Genius The Movie - See It Here

Ray Comfort has just released an exciting new movie about John Lennon on the 50th Anniversary of the birth of the Beatles. Please check it out and promote it because of its evangelistic content. Check it out here!

 

Homosexuals Need To Stop Imposing Their Beliefs On Others (Part 1)

Homosexuality has never come in for a lot of discussion on this blog. And when it has come up it has almost always been responsive rather than preemptive. Quite frankly, in my personal life I try to treat homosexuals the way I treat all sinners. Firstly I preach the Gospel to myself and am reminded of my own wretched depravity that magnifies Christ's kindness in saving me. I then share the Gospel with them pleading with them to repent and trust in the Lord Jesus Christ to forgive them and regenerate them. In fact, I can honestly say that I never raise the issue of homosexuality with homosexuals. I generally talk to them about sin in general such as lying, stealing, blaspheming, lusting, and ultimately rejecting Christ. It is homosexuals (and lesbians) who have always raised the issue with me.

I can vividly remember Bruce the atheist from Huntington Beach (one of Ray Comfort's regular protagonists) publicly accusing me of hating all homosexuals while I was open air preaching. Bruce did this without knowing anything about me and did it to try and stir up the wrath of a lesbian couple standing near him. I informed them all of the truth that I love all sinners and desire to see them turn from their sin and trust in Christ regardless of their sin of choice. I love them enough to tell them that what they are doing is wrong and they need to turn to the Savior. As Bruce publicly condoned their behavior it was Bruce who showed a complete lack of love and care because he preferred to encourage them to persevere in their sinful behavior. Perhaps the unwitting logic is that the atheist needs to recruit as many companions as possible for eternity in hell - which is pointless since there will be no fellowship going on there!

But in recent times their has been a wide variety of eventualities with this common thread of the subject of homosexuality. Being so much on the radar right now perhaps it is an appropriate time to discuss this in greater depth and how we should biblically respond.

How many times do I need the homosexual lobby ramming their views down my throat in the hope that I might deny something that is clearly wrong from Scripture and nature? Kirk Cameron was on the receiving end of an avalanche of hostile criticism when Piers Morgan asked him his opinion about homosexuality. Remember . . . it wasn't Kirk who raised the issue! You tell me who here is guilty of hate speech?
 

Homosexuality is one of many sins condemned in Scripture. But what sets it apart in the modern era is not that it is the special sin that all Christians hate. The issue is that the homosexual lobby is trying to deal with this sin by redefining it as righteousness. Which leaves these words from the Apostle Paul ringing in my ears:

. . . and in the same way also the men abandoned the natural function of the woman and burned in their desire toward one another, men with men committing indecent acts and receiving in their own persons the due penalty of their error. And just as they did not see fit to acknowledge God any longer, God gave them over to a depraved mind, to do those things which are not proper, being filled with all unrighteousness, wickedness, greed, evil; full of envy, murder, strife, deceit, malice; they are gossips, slanderers, haters of God, insolent, arrogant, boastful, inventors of evil, disobedient to parents, without understanding, untrustworthy, unloving, unmerciful; and although they know the ordinance of God, that those who practice such things are worthy of death, they not only do the same, but also give hearty approval to those who practice them. (Romans 1:27-32 emphasis mine)

This is the wrath of God we are seeing being manifest before our eyes right now in western society!

Go On To Part 2

Coming Soon - Monumental: A Search For America's National Treasure

In July of 2010 I had the privilege of driving Kirk Cameron and his film crew around Holland during the European leg of their filming schedule for Kirk's new movie project called Monumental. Amidst the many goals that Kirk had in making this movie, it was readily apparent that telling the truth about history and having that impact upon how we live our lives today, lay at the epicenter of this project. I am looking forward to the release of this movie, not only to see if designated drivers in foreign countries are included in the credits, but also because Kirk's journey parallels mine in many ways.

Ray Comfort once said that "the only thing we learn from history is that we don’t learn from history!" And when I grew up I had zero interest in history. I didn’t care one bit – and my father was a history teacher! But years after God saved me I really discovered and embraced the doctrine of God’s Sovereignty. And that is when I began to see that history is His story. God has been at work all through history working all things together for His glory and when we start to see God’s Sovereign hand at work history becomes exciting. And a failure to learn history becomes deadly.

