The Voices of Vanity Fair -- Part 2 -- The Voice of the Consumer

Continuing with a blog that I wrote back in August concerning the voices of Vanity Fair (Part 1), I trust you will find some food for thought with this thought. Long before Bunyan’s Pilgrim’s Progress Paul wrote a letter to the Galatians addressing some of the voices of Vanity Fair.

Galatians 1:6-7 KJV I marvel that ye are so soon removed from him that called you into the grace of Christ unto another gospel: [7] Which is not another; but there be some that trouble you, and would pervert the gospel of Christ.

He was alarmed that there were those who would work to create great upheaval in the soul. It was of such a nature that it could be described as a hellish agitation attempting to perplex the soul. It was with the subtle suggestions of doubt or half-truth created by asking questions that would subvert the simple. The Greek indicates that the words “trouble” and “pervert” the Gospel implies a shaking back and forth with the intent of stirring up spiritual distress.

They would work to twist or turn around the message of truth. Our generation is no different from the one Paul was confronting. He was preaching the thought that everything has to flow through the filter of Scripture and the direction of the Spirit. Discernment must be one of the prevailing traits in our relationship with God. The reality is that Paul understood the fragile nature of faith and that listening to the wrong voices can turn us away from the faith. A certain amount of vigilance is required in our spiritual life. This thought opens up a question, “What voices are you allowing to influence you?”


There is a pattern in the book of Galatians. . .

• It starts with a troubling and a perversion of the Gospel (1:6-9).
• Then it progresses to a bewitching that will lead one toward disobedience (3:1-3).
• Then it moves even further in that it changes the appetite for godly things into the things of the world (4:9).
• Its deadly conclusion leads to a disabled runner who cannot complete his race (5:7-8).

Everything about Vanity Fair was designed with the spiritual shopper in mind. You can still have a bit of religion and a lot of the trinkets of Vanity. Everything about the American culture encourages us to seek after a wide variety of things. Take note of the choices, it is from bottled water (strawberry, raspberry, or lemon), to burgers (Whoppers, Big Macs, Swiss and Mushroom, or even Chicken), to computers (Dell’s, Macs, or simple PC’s), or to cell phones (Blackberries, I-Phones, Voyagers). It becomes almost endless as the sellers attempt to coerce people to spend their money on their newest invention.

With a deadly accuracy these voices of Vanity Fair wants us to make the same application in our service to serving God. The consumer has a mentality that makes him in charge instead of God being in charge. But in the process, God ends up being bought out and He disappears from the scene.

The reality is that the Gospel is a call to the denial of self. The Gospel is not a call to self-fulfillment but it is a call to sacrifice. I might add that there are hard demands to following this Jesus Christ of Nazareth.

Luke 9:22-27 KJV Saying, The Son of man must suffer many things, and be rejected of the elders and chief priests and scribes, and be slain, and be raised the third day. [23] And he said to them all, If any man will come after me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross daily, and follow me. [24] For whosoever will save his life shall lose it: but whosoever will lose his life for my sake, the same shall save it. [25] For what is a man advantaged, if he gain the whole world, and lose himself, or be cast away? [26] For whosoever shall be ashamed of me and of my words, of him shall the Son of man be ashamed, when he shall come in his own glory, and in his Father's, and of the holy angels. [27] But I tell you of a truth, there be some standing here, which shall not taste of death, till they see the kingdom of God.

Living for God is not about us. Being a saint of God is not about us. In fact, it’s not even about our self-esteem. Being a saint of God is being sick of sin and having a sense of desperation for redemption. It is about seeing the Lord as the crucified Savior and His offer as being priceless and saving us from sin, death, and hell.

The popularity of cross-bearing is as popular now as it was back then, not very! However, we have no choice in the matter as to how that we come to him. Don’t listen to the voices of Vanity Fair that says that you can have it your way! When it comes to the kingdom of God, a consumer mentality is deadly. You cannot shop for choices in your relationship with God. What was required of the primitive, first church is the same requirements that fit in today’s society.

The consumer mentality causes people to “shop” their doctrine, “shop” their church, “shop” their pastors and elders, and “shop” spirituality. Instead of what is good for the soul, the choices are made on what is good for their schedule, their family, or their location. The consumer mentality fills churches while it empties the soul.

