Mormonism is in the spotlight now after Glenn Beck's 'Restoring Honor' event over the weekend.  His message had revivalistic tones of calling America back to God and some are asking whether Beck will be the "leader of conservative Christianity."  The controversy is that Beck is a self-professed Mormon. This is an important issue because some Christians seem to be unaware of the vast differences between Mormonism and Christianity.  Here are two items worthy of attention: First is Dr. Russell Moore's great article 'God, the Gospel, and Glenn Beck'

I've also attached from Justin Taylor's blog, the differences between Mormonism and Christianity. 

What do Mormons believe about apostasy and restoration?

Mormons claim that “total” apostasy overcame the church following apostolic times, and that the Mormon Church (founded in 1830) is the “restored church.”

What’s the problem with this understanding?

If the Mormon Church were truly a “restored church,” one would expect to find first-century historical evidence for Mormon doctrines like the plurality of gods and God the Father having once been a man. Such evidence is completely lacking. Besides, the Bible disallows a total apostasy of the church (e.g., Matt. 16:18; 28:20; Eph. 3:21; 4:11–16), warning instead of partial apostasy (1 Tim. 4:1).

What do Mormons believe about God?

Mormons claim that God the Father was once a man and that he then progressed to godhood (that is, he is a now-exalted, immortal man with a flesh-and-bone body).

What does the Bible teach about the nature of God?

Based on the Bible, God is not and has never been a man (Num. 23:19; Hos. 11:9). He is a spirit (John 4:24), and a spirit does not have flesh and bones (Luke 24:39). Furthermore, God is eternal (Ps. 90:2; 102:27; Isa. 57:15; 1 Tim. 1:17) and immutable (or unchangeable in his being and perfections; see Ps. 102:25–27; Mal. 3:6). He did not “progress” toward godhood, but has always been God.

What do Mormons believe about the Trinity and polytheism?

Mormons believe that the Trinity consists not of three persons in one God but rather of three distinct gods. According to Mormonism, there are potentially many thousands of gods besides these.

What does the Bible teach about the Triune God?

Trusting in or worshiping more than one god is explicitly condemned throughout the Bible (e.g., Ex. 20:3). There is only one true God (Deut. 4:35, 39; 6:4; Isa. 43:10; 44:6, 8; 45:18; 46:9; 1 Cor. 8:4; James 2:19), who exists eternally in three persons—the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit (Matt. 28:19; 2 Cor. 13:14).

What do Mormons believe about human exaltation?

Mormons believe that humans, like God the Father, can go through a process of exaltation to godhood.

What does the Bible teach about humanity?

The Bible teaches that the yearning to be godlike led to the fall of mankind (Gen. 3:4ff.). God does not look kindly on humans who pretend to attain to deity (Acts 12:21–23; contrast Acts 14:11–15). God desires humans to humbly recognize that they are his creatures (Gen. 2:7; 5:2; Ps. 95:6–7; 100:3). The state of the redeemed in eternity will be one of glorious immortality, but they will forever remain God’s creatures, adopted as his children (Rom. 8:14–30; 1 Cor. 15:42–57; Rev. 21:3–7). Believers will never become gods.

What do Mormons believe about Jesus?

Mormons believe that Jesus Christ was the firstborn spirit-child of the heavenly Father and a heavenly Mother. Jesus then progressed to deity in the spirit world. He was later physically conceived in Mary’s womb, as the literal “only begotten” Son of God the Father in the flesh (though many present-day Mormons remain somewhat vague as to how this occurred).

What does the Bible teach about Jesus?

Biblically, the description of Jesus as the “only begotten” refers to his being the Father’s unique, one-of-a-kind Son for all eternity, with the same divine nature as the Father (see note on John 1:14; cf. John 1:18; 3:16, 18; see also John 5:18; 10:30). Moreover, he is eternal deity (John 1:1; 8:58) and is immutable (Heb. 1:10–12; 13:8), meaning he did not progress to deity but has always been God. And Mary’s conception of Jesus in his humanity was through a miracle of the Holy Spirit (Matt. 1:20).

What do Mormons believe about our eternal destiny?