The book of Judges is one of the saddest darkest books in the Bible. I can remember the first time I read Judges and it was very distressing for me because some of the stories are so evil it is shocking. I also read Judges the way I approach any story (actually I wasn’t a reader so I should say movie) and I always understood stories as something that has a good guy and a bad guy – and here I was reading Judges as a new Christian trying to figure out who exactly are the good guys in this book? But the key to understanding the book of Judges is that there aren’t really any good guys. The phrase that appears over and over again in Judges is the same as the verse that closes the whole book:

In those days there was no king in Israel. Everyone did what was right in his own eyes. (Judges 21:25)

But what does the book of Judges have to do with not learning history? Go back to chapter 2 verse 7 and we will see exactly where things went wrong:

And the people served the LORD all the days of Joshua, and all the days of the elders who outlived Joshua, who had seen all the great work that the LORD had done for Israel. And Joshua the son of Nun, the servant of the LORD, died at the age of 110 years. And they buried him within the boundaries of his inheritance in Timnath-heres, in the hill country of Ephraim, north of the mountain of Gaash. And all that generation also were gathered to their fathers. And there arose another generation after them who did not know the LORD or the work that he had done for Israel. (Judges 2:7-10)

The people of Israel did not know what happened in their past. They knew nothing of God’s mighty works in saving Israel out of Egypt. They did not teach history, they did not learn His Story. We need to be a people and a church that knows our history, especially in response to the aggressive historical revisionism going on right now determined to secularize and sanitize a history rich with Divine Providence.

One of the most tragic modern examples of this is due to the concerted attempts of American secularists to bury all facets of the role Christianity played in the founding and prosperity of the USA, along with a gross perversion of the original meaning and intent of "separation of church and state". This is not an attempt to make some outlandish claim that everyone involved in America's heritage was a born again Christian. But neither should we deny that a lot of the pioneers and founders were Christians whose theological convictions played a major role in the establishment of the "New World".



So here's the trailer . . .



Find out details on when to see it, where to see it, and how to get your tickets by clicking here.

More Of Objection 2 - Evolution Debate (Part 8)

Objection 2 for the recent debate involved the complete absence of any transitional forms in the fossil record. And no Kristoffer, variation within a species does not qualify, nor does reconstructing a caveman from a pigs tooth. For evolution to be true you need to have transitional forms at the macro level ie dinosaurs transitioning to birds and apes transitioning to men. But the problems go further than that and we will today take a look at some "scientific" transitional forms that will occur in the future.

Several years ago Ray Comfort and Kirk Cameron insulted the intelligence of the "scientific community" with their own fictitious transitional forms.



Perhaps it was foolish of Ray and Kirk to insult everybody's intelligence when modern science could do a vastly superior job . . . of insulting everybody's intelligence. If you sometimes wonder where your tax money goes, I can tell you about one place. The Future is Wild is a website demonstrating the evolutionary speculations of a group of highly recognized and accredited scientists (including people from places like Harvard and the Natural History Museum). This is how they present themselves:

From the beginning we wanted The Future is Wild to be about more than simply guesswork, so we recruited 16 scientists from top institutions around the world to provide the scientific basis for the project.

They're experts in fields such as geology, climatology and biology, and together they painstakingly projected where evolution and planetary events might take the Earth 5 million, 100 million and 200 million years from now.

So how did they do it?:

Building a vision of the planet aeons from now isn't straightforward, even when you involve some of the world's best scientists. But nature does work to certain rules which we can use to make predictions . . . using this data our biologists can project what plants and creatures might evolve and how they might behave - to create the living, breathing worlds of The Future Is Wild.

Everything you'll see is based on the best available science. No event or animal is outside the realms of possibility. It could all happen - so get ready for the voyage of a million lifetimes!

Note: They say "the best available science" without actually telling us what it is. Yeah, trust me I wear a white coat with a pocket protector - believe everything I say!!! They go on to say:

Every animal and plant in The Future is Wild could really exist. Our science team devised each one as a viable, living organism. Their place in the environment, their life cycle and their place in the food chain are all authentic.

The mathematics of their sizes and shapes and the technology of their movements were all calculated. It’s not surprising that our scientists talk about them as if they really existed!

Yes they were calculated but we're not going to tell you how we did that. Great science guys! But this is not science fiction - no way!

Populating the future world with new creatures wasn't blind guesswork or science fiction. There's a whole series of rules of how life evolves that we can test by looking back at the past. All we had to do was apply the same rules to the future and then add a little imagination!