Someone recently sent me a link from Facebook for an online sermon in one of the most popular churches in my hometown. I watched with a progressive sense of horror and astonishment as a sermon from Mark 5 was preached by the pastor and before it was over, the demoniac from Gadara had been labeled as mentally ill and not demon possessed. The place was packed and the crowd appeared to be hanging on every word and I could only wonder how many people on that day had been misled, most if not all. How many people in that room on that particular day really were being oppressed by a very real devil (of which he has almost disappeared from American pulpits and church life) and it was being billed as mental illness? Can a host of pills fix a spiritual problem? That question is rhetorical in nature and needs no answer but just in case, let me say that there are no pharmaceutical answers for spiritual dilemmas. I was incredibly sad as the sermon came to a close on that day because I realized that many in that crowd were simply there because of programs, social contacts, and nice facilities rather than a true love for Christ and His Word.

The sad fact is that spiritual consumerism wipes out biblical discernment and true discipleship but it fills up buildings and makes budgets blossom. For a moment transition to the material side of being a consumer and its effects and note what happens. Professor Barry Schwartz of Swarthmore College in Pennsylvania wrote concerning the American “happiness quotient” being in a consistent decline for more than a generation: “In the last 30 years—a time of great prosperity—the proportion of the population describing itself as ‘very happy’ has declined. It has decreased because of an abundance of choices and a consumer attitude that pervades our lives.” Having more “choices” probably is not going to make anyone more spiritual. The cost of discipleship is the only thing that brings about lasting spiritual transformation.

Resist the flow of that voice of Vanity Fair that calls you to a life of ease and comfort and invest yourself to the hilt in the Kingdom. . . it is the only thing that really matters (Matthew 6:33).

Book Recommendation--Timothy Keller. . . Counterfeit Gods

One of the noticeable differences in my reading habits over the last three or four years has been the content of religious materials that I now read. Years ago, I spent a lot of time reading Max Lucado, Max Lucado, and Max Lucado. Max was good for my inspirational quirks years ago but after the 45th book has dropped out of the chute and landed on the bookshelf, I discovered that Max was apparently saying the same things but under a different cover. I gained a bit of inspiration but little education. All-in-all, it was good because his writings caused me to reach for things on the next shelf.

Higher up on the proverbial shelf is a writer that I have grown to enjoy reading simply because of the “thinkabilty” factor involved. That writer is Timothy Keller and his newest book fills the bill. He has written a new book entitled “Counterfeit Gods—The Empty Promises of Money, Sex, and Power, and the Only Hope That Matters.”

The introduction kicks off with a provocative thought concerning the Idol Factory which is the heart of a man. He takes a quote from a very liberal thinker Friedrich Nietzsche, There are more idols in the world than there are realities. Keller then recounts multiple documented suicides of Fortune 500 bankers and investment managers who could not handle the collapses of Freddie Mac, Bear Stearns, and other financial firms. At the heart of their demise was the idea that money had become their sole savior and sustenance for life. However, inanimate things can never fill the void of the spiritual yaw in a man’s soul. The only thing that will ultimately fulfill and provide a sense of contentment in a man is a transforming and redemptive relationship with God.

Keller writes, “If we look to some created thing to give us the meaning, hope, and happiness that only God himself can give, it will eventually fail to deliver and break our hearts.” This single sentence explains the maddening pursuit of the very fragile American dream. The American dream is no longer what it was 30 years ago (or even five years ago for that matter) simply because the system has now been broken by the insatiable demands of greed, self-proclaimed “rights” and the refusal to embrace delayed gratification. Bigger is not necessarily better but bigger does warrant and feed an out of control idol factory.

Later in the chapter, Keller explains, “Sometimes God seems to be killing us when he is actually saving us. Here he was turning Abraham into a great man—but on the outside it looked like God was being cruel. To follow God in such circumstances seems to some to be “blind faith,” but actually it is vigorous, grateful faith. The Bible is filled with stories of figures such as Joseph, Moses, and David in which God seemed to have abandoned them, but later it is revealed that he was dealing with destructive idols in their lives and that could have only come to pass through their experience with difficulty.”

The Chapter titles are:

Introduction: The Idol Factory
1-All You’ve Ever Wanted
2-Love Is Not All You Need
3-Money Changes Everything
4-The Seduction of Success
5-The Power and the Glory
6-The Hidden Idols in Our Lives
7-The End of Counterfeit Gods
Epilogue: Finding and Replacing Your Idols

There is a very detailed “Notes” section along with a “Bibliography” that runs for 30 pages which is loaded with some very good fodder. Worthy of your time and be sure that you read with a red pen in one hand and an open notebook available. . . that is how good this book is.

