. Period.

Biblical basis? Psalm 35:10, Psalm 41:1, Psalm 72, Proverbs 14:20-21, Proverbs 14:31, Proverbs 17:5, Proverbs 19:17 (Because there are so many references in the Old Testament, I am limiting my citations to these two books, but if I wanted to I could write a list of literally hundreds more verses)

In the New Testament there is Matthew 5, Luke 6, 1 John 3:16-18, James 1:27 just to name a few. It is absolutely clear: As Christians we must care about the poor not just in the rest of the world, but right on our doorstep. We are called to actively seek the poor's welfare.

With that being said....

2. Christians are not obligated to follow any one policy prescription to fight poverty.

Care about poverty we must; fight poverty in some way we must. But when it comes to the how of fighting poverty, there are many different alternatives. One Christian thinks that we should raise the minimum wage in this country to help the poor. Another Christian thinks raising the minimum wage is a terrible idea because it just causes companies to hire less employees, and therefore less people in that wage bracket have jobs, etc. Both men are Christians loved by God desiring to alleviate poverty, they just disagree about the best method to do it. The tension, the disagreement, the debating is good; this is how the best ideas are formed!

So what's the problem? The problem comes when Christians on both sides of the political aisle begin to make the claim that because one person holds a certain view of how to alleviate poverty, that therefore they don't care (or they care more) about the poor. For example, let's say one Christian in the name of helping the poor wants to extend unemployment benefits for another six months. Another Christian comes along and says he won't support that because he thinks it may end up doing more harm than good, or something to that end. Instead he supports giving more tax breaks to charitable organizations who help the unemployed find jobs.

Well, the first Christian says, "How can you be against helping the unemployed by extending their benefits?! That doesn't sound like a very Christian attitude to me?!" The second Christian says, "God says we're called to be good stewards with our money, and I just don't think it's the best use of our money to extend benefits! How can you be so irresponsible with money and call yourself a Christian?!!?"

I wish I could say that this sort of conversation is pure nonsense and would never happen, but of course we've seen arguments play out between Christians just like this right?

Here's what should be our guiding principle: Unless God clearly says in His Word which policy He prefers, than don't say it's a "Christian Policy." God doesn't tell us the best way in the 21st century to get rid of poverty in Zimbabwe or North Korea. We must use the best of our reason to figure things like this out. The question we should ask before we start thinking up ways to systemically fight poverty is "What will work best to fight poverty without compromising other Biblical principles?" Not "what will make me feel good," or "what will make others happy," but "Is this a wise way to actually help poor people?"

Next week we'll talk a little bit about some organizations that are doing great work to help the poor, and for that matter give you ways that you can get involved....

Soli Deo Gloria,

Pastor Erick

RECEIVING FROM CHRIST....GROWING IN CHRIST....GOING WITH CHRIST....