I have not posted in a little over a week this is because Allison and I have been blessed with the awesome opportunity to visit one of my best friends Chase Sears, to visit The Master’s Seminary, and attend the Resolved in Los Angeles, California. Resolved is based around the seventy resolutions made by Jonathan Edwards at age seventeen. I highly recommend that you go to their website and view the trailer for Resolved 2006. Even more highly recommended is purchasing the MP3s or CDs of both Resolved 2005 and 2006 they contain some of the finest expository preaching you will ever hear and I guarantee it will change your life.

I plan to do several posts about Resolved but first I want to tell you about what impacted me the most at Resolved. Above all, of the excellent and passionate exposition, I was most affected by the conduct and personality of C. J. Mahaney, the founder of Sovereign Grace Ministries. He is by far the humblest person I have ever met and his humility is convicting. By watching and listening to him, I was able to see what true humility in a man of God looks like. This is rare but I am going to endorse a book I have not yet read. As soon as I can I will purchase and read Humility: True Greatness by C. J. Mahaney and I hope that you too would do likewise.

7And when they had set them in the midst, they inquired, “By what power or by what name did you do this?” 8Then Peter, filled with the Holy Spirit, said to them, “Rulers of the people and elders, 9if we are being examined today concerning a good deed done to a crippled man, by what means this man has been healed, 10let it be known to all of you and to all the people of Israel that by the name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth, whom you crucified, whom God raised from the dead–by him this man is standing before you well. 11This Jesus is the stone that was rejected by you, the builders, which has become the cornerstone. 12And there is salvation in no one else, for there is no other name under heaven given among men by which we must be saved.”

18So they called them and charged them not to speak or teach at all in the name of Jesus. 19But Peter and John answered them, “Whether it is right in the sight of God to listen to you rather than to God, you must judge, 20for we cannot but speak of what we have seen and heard.”

v.18 They could do whatever they wanted; they could speak and teach whatever they wanted to so long as it was not done in the name of Christ. Driven by ecumenism the monoculture must embrace every deity and yet acknowledge none, as antithetical as this might appear it is true. The ecumenical monoculture cannot acknowledge Christ as supreme over other Gods and in fact, because of Christ’s own claim to supremacy over all other gods the monoculture cannot acknowledge Him at all. Christ is, by His nature supreme; therefore, if the monoculture acknowledges Him it also acknowledges his supremacy. Because of this, the monoculture must oppose Christ.

v.19-20 Many within modern Christianity are being dictated to by the culture rather than transforming it, this is true of everything from music to church planting/growth models and preaching. In stark contrast to this unbiblical trend, Peter offers these words “Whether it is right in the sight of God to listen to you rather than to God, you must judge.” Man’s opinion is inconsequential. Our chief concern, in any and every situation, is what is right in the sight of God. Above all else, our lives must be pleasing to God. Preaching a narrow-minded, exclusive, and foolish message is right in the eyes of God regardless of what society thinks.

v.12 This is the threat of the monoculture: that through abandoning sound doctrine and embracing suicidal ecumenism no one will be saved. Salvation is in Christ alone. There is salvation in no other belief system or deity and salvation cannot be earned through good works. A frequently asked question in response to this is “What about the man on the island who has never heard about Christ?” Apart from a man on a boat with a Bible, the man on the island has no hope; he cannot earn his salvation nor does his lack of knowledge about Christ exempt him from being held accountable for his sins. The offensive message of Christ must be preached lest everyone be like that man on the island with no access to the gospel and no hope for salvation.

Today, Albert Mohler’s website points out another legal challenge to Christian schools, to which we should all pay close attention. His article: A Case to Watch — Another Challenge to Christian Schools can be read in its entirety here.

11Command and teach these things. 12Let no one despise you for your youth, but set the believers an example in speech, in conduct, in love, in faith, in purity. 13Until I come, devote yourself to the public reading of Scripture, to exhortation, to teaching. 14Do not neglect the gift you have, which was given you by prophecy when the council of elders laid their hands on you. 15Practice these things, devote yourself to them, so that all may see your progress. 16Keep a close watch on yourself and on the teaching. Persist in this, for by so doing you will save both yourself and your hearers.