The Persecuted Church

For the most part, I feel that many in the American church are very unaware of the international persecution that some in the global church have to endure. Recently while working on a set of sermon notes, I paged through Foxe’s Book of Martyrs and once again felt the deep-seated conviction that most of the American church probably would not be able to endure physical challenges to their faith. In fact, I even questioned whether or not I would stand in the face of persecution and even martyrdom for what I believed to be true. Perhaps many are choking on God’s blessings at the expense of our soul. Blessings and prosperity have a way of dulling one’s spiritual senses. Why do we really need God when we have a surplus of wealth and health? Why should we depend on God when we have become self-made men by following the advice of the best life now routine?

I have been accused by some of my “preaching buddies” of always reading heavy or even dark books and they are probably right! Of course Scripture has been the main fair of my efforts because I want the Book to master me and it will not happen unless I spend time with it. But in addition to Scripture I have been fortunate enough to have for years devoted much reading to Tozer, Ravenhill, Chambers (among others), and a host of the Puritans. The Puritans have had to endure an incredible amount of undue criticism by those of more carnal “spiritual” appetites because they confront the way that men live. Spend a little time with Boston, Brooks, Watson (my personal favorite), Edwards, and such like and you will suddenly find much encouragement in the areas of personal holiness, dedication to prayer and the Scriptures. All of these working in tandem have had the ability to create a formidable team of voices that continue to remain productive. Piper’s Don’t Waste Your Life (which has a free download) was another clarion call to me to simply do that not waste my life.

This matter of the persecuted church has again taken front and center in my life due to a book that was recently recommended to me to read. It is written by Randy Alcorn and is entitled Safely Home and recounts the persecution of the Christians in China. It was so troubling to me when I read in the opening chapter of the account of the saints on their way to church in the middle of the night and having to ride bicycles at that.

They meet at night in “house-churches” so that they will not be caught by the government officials. They were ever so careful with their Bibles and wrapped them in a waterproof covering. When they got to their place of worship, the prayer was reverent, the singing was heart-felt, and the response to the Word was majestic. What troubled me so much was that this coming up Sunday, there will be people (saints?) who will lay out of church for every conceivable and weak reason. They have not had any real interaction with the Word or with God all week long. They have Bibles that are not valued, prayer is basically non-existent, and their experience with worship borders on an emotional attachment to entertainment.

Just a few questions for you:

1. How many Bibles do you have and how long has it been since you treasured them in such a way as those in the persecuted church?

2. What was your reaction to the call for prayer on an “off-night” at the Church? Was it one of expectation or were you upset that your schedule was going to be disrupted?

3. Take a look at the last ten years of your tax returns and see how much money you have given to spread the Gospel and support the church? Now compare that amount with how much you spent on other things? (Going to an Alabama or Auburn football game is going to cost right at $400 +/- for the trip. Going on a weekend shopping spree in Atlanta or Birmingham has the potential to cost even more.) For you Dothan folks who are reading this blog, 65 foreign missionaries are depending on your commitment to God to keep them in the fray all over the world. . . we cannot let them or God down. . . we must stay on the firing line!

4. How much time have you spent this week with God-saturated people compared to those who were dead spiritually? Analyze the voices you listened to this week. Was it the frivolity of Facebook, the incessant voices of talk radio (political and/or sports focused), or was your MP3 player loaded to the gills with good spiritual voices?

When you have to answer those sorts of questions, it immediately sheds a lot of light on how much devotion you have to God. If faith has any value whatsoever, there will be an equal amount dedication that will be manifested in “works.” If you don’t believe me, go and read the Acts of the Apostles and then Romans 6-8 and then James 2:14-26.

I trust that you are feeling some heat right now as you read this, because I have felt high heat. . . as in the gentle but very convicting voice of the Spirit with every page I have turned in Safely Home. Almost fearfully, I did not want to even consider the thought that I could not endure the challenges of persecution faced by these Chinese Christians. Would I have been one of those who gave up because of the threat of personal pain? Is there even enough devotion and commitment in my heart to withstand such pressure? Or do I only live in the blessing trap that when God is filling His role as Santa Claus I can serve Him and when He does not live up to my expectations I am ready to give up? What an indictment against me. . . perhaps that same indictment is against you also. . .

C. S. Lewis—You never know how much you really believe anything until its truth or falsehood becomes a matter of life and death to you.