Mormons believe that most people will end up in one of three kingdoms of glory, depending on one’s level of faithfulness. Belief in Christ, or even in God, is not necessary to obtain immortality in one of these three kingdoms, and therefore only the most spiritually perverse will go to hell.

What does the Bible teach about our eternal destiny ?

The Bible teaches that people have just two possibilities for their eternal futures: the saved will enjoy eternal life with God in the new heavens and new earth (Phil. 3:20; Rev. 21:1–4; 22:1–5), while the unsaved will spend eternity in hell (Matt. 25:41, 46; Rev. 20:13–15).

What do Mormons believe about sin and atonement?

Mormons believe that Adam’s transgression was a noble act that made it possible for humans to become mortal, a necessary step on the path to exaltation to godhood. They think that Christ’s atonement secures immortality for virtually all people, whether they repent and believe or not.

What does the Bible teach about sin and atonement?

Biblically, there was nothing noble about Adam’s sin, which was not a stepping-stone to godhood but rather brought nothing but sin, misery, and death to mankind (Gen. 3:16–19; Rom. 5:12–14). Jesus atoned for the sins of all who would trust him for salvation (Isa. 53:6; John 1:29; 2 Cor. 5:21; 1 Pet. 2:24; 3:18; 1 John 2:2; 4:10).

What do Mormons believe about salvation?

Mormons believe that God gives to (virtually) everyone a general salvation to immortal life in one of the heavenly kingdoms, which is how they understand salvation by grace. Belief in Christ is necessary only to obtain passage to the highest, celestial kingdom—for which not only faith but participation in Mormon temple rituals and obedience to its “laws of the gospel” are also prerequisites.

What does the Bible teach about salvation?

Biblically, salvation by grace must be received through faith in Christ (John 3:15–16; 11:25; 12:46; Acts 16:31; Rom. 3:22–24; Eph. 2:8–9), and all true believers are promised eternal life in God’s presence (Matt. 5:3–8; John 14:1–3; Rev. 21:3–7).

I'm really excited about this Sunday, as we kick off our ten-week series "What Did You Expect? Redeeming the Realities of Marriage"  Here is a trailer for the series.

Let me encourage you to invite married couple you know to be a part of this!  If you don't typically attend our evening service, this would be a great time to start.  Even if you are not married, you will not want to miss this!  Trust me, we are going to talk about far more than marriage.  It all starts at 6, hope to se eyou there.

Reach nights start tonight and I am really excited about it!  Our goal for Reach Nights is to simply Reach Up to God in prayer and Reach Out to people around us with the gospel. 

Tonight we are starting Reach Nights the way we, honestly, should begin everything - with prayer.  I have been thinking a lot about prayer this week (I am preaching on it Sunday) & what hits me is how easily I can do things without prayer.  The reason that is insane is because we can't do ANYTHING without prayer. 

Jesus tells us to pray "Your kingdom come".  Should we really expect God's kingdom to advance in saving the lost in our community & world, in marriages, in our church, in our lives, if we don't pray?  The answer is no. 

That is why we need pray-ers.  Tonight, at 7pm, you can prayerwalk college street and the area around the Christian Life Center or you can stay for the prayer meeting at church.  BOTH MATTER. BOTH ARE CRITICAL. So I am asking you to pick one & seek the face of God with us tonight. 

One of the things I have been thinking about regarding prayer this week is how much of a threat it is to Satan (I will talk about this more Sunday morning).  Satan hates when Christian's pray & so he does everything he can to stop it.  Think about how easy it is to disregard prayer or push it off "till later".  Why does that happen?  Because it is a threat to the enemy and his forces.  Tonight, when we pray, we are asking God to push back the enemies work.  We are collectively coming to God and asking him to be victorious in saving the lost and healing homes, people and our town and world. 

So tonight, we need pray-ers - both prayerwalking and here in the sanctuary.  Hope to see you there!!!!

I just finished reading Dave Kraft's book 'Leaders Who Last'.  God has used this book to turn my world upside down in recent days.  I also had the great opportunity to talk to Dave Kraft on the phone today & ask him questions about his book and leadership.  His passion to equip ministry leaders is not only evident in his book, but it was clear in our conversation.