Paul begins chapter four with the warning “that in later times some will depart from the faith by devoting themselves to deceitful spirits and teachings of demons” because their consciences have been made numb as if being seared by a hot iron. The proponents of the ecumenical monoculture and postmodern Christianity have abandoned Christ and his teachings and in turn devoted themselves to the teachings of demons. We live in that time, in verse three Paul even lists several popular false doctrines currently taught at Ephesus. The ecumenical monoculture and postmodern Christianity claims that doctrine and theology are unimportant, however, I Timothy offers several reasons why this just is not so.

v.11 Biblical Christianity and the monoculture clash over this issue. The monoculture asks, “Why, if we are all on our own spiritual journey should one man stand and speak with authority?” The pastor exists to shepherd, lead, and protect God’s flock, not merely to journey with it. A good pastor will command and teach the Word of God. The fulfillment of The Great Commission (Matthew 28:16-20) is dependent upon teaching the nations to obey God’s Word. God is not an inert spiritual being; He is a despotic ruler (Acts 4) of absolute power who demands your obedience.

v.13 A good pastor devotes himself to three things. First, a good pastor must devote himself to the public reading of Scripture. Cashing in on Biblical illiteracy, many are abandoning the public reading of Scripture for skits, video clips, and stories. Any authority the pastor has is derived from God’s Word and apart from this the pastor has no authority. Second, a good pastor must devote himself to exhortation. Exhortation refers to the application of God’s word; this could take the form of a command to obey and submit, encouragement to persevere, comfort, or rebuke. Third, a good pastor must devote himself to teaching, also translated doctrine. The current trend of teaching anecdotal stories and pop psychology is abhorrently unbiblical. The pastor must systematically exposit God’s Word.

v.14 Paul is referring to Timothy’s spiritual gifts, to be used in ministry, of preaching/teaching, and evangelism. Through abandoning Christ and devoting themselves to demonic doctrines, the proponents of the monoculture and postmodern Christianity have no spiritual gifts. However, this passage exhorts Biblical pastors, and every Christian, to stay the course, to be doctrinally sound, and to use you spiritual gifts.

v.15 Paul continues his exhortation encouraging every good pastor to devote himself to these things to the point that all may see their progress. Quite simply others should notice your obedience to God’s Word.

v.16 This verse offers a promise from God coupled with an extremely severe warning. Perseverance in the Truth is a mark of genuine conversion and the pastor who perseveres in teaching sound doctrine can be used by God as an instrument to deliver the Gospel that God might save some (see John 8:31 and Romans 10:9-17). The pastor must persevere in two areas his teaching/doctrine and his conduct; he must teach and live the truth and because of this God will save some. The warning and the danger of the monoculture is this: the abandonment of Biblical doctrine is tantamount to abandoning Christ and the congregation who bases their salvation upon the doctrines of demons will not be saved. The monoculture wants to downplay the importance of doctrinal beliefs posing that they are unimportant, unnecessary, and should be abandoned to promote unity, ecumenism. This is a damning lie; sound doctrine is of the utmost importance because without the preaching of the true Word of Christ no one can be saved (Romans 10:9-17).

At some point in the near future, I will return to my plan as discussed in “A Biblical Response to the Ecumenical Monoculture” and then quickly transition into another topic that I am rather anxious to discuss. However, until then I want to offer a couple reflections on the Scriptures and Christmas. Below is on of my favorite passages about the birth of Christ and brief reflections on it.

1And a great sign appeared in heaven: a woman clothed with the sun, with the moon under her feet, and on her head a crown of twelve stars. 2She was pregnant and was crying out in birth pains and the agony of giving birth. 3And another sign appeared in heaven: behold, a great red dragon, with seven heads and ten horns, and on his heads seven diadems. 4His tail swept down a third of the stars of heaven and cast them to the earth. And the dragon stood before the woman who was about to give birth, so that when she bore her child he might devour it. 5She gave birth to a male child, one who is to rule all the nations with a rod of iron, but her child was caught up to God and to his throne, Revelation 12:1-5

The woman, the nation of Israel, is being tormented and pursued by a great red dragon, Satan, who seeks to devour her child, Jesus Christ. All the nations will be subject to the absolute and universal rule of Christ. The latter part of verse five speaks of Christ crushing Satan’s rebellion and ascending into Heaven to sit at the right hand of the Father (Mark 16:19, Luke 24:51, Acts 2:24, Hebrews 1:3). The birth of Christ does not represent the birth of a cute and giggly child. The birth of Christ represents the coming of The King to crush Satan’s rebellion and take back His kingdom by force. This was, and still is, a war and Satan knew it. Herod too feared the birth of The King and though Christ was just a child he too was determined to destroy Him (Matthew 2:13-16).

I love the line in “O Little Town of Bethlehem” that says, “The hopes and fears of all the years are met in thee tonight.” Too often, I sing this hymn and miss the sheer weight of these few words. The hopes and fears of all eternity, everyone who has ever lived, are met in Christ. He meets our hope in that for our sake God made Christ, who knew no sin, sin so that in Christ we might become the righteousness of God (II Corinthians 5:21). However, as we sing this joyous hymn it comes with the sobering reminder that the birth of Christ is the fulfillment of an eternity of fears, many of which are yet to be recognized. May we never forget that the birth of Christ represents the coming of The King, to whom we must submit, and may this drive us to die reaching the world for Christ, that they too might rejoice in Him.