Oh, add a little "imagination" . . . very scientific. Forget Ray and Kirk's crocoduck. These futuristic transitional forms are a legitimate contribution from the "scientific community". Things like the Mega Squid:


Here is the Megasquid FACT FILE:

Time zone: 200 million years

Type: Land-living cephalopod or squid

Size: 4m tall, weighs 8 tonnes

Ancestor: Deep sea squid

Lives: In the Northern Forest

Eats: Fruit, leaves, small animals including squibbons

Eaten by: Nothing

Behaviour: The megasquid is king of the forest. Since it has no enemies, it can live for up to 50 years. An invertebrate, meaning it has no backbone or skeleton, it has strong muscles in its 8 thick legs. These need to be strong enough to support such a large body. It has a strange walking style. Moving at no more than a human walking pace it shuffles forwards a few legs at a time. As it marches through the forest it makes aloud bellowing to let other creatures know that this is its territory.

Feeding: Because they are not warm-blooded endothermic animals like mammals, they need far less food. They are not fussy eaters, feasting on anything in its path, including leaves, shoots and other animals which it grabs from the trees with its long grasping tentacles.

Breeding: Not known.

Wow! At least they had the humility to admit that they did not know how this big Megasquid would make baby land dwelling Megasquids. So this branch of science does have limits after all! What else did they come up with? I'll leave you with just a couple more: How about a flying fish with a lion's jaw and a 120 ton turtle . . . and it's all "scientific":




Now my intelligence is way more insulted. Ray Comfort and Kirk Cameron should have left it to the experts after all!

Go On To Part 9
Go Back To Part 7
Go Back To Part 1

180 Behind The Scenes

Ray Comfort's anti-abortion movie called "180" is really causing a stir on the internet. A lot of atheists and pro-murder people are up in arms over Ray's unfair tactic of using the truth against them. If you want to hear the truth about the conspiracy theories and the background story to this inspiring project then you will enjoy the next 23 minutes as Reformed Youtube Extraordinaire Lane Chaplin hosts Ray Comfort and Tony "Lawman" Miano on his Rightly Divided online show. For those of you who don't know who Lane is, he is the guy who posted Paul Washer's Shocking Message on youtube in its entirety. Lane is the guy that everyone, who has preaching videos longer than 11 minutes, wishes they could be:

Watch "180" Now - Shocking Award Winning Documentary

On behalf of my friend Ray Comfort I am excited and honored to be a part of today's giant launch of their brand new movie "180"! This is a documentary that I had the privilege of previewing before release and I can assure you that it is a shocking, absorbing, and God honoring 33 minutes of your time. See people recant their pro-abortion views within seconds as they are interviewed by Ray Comfort. Without any further delay, here is "180"! (Click on the four arrow icon in the bottom right hand corner of the video box to convert it to full screen display.)

Exposing And Expelling Heretics (Part 9)

Today we pick up from where we left off on our expository journey through the Epistle of Jude. Jude represents the first expository assignment I have been tasked with in our church plant in Denmark - Kristuskirken. Though short in length, Jude is a letter jam packed with information on why we should hunt down false teachers that conceal themselves in the church, how we should identify them, and that we as Christians should go to war against them secure in the knowledge of being kept in the safety of God's preserving grace. Much of the credit for this series must go to John MacArthur whose teaching on this Epistle has been my major source.

1 Jude, a servant of Jesus Christ and brother of James, To those who are called, beloved in God the Father and kept for Jesus Christ: 2 May mercy, peace, and love be multiplied to you. 3 Beloved, although I was very eager to write to you about our common salvation, I found it necessary to write appealing to you to contend for the faith that was once for all delivered to the saints. 4 For certain people have crept in unnoticed who long ago were designated for this condemnation, ungodly people, who pervert the grace of our God into sensuality and deny our only Master and Lord, Jesus Christ. 5 Now I want to remind you, although you once fully knew it, that Jesus, who saved a people out of the land of Egypt, afterward destroyed those who did not believe. 6 And the angels who did not stay within their own position of authority, but left their proper dwelling, he has kept in eternal chains under gloomy darkness until the judgment of the great day- 7 just as Sodom and Gomorrah and the surrounding cities, which likewise indulged in sexual immorality and pursued unnatural desire, serve as an example by undergoing a punishment of eternal fire. (Jude 1-7)

In verses 5 to 7 we see three lessons from history. Ray Comfort once said that "the only thing we learn from history is that we don’t learn from history!" And when I grew up I had zero interest in history. I didn’t care one bit – and my father was a history teacher! But years after God saved me I really discovered and embraced the doctrine of God’s Sovereignty. And that is when I began to see that history is His story. God has been at work all through history working all things together for His glory and when we start to see God’s Sovereign hand at work history becomes exciting. And a failure to learn history becomes deadly.

The book of Judges is one of the saddest darkest books in the Bible. I can remember the first time I read Judges and it was very distressing for me because some of the stories are so evil it is shocking. I also read Judges the way I approach any story (actually I wasn’t a reader so I should say movie) and I always understood stories as something that has a good guy and a bad guy – and here I was reading Judges as a new Christian trying to figure out who exactly are the good guys in this book? But the key to understanding the book of Judges is that there aren’t really any good guys. The phrase that appears over and over again in Judges is the same as the verse that closes the whole book:

In those days there was no king in Israel. Everyone did what was right in his own eyes. (Judges 21:25)

But what does the book of Judges have to do with not learning history? Go back to chapter 2 verse 7 and we will see exactly where things went wrong:

And the people served the LORD all the days of Joshua, and all the days of the elders who outlived Joshua, who had seen all the great work that the LORD had done for Israel. And Joshua the son of Nun, the servant of the LORD, died at the age of 110 years. And they buried him within the boundaries of his inheritance in Timnath-heres, in the hill country of Ephraim, north of the mountain of Gaash. And all that generation also were gathered to their fathers. And there arose another generation after them who did not know the LORD or the work that he had done for Israel. (Judges 2:7-10)

The people of Israel did not know what happened in their past. They knew nothing of God’s mighty works in saving Israel out of Egypt. They did not teach history, they did not learn His Story. We need to be a people and a church that knows our history and we are going to take a ride through some important parts of history as we examine verses five through seven from Jude's Epistle. Satan hates the church and has been fighting a war against us since Genesis 3. We need to be aware of it and live our lives with both eyes open.

To be continued next Friday . . .

Go On To Part 10
Go Back To Part 8
Go Back To Part 1

Why Denmark Needs A Reformation Resurrection - My Life In Denmark (Part 20)

My previous post served as a shocking example of the apostate catastrophe that has happened in Denmark (and much of western Europe for that matter). With our annual Reformation Resurrection conference now less than a week away I thought it timely to revisit the heartbeat of the Back To Scripture ministry which I started with a handful of friends less than three short years ago.

Ray Comfort once wisely stated that "the only thing we learn from history is that we don't learn from history" and that is the tragic tale most particularly of the ultra liberal "Lutheran churches" that dominate the sparse "church landscape" of Denmark. I was invited to speak (for reasons still not fully known) at a Lutheran camp last year (click here to hear the sermon) and quizzed one of the leaders about the general knowledge of Luther and his heritage among attenders. This particular leader said "they don't know very much at all but I do know about his 81 Theses". I thanked him for such a clear assessment of their historical knowledge and kindly reminded him about the other 14 theses!

Luther's hammer rings throughout history as perhaps the most significant event in the last millennium. When those 95 theses were nailed to the door of the church in Wittenberg it was the initial shot fired in a theological war that ultimately dragged Europe out of the dark ages, the Gospel out of the evil works righteous clutches of Rome, and the Scriptures out of Latin obfuscation into the common language (what is also historic here is my use of the word obfuscation - is anybody impressed?). Every great thing western Europeans enjoy today finds its roots in the great reformation. Literacy, science, medicine, art, music, free speech, and free enterprise all exploded from that reformation fuse. Furthermore, Gospel preaching flourished and societal stability benefitted enormously from biblical literacy and the Christ centered view of the family unit. The printing press emerged at this time in the providence of God which meant that widely circulated copies of the New Testament (and later the whole Canon) became the foundation on which widespread literacy thrived among the common people. But Europe marches on oblivious to the great reformation legacy of which they are the beneficiaries, seemingly hell-bent on destroying it. Not only is history neglected and buried under historical revisionism, it is the knowledge of history that holds the answers to the (possibly) terminal decline of these nations. History is His Story and a failure to see the Sovereign Hand of God orchestrating all events for His glory is a failure to understand the present and our need for the Gospel.

When I first read the Bible I approached it with the moralistic semi-pelagian mindset that I had learnt from life and the stinker church that I was attending. This really became a huge problem when I worked my way through the book of Judges. My moralism approached the Bible the way I watched a movie - every story has a hero and a villain so find out who they are and learn a valuable moral lesson which I can then use to improve myself as a person. The problem with the book of Judges, particularly in the last several chapters, was that it became an endless succession of tragic stories with no happy ending and no clearly discernible "good guys". What was I to do with the book of Judges? Well, the moral of the story in the book of Judges is found in the very last verse which happens to be a repeat of something that had already been mentioned several times:