The book is dedicated to Graham Staines and his two sons, Philip (age ten) and Timothy (age six) who at half-past midnight on January 23, 1999 were burned to death by a mob in India for their beliefs. The reports are that Graham, in the midst of the fire, huddled his two young sons up close to him, as they were burning to death.

I can only pray that God brings this blog to your mind next Sunday night when you leave church and pile into Appleby’s or Ruby Tuesday’s or Burger King or wherever and bite into the chicken fingers or the burger. . . .




I trust that you will read this in the spirit in which I have written it. . . suffice it to say that although fictional Safely Home has moved me toward a deeper commitment to God. . . for that I am thankful!

God Bless,
PH

Don't Silence the Alarms. . .

My thoughts in the last couple of weeks has increasingly been turned back toward the world of medicine of which I have somewhat lost touch with in the last 4 years. In January 2006, I had the great opportunity to leave the field of medicine and devote myself to the role of being a full-time pastor. What turned my thoughts back to that venue was my oldest son having graduated from the RN program that my wife and I both graduated from 24 years ago has gone to work in one of Intensive Care Units at Flowers Hospital in Dothan. His orientation process has caused me to think of several instances over the years that taught not only valuable lessons about medicine but about life in general.

While I have been able to be involved in a host of good things there are also some instances that horrific outcomes took place. As I look back in retrospect I realize now that they could have been prevented. One such experience happened early on when one of my co-workers was admitting a fresh open-heart from the OR. The common practice is that within the first 30 minutes of admitting a post-op heart is for a naso-gastric tube to be inserted. This involves taking a tube made of firm plastic and placing it in one of the nostrils and advancing it through the nares into the esophagus and down into the stomach. It is then hooked up to an intermittent suction device that gently keeps the stomach empty of air and fluid preventing vomiting that may lead to aspirate pneumonia which is never good. During this time the patient is unconscious and on a ventilator because of the effects of the anesthesia used during the procedure.

Leading up to the point of NG tube insertion that patient had done well. They had been attached all the appropriate monitors, the Swan-Ganz catheter had been successfully placed by the CV surgeon, and all seemed well. However, the person taking care of the patient had grown tired of hearing the alarms on the cardiac monitor and had overrode the cardiac monitor completely silencing the monitors. On a side note, the vast majority of cardiac monitors that are made today can only be silenced for a two-minute maximum before they reset and start again. This has helped to prevent bad patient outcomes.

One of the potential complications with the insertion of an NG tube is that a vaso-vagal response can occur. This means that a patient will have a sudden drop in heart rate and blood pressure and often leads to the patient “passing out” (in laymen’s terms) if they are conscious. They become cold, clammy, and at best their pulse is weak and thready. If the patient is already in a state of compromised health, this vaso-vagal response can even lead to their heart going into a fatal rhythm. This is what happened to this patient but the difficulty in all of this was the alarms had been silenced and the person inserting the NG tube was not aware that the heart rate had dropped from the 90’s down into the 30’s. It then deteriorated into an ominous ventricular fibrillation. This means the heart of the patient was turned into a mass of writhing worms (as I had one physician characterize this condition to me many years ago). The heart in this condition cannot generate a blood pressure and therefore it is in full-blown cardiac arrest. How long the patient was in this condition is unknown and I doubt it was more than a minute but it was long enough for the patient to go from normal to Code Blue.

It ended up that the patient had their chest opened at bedside which is always incredibly chaotic. They were “shocked” directly to the heart with some special paddles and a host of cardiac drugs were given in an effort to save the patient. To our great disappointment the patient ended up expiring after we worked well over an hour in our efforts to resuscitate the patient.

In the post-code debriefing that generally occurs with all Code Blue situations in all hospitals across the nation, it was determined that the silencing of the alarms were very costly to our efforts to save this patient. We were already behind the trying to climb out of a deep hole before we got started. As it turned out from that point on there was a zero-tolerance policy concerning the silencing of the alarms no matter how annoying they were to the intensive care staff. Alarms can save the lives of patients but they only work when they are not silenced.

There are a lot of alarms that we can choose to silence in our lives simply because we find they are annoying and perhaps even a bit confining to us. There are alarms in your relationship with God that are silenced when you neglect prayer. Far too often, our prayer is spent in hurried trips across the parking lot to school or work, prayer is sometimes confined to our drive to and from different places that our attendance is required, and you can get the picture. The alarms of the soul are neglected when we do not get down on our knees (or some posture of prayer) and stop the world for a bit so that we interact with God! People who have spiritual problems and are always full of doubt and fear are those who are not praying.

We silence soul alarms when there is no interaction with the Word. It has to go beyond simply a “verse for the day” mentality. I am currently working through a series on the Old Testament Tabernacle and through the Sermon on the Mount. I just thought I was spiritual until the pattern of the Tabernacle began to play itself out. I also discovered that a depth of character could be born out of Matthew 5-7. A superficial approach to Scripture will lead to a very shallow spiritual life and I am pleading with you to get involved with your Bible (whether you are a minister or not!). The more I read the Book, the more I grasp that the path to Heaven follows a very narrow path.

We silence the soul alarms when we have a lackadaisical attitude toward public corporate worship. It is important for you to get out of bed on Sunday morning and go to church. It is important that you put Sunday night on hold and go to worship. It is important for you to go to a mid-week Bible study and prayer meeting and I do mean Bible study and prayer. As in Bible study that requires note-taking, systematic teaching, and provoking Scripture that forces you to think. I also am an ardent supporter of corporate prayer—as in the get-down-on-your-knees sort of thing either in the pew or at the altar and as in out-loud-everyone-around-being-heard kind of prayer. This kind of worship will cause your spiritual life to grow as never before.

We have alarms in our marriages that are silenced when we refuse to listen, to care, and will not compromise our plans for our spouses. Alarms in our families occur when we neglect them for the so-called purpose of making a living. There are some who get so busy making and living that they kill the very life most important to them—the life that resides with them under the same roof. Our children desperately need for us to be parents. Being a parent will require you to set boundaries, to discipline, to encourage, and to just be there. Don’t fall into the trap of “quality” time versus “quantity” of time spent with your children. In the case of raising kids, quantity always equals quality.

One final plea is reserved for pastors and ministers, don’t silence the alarms of true ministry. Just in case you may not have read it in a while, you will find a very detailed job description in 1 and 2 Timothy and Titus. You will also find in 2 Peter 2 and in Jude what happens to those who neglected to do their job and silenced the alarms.

Keep the alarms on!

(Please note: The details of the patient account above were changed and actually represents a variation of details and conditions which I have been exposed to in multiple patient experiences over a 25 year time frame and numerous facilities I have been associated with. While fictional the account resembles what occurs in hospitals around the world on a daily basis.)

The Voices of Vanity Fair -- Part 1

I have over the years gotten much inspiration and a lot of devotional mileage out of the Pilgrim’s Progress by John Bunyan. Back at the first of the year (2009), I was rummaging around through the massive amounts of cassette tapes of sermons that I have and ran across a sermon preached by Pastor John Harrell in Bridge City, Texas. Sometime in the late ‘80’s or early ‘90’s he preached a two-part sermon series on Vanity Fair and although I only had the second part, it proved to be much for mental and spiritual rumination for me over the last eight months. In fact much of my encouragement to dig into Pilgrim’s Progress from a devotional standpoint came from my friendship with Brother Harrell. He is a masterful preacher that week –in and week-out does much from the pulpit in Bridge City.

From that old classic Pilgrim’s Progress by John Bunyan there is a scene that serves well as a leaping off point for this blog. Christian and Faithful are on their way to the Celestial City and having come out of the wilderness find a city set up directly beside the road they are traveling. Bunyan is playing off of the pattern of the Lord coming out of the wilderness and then having to face the temptation of the devil. Christian and Faithful (and you and I) are no different in that we will have to face temptations along the way in our spiritual walk with the Lord.

Vanity is the city and Vanity Fair is the place of commerce in this vile place. It is created by the construction of the devil as he attempts to get every saint along the way to trade spiritual things for the superficial. Vanity has been around for a long time in fact its origin is from Babylon. It is populated with cheats, fools, knaves, rogues, and apes that spend their time fooling about with games, thieving, murders, adulteries, and false swearers. These types are the salesmen of the things that are being sold. In reality the merchandise there is nothing more than idols of distraction for the travelers.

It is a carnival that lasts year round and its devious salesmen are masters at their trade. According to Bunyan, they are selling merchandise to entrap even the heartiest of souls. The wares they offer are houses, land, trades, honors, titles, countries, kingdoms, lusts, pleasures, and sinful delights of all kinds. In addition to that other things for sale are husbands, wives, children, masters, servants, blood, bodies, souls, silver, gold, pearls, and even a mix of precious stones. There is something for every man because the trade of Vanity Fair is a serious affair. In fact it is as serious as heaven and hell and the currency of trade there is not money but rather the souls of men. The whole goal of Vanity Fair is to get men to turn away from the path of salvation and throw away their hope.

Immediately striking about this place is the voices that call out and attempt to get Christian and Faithful to turn from the path and sell out their soul. However, it was not very long before the hawkers of Vanity Fair realized that these two men were not going to be dissuaded. “Sir’s, if you aren’t interested in buying what we have, what do you want to buy?” Christian speaks quickly and surely, “We buy Truth.” That is the only real commodity in the realm of the Kingdom of God.

When the citizens of Vanity heard this they immediately began to persecute them for three reasons. First, for the way they dressed. They were dressed simply and modestly compared to the citizens of Vanity who were dressed provocatively and immodestly. In fact their clothing was in such contrast that the citizens of Vanity called them fools. Secondly they were persecuted for the way they talked. Their speech was clean and godly compared to the coarse, vile words that poured out of the heart of Vanity’s barbarians. Thirdly, Christian and Faithful did not even want to look at the merchandise that was for sale in Vanity.

There is much more to the scene at Vanity Fair but I will let you read the outcome and find out some of the unsavory characters there. Men like Judge Lord Hategood, Lord Carnal Delight, Mr. Blindman, Mr. Live-Loose, and many others. It’s worth your time!

This blog will be continued in several parts. I have just read an article from one of the “wizards” of blogdom and have discovered several things about my blog. . . My posts are too long. . . My content is too deep. . . My posts are not consistent (I agree). . . and a few other things that caught my attention. . . So I am going to shorten it, shallow it, and shore it up. . . and do a few other things. . .
Thanks for stopping by. . . . .

When Bathrooms Are No Longer the Priority. . .

Teresa said, “Philip, let’s go do the Parade of Homes!”

Philip said, “Teresa, I don’t want to do the Parade of Homes!”

Teresa said, “Philip, we are going to do the Parade of Homes!”

Philip said, “Teresa, we are not going to do the Parade of Homes!”

Then we got in the car and went to the Parade of Homes! I have found that doing such things as this creates for a mostly blissful state of marriage.

Little did I know what was in store for me on that day several weeks ago. I have not gone to the Parade of Homes in over ten years because. . . well, just because. One of the reasons that I don’t go is because it has a tendency to skew my priorities and it gives me the “Greedy Galloping Gimme’s.” This is one of the good lessons the Berenstain Bears taught me years ago when I was reading to my kids. The Parade of Homes, in times past, has created an uncomfortable discontentment with where I currently live which is not a good thing (not that there is anything wrong with where I currently live). Furthermore it has encouraged a ‘keeping up with the Jones’ mentality, which is not good either.


For the uninitiated, the Parade of Homes is when the Dothan area homebuilders leave about 200 home newly built homes open for two consecutive weekends so they can be viewed by potential buyers. They are usually in top-notch neighborhoods and are tricked out with all the modern conveniences that incite an insatiable sense of materialism in most of the folks who walk through them. When you add to it immaculate lawns and manicured flower beds, it can get the best of even the most sensible buyers.

Since I had not been in more than 10 years it did not take long for me to see the new trendy architectural shift that has occurred. After about the third house, when we walked in the door, I took off in great haste for the coolest room in the house. Teresa, wanting to almost act as if she wasn’t with me, half-whispers and half-shouts, “Where are you going?” to which I yell over my shoulder “To the bathroom!!!!”

Amazing changes have happened in American bathrooms these days! First, they are huge. As in giant-sized 10 feet wide and in some of the houses as much as 25 feet long. They have jet Jacuzzis with a separate adjoining shower, nifty Delta faucets that are a dulled gold or bronze, sinks that look like large sea-shells or fancy cabinets, commodes that have all sorts of various designs, and the accompanying glass and mirrors are incredible. My only complaint about these new bathrooms is the windows that are not opaque. It appears to me that even in our “liberated” age that such an invention could lead to some downright embarrassing moments, especially if the neighbor in the back yard is mowing his grass or BBQ’ing with the buddies. Imagine looking up and seeing a group of local rednecks huddled around a grill sipping their favorite beverages and instead of their focus being on the grill and their drinks, they are peering across the backyard at the sight framed in one of these large bay window things. I doubt that would make you want to say, “Howdy neighbor!”

Toward the end of the day, a creeping madness had started raging in my heart. I knew that I was half-mad when at the next the last stop, I screeched up to the curb, slammed the brakes and with the car half-stopped and Teresa attempting to get over the whiplash from the sudden stop, I leaped out and cleared the manicured lawn in a full scale sprint. Flying up the steps, hustling across the long porch, and muttering under my breath, “Jet Jaccuzzi! Delta faucet!” I was in a nearly catatonic state. Teresa told me later that she was a little concerned about the glazed look I had in my eyes. I informed her that she should not worry about it because it was a near morbid state of materialism-itis. This is generally an inflammation of a greedy heart that usually passes with strong doses of Scripture, a reorientation of priorities, and hanging out with missionaries. I was almost at a point of critical mass when two missionaries dragged me back from the abyss.

It was fortuitous that on that weekend that our church had been blessed with two missionary families. The Mike Patterson family (Romania, Muldova, & my brother-in-law) and the Robert Rodenbush family (Regional Field Supervisor-Eastern Europe) had come to the wedding of my niece. So for two hours after my near fatal onset of madness, I had the Patterson’s and Rodenbush’s unfiltered. I am unsure of how we got around to the point of the conversation now, but eventually Sister Rodenbush began to tell us of standing in a bread line in with a missionary in that area of the world. She also shared that the apartment of these missionaries somewhere between 600-800 square feet. They chose one of the smallest they could find because they wanted to be frugal and spend their money in other areas to further the Gospel. When she said 600-800 square feet, I was smitten in my heart because just earlier in the day, I had stood in bathrooms that were at least 200 square feet, maybe more and I had wanted it! I had been almost willing to sell my birthright for a mess of pottage!

Her story continued and I was told of a kitchen sink that had those outside variety spigots like you find in our gardens here. The kitchen sink was mounted on a 2X4 frame that was without cabinet doors and only had cloth coverings. My brother-in-law told me later that this missionary had worked diligently and faithfully and over the years (more than 30) had seen three of the churches he served totally collapse and he had to start over from scratch. I had the occasion to spend two hours or so with this man and his wife about two years ago at a conference in Bucharest, Romania. Even before knowing of their sacrifice I felt an incredible spirit in them. It is of such a nature that it almost reaches out and grabs you (in a good way).

At the end of that day, I was thankful that God had providentially put these folks in my path because their lives (not just their stories) had helped to re-fire my priorities. Please don’t choke on the good life that American churchianity is offering these days there is much more to the picture than what most realize. Unless you make a concerted effort in your spiritual life, you will live a pale, lifeless, and cross-less life that will make no contribution and sadly in the end you will say, “I have wasted it!”

Last night when I got in late from church, I asked Teresa, “Where is our money going?” When she told me, my conscience was at rest because bathrooms are no longer the priority. . . The Gospel is!

To accent this blog, I encourage you to watch the following video. . . and then do something!




Go, Send, or Disobey. . . John Piper

Atlanta West Pentecostal Church--Doctrinal Conference--General Session 3--David Bernard

NOTE: I realize I am out of order with this post. . . I will post the second general session later today.

Pastor David Bernard began his third session with “Baptism of Water and Spirit.” What follows are my scribbles from this session.

-He pointed out that in the OT there is much typology particularly in the Tabernacle that is an expression of NT salvation. He noted that sometimes we have been accused of beating only one drum—Acts 2:38. If this is the only thing that we can identify as a point of NT salvation, then the burden is on us to find out exactly what the Scriptures are stating.

-However, the whole of Scripture emphasizes the New Birth (John 3:3-5; Acts 2:38) and every man who has an experience with God must come under the auspices of what Scripture has to say. Acts 2:38 is addressed to “every one of you.” This is all inclusive to every man, to every nation, to every race, to every tribe, and to every tongue. This is the job of the church, to evangelize the world.

-Every man at some point will have the drawing of God on his life although he may not recognize exactly who the voice belongs to.

• Romans 1 mentions the witness of nature.
• Romans 2 determines the witness of the conscience.

-Both are calling for a response from man. He must respond appropriately to the call of God and if he does not, he will be lost.

-In Acts 2:14, Peter standing with the Apostles spoke the message of the church concerning salvation. As they all stood with them, they were endorsing this message. Acts 2 presents the Gospel because it goes through the death, burial, and resurrection of Jesus Christ. Acts 2:38 is the response of the people to the message they had heard.

-What is the action of response?

1. Repent.
2. Be Baptized in Jesus Name.
3. Receive the gift of the Holy Ghost (Spirit).

-Peter was speaking to a group who knew exactly what water baptism was all about. They had heard the message of John the Baptist who had baptized by immersion unto repentance. Comparatively speaking the group at the jail in Acts 16 did not even really know God.

-Paul and Silas spoke to them at the basic level. Believe on Jesus! Turn your attention away from all the pagan gods (Zeus, Diana, etc.) that you may have embraced up until now and believe on Jesus. If Paul would have recommended that they go down to the river and be “dunked” in the water, these people would have not understood what he was trying to accomplish. However, as he instructed them to believe on Jesus, it was not long until they were ready to be baptized.

-Our salvation is by grace through faith. . . we are stirred by the grace of God and then our faith has to encourage obedience. Obedience as a response to faith leads to repentance, then baptism, and receiving the Holy Ghost.

-There are nine historical examples of baptism in the book of Acts. Other times it is inferred. It is also presented as essential to salvation. Consider again Acts 16 where they baptized in the middle of the night. There was no delay to this. In Acts 8, the Ethiopian eunuch was baptized in the desert.

-Five of the nine historical examples involve directly the converts being baptized in Jesus name: Acts 2:38; 8:16; 10:47-48; Acts 19:4 (note re-baptism in this instance); and 22:16.

-In our western culture, we divorce faith and obedience. This causes a huge disconnect because some believe that baptism is a “work.” How can baptism be a “work” when it is in response to a command given by God? Being baptized by immersion in the proper formula is an expression of obedience on the part of the seeker.

-Brother Bernard told of a woman who came to their church in the initial stages of its inception 16 years ago. She saw a small ad in the paper concerning “miracles” in association with the church. Her whole reason for coming was because she had a son who was involved with drugs and in desperate need of God. However, she was a member of a large church that did not believe in the speaking in tongues. But her desperation caused her to come to church that Sunday afternoon and she ended up receiving the Holy Ghost. There was such a dramatic change in her life that her husband noticed as did the employees who worked for her (she was an executive with a large company in Austin). When she told her husband what had happened, he then admitted that he had grown up in an Assembly of God church and as a kid had received the baptism of the Spirit. Not too long thereafter, Brother Bernard baptized this lady and then the domino effect began to work and many members of her family came in. She and her husband are now in leading the singles ministry at New Life UPC in Austin. This is an amazing testimony of what happens when desperate people are willing to be obedient to the Scriptures. God is faithful to transform their lives.

Five Examples of People/Groups receiving the Holy Ghost in Acts:

1. Acts 2—The Jews. Much time was spent on this last PM and Brother Bernard chose not to spend much time with this again.

2. Acts 10—Cornelius and the Gentiles. The Jews believed that people had to embrace God through Judaism. They would be required to fulfill the aspects of the Law, circumcision, sacrifices, etc. before experiencing the New Birth. They were inferring that entrance into the church meant embracing the Old Covenant. When the Gentiles received the Holy Ghost, this shattered their paradigm. Cornelius had an open heart, an obedient walk and God sent Peter with instructions. (Note Acts 11:16 when Peter defends the work of the Holy Ghost.) To believe on Jesus as did Cornelius and his household, they expected to be baptized and to receive the Spirit.

3. Acts 19:6—A strong precedent in that this was not a large group (as the Jews in Acts 2) or another nationality (Gentiles). There was no “big” reason for them to speak with tongues. They were simply a local church (disciples of John) who wanted to be obedient.

4. Acts 8—They received the Holy Ghost but in this case the Bible does not state clearly they spoke with tongues. However there is a betraying factor in the passage with the appearance of a shady magician named Simon who wanted to buy the ability to lay hands on people. Why would he want to buy something that was merely an expression of joy? This is not what he wanted. He wanted the ability to lay hands on people and then they would begin to speak with tongues!

5. Acts 9—Saul’s conversion. Again no specific reference to speaking with tongues. However when we look to 1 Corinthians 14:18 it becomes obvious that Paul spoke with tongues frequently.

Some have sent me e-mails requesting how to get the materials from this conference.
The address:

Atlanta West Pentecostal Church
c/o Jonathon Copeland
2960 Skyview Dr.
Lithia Springs, GA 30122
770-944-3522 (ext. 129) or jcopeland@awpc.org