I honestly think that many of the things talked about in 'Leaders Who Last' get to the core of many of the problems the church faces today.  I hope to begin a series of blog posts inspired by the book in the upcoming days.  I've embedded a video of Dave Kraft being interviewed by Mark Driscoll.

Tomorrow President Obama is scheduled to sign into law the historic health reform bill passed by the House of Representatives Sunday night.  We can debate on what this bill will mean concerning the future of our country.  I believe this is a defining moment for the church.  It provides us the opportunity to see which kingdom we truly belong to.  Christians should & must be involved in the political process by voting and running for office.  God has established the governing authorities of our land (Rom 13:1-7) and we should pray for those who hold office (1 Tim 2:1-2). 

Politics is important.  However, Christians need to remember that politics is not ultimate.  What primarily concerns me about the response that Christians have to the current economic climate is this: We are most passionate about the kingdom we are at home in.  Christians are simultaneously, citizens of this present earthly kingdom & citizens of the heavenly kingdom. 

Paul speaks to this in Philippians 3:20, "But our citizenship is in heaven, and from it we await a Savior, the Lord Jesus Christ."  Paul is speaking to people who were extremely proud to be citizens of Philippi.  Because Philippi had its privileges.  The privilege that caused the people to swell with pride was that Philippi was a Roman colony, therefore it could offer to its citizens the honor & privilege that was associated with being a citizen of Rome.  When Paul reminds the Christians that their citizenship is in heaven, he is saying, "you haven't forgotten this have you?  Your not starting to feel at home here are you?"

What if Christians were as passionate about health care reform as they were the salvation of their neighbors, friends, family, & coworkers?   Along with outrage, many Christians are also expressing deep fear over what may comes as a result of health care reform.  Russell Moore has a great post on this today, here is a quote:

"The United States House of Representatives just passed a health care reform bill that I and lots of other Christians opposed. Such legislation should concern us. There are some bad consequences for the weakest and most vulnerable among us, principally unborn children. But should it also concern us that so many of us are talking today about how afraid we are?

Is it a problem that some of us who are tranquil as still water about biblical doctrine and ecclesial mission are red-faced about Nancy Pelosi and the talking heads on MSNBC? Is it a problem that some who haven’t shared the gospel with their neighbors in months or years are motivated to vent to strangers on the street about how scary national health care will be?

It’s not that I think Christians should be disengaged from issues of justice (God forbid!). It’s just that I wonder if we wouldn’t represent Christ and his kingdom better if we did it with a certain tranquility of Spirit, a tranquility that signals we’re not afraid of the rise and fall of temporal kingdoms and their policies."

Christians should be involved, they should speak up.  In no way am I arguing that Christians abandon the convictions they hold about our country.  However, I am calling for Christians to be far more committed to the kingdom of God than the kingdom of this world.  Trusting in his sovereignty in the face of uncertainty, seeking to make disciples, standing up against injustice motivated by the knowledge that one day the kingdoms of this world will become "the kingdom of our Lord and and of his Christ, and He shall reign forever and ever." (Rev 11:15)

This is so helpful & on a topic that we don't talk about much. 

Sunday, the Children In Action will begin taking up donations for 'Hearts for Haiti'.  Hearts for Haiti is an effort from the WMU to raise money for those impacted by the earthquake that has devestated Haiti.  100% of the funds you give to 'Hearts for Haiti' will go to relief efforts there.  So please give generously this weekend & over the upcoming days.

The video above is from Churches helping Churches.  "Churches Helping Churches was created to address the immediate and long-term needs of churches when disaster befalls a country, region, city, or people in the spirit of Galatians 6:10—“…let us do good to everyone, and especially to those who are of the household of faith.”

Typography from Ronnie Bruce on Vimeo.

Speaking with certainty and authority has fallen on hard times to say the least.  Of all people, Christians should speak with certainty.  We truly do have the market cornered when it comes to truth.  Jesus is the truth.  This is on my mind as I look forward to next Tuesday's first 'Coffee & Theology', when we talk about authority & God's revelation of himself. 

Bruce Milne in Know The Truth, the book we will be going through in Coffee & Theology says "the ultimate source of authority . . . is the triune God himself, as he is made known to us through the words of the Bible."  This combines 3 truths:

1. God has taken the initiative.  This process is called 'revelation'.
2. God has come to us himself in Jesus Christ, the God-man.
3. Our knowledge of God comes through the Bible.

This is one of the driving forces for me in 'Coffee & Theology', the desire to see Christians certain about what they believe so that they can then speak with certainty. 

Sunday, November 29, we are starting a Christmas sermon series entitled 'The Greatest Story Ever Told.'  The story we are focusing on is not simply the birth of Christ, but the story of redemption that the Bible lays out from beginning to end. 

If we are really going to understand the birth of Jesus, then it needs to be put in context.  If we do not understand the story of the Bible, then the birth of Jesus doesn't make sense.  Not only that, but if we do not understand the story of the Bible, then our lives don't make sense.  The greatest story that has ever been told is the story of how God rescued & is rescuing his people through Jesus Christ.  That is the story we find ourselves in right now & it is the story that will go on into eternity.

Too many believers view the Bible as a series of disconnected stories and some rules to live by thrown in for good measure.  And, unfortunately, those stories are many times reduced down to morality tales (David slayed Goliath, be like David & slay the giants in your life; Abraham trusted God, be like Abraham, etc).  When the Bible is read through that type of lens, we miss the point of Scripture.   "Rather it [the Bible] comprises a single story, telling us how the human race got into its present condition, and how God through Jesus Christ has come and will come to put things right.  In other words, the Bible doesn't give us a god at the top of a moral ladder saying, "If you try hard to summon up your strength and live right, you can make it up!"  Instead, the Bible repeatedly shows us weak people who don't deserve God's grace, don't seek it, and don't appreciate it even after they have received it" (Tim Keller, Counterfeit Gods, 37).

When answering the question "What is the Bible about?", Martyn Lloyd-Jones responded, "The Bible, in its essence, is the grand story of redemption.  It is the history of what God has done about men and women as the result of their sin, and everything else that we find in the Bible is, in reality, incidental to that" (Great Doctrines of the Bible, 2).

The problem for most people, Christians included, is that they are trying to write their own story rather than living in the one God has written.  The birth of Jesus reminds us that we are a part of the greatest story ever told.  It started in the garden, when God told the serpent that the seed of the woman will crush his head.  It's climax was seen in the birth, life, death & resurrection of Jesus, & now we are eagerly awaiting the return of Christ, until then we are calling men & women to turn from darkness and be rescued by God from their sin. 

Don't miss' The Greatest Story Ever Told' starting November 29.

I was reading Ezekiel 20 this morning & verse 32 really hit me; "What is in your mind shall never happen - the thought, 'Let us be like the nations, like the tribes of the countries, and worship wood and stone.'"

Israel continued to turn away from God & the thought in their mind was "Let's be just like all the other nations & worship gods we can make."  It is amazing that God not only knew that thought but said it will not happen.  God would not let his people fully go down the path they were considering.  The rest of Ezekiel 20, God tells about his plan to restore Israel to the place where they should be. 

I thought about the sin that is in my life that I struggle with and fight on a daily basis & felt so comforted that not only does God know those sins & struggles, but he says "I am not going to let you go down that path."  God has far more invested in my life than I could possibly imagine.  His glory, the new covenant, the finished work of Christ for me, the Spirit that lives in me. 

Have you ever thought about God stopping you from sinning?  Paul says that self-control is one of the fruits of the Spirit.  The way we experience God working in us & stopping us from sinning is by self-control.  When we choose Jesus over sin, when we respond in a fruitful way to something which we previously responded to in a sinful way, when we get ourselves out of a sinful situation, when we take steps to fight sin in our lives - GOD IS ON THE MOVE IN US!!! 

Wherever you are at, reading this - if you are a Christian, you are not a slave to sin.  Be radically encouraged with the fact that not only does God know your struggles & sins, but can keep you from sinning.  I think one of the most overlooked parts of the model prayer (typically known as the Lord's prayer) is the end, "And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil." (Matt 6:13)  Do you really believe that God can "deliver" you from sin that has plagued you for years? 

Whatever sin(s) you fight on a daily basis, pray for self-control & believe that God can stop you.  You can walk in victory because Jesus is victorious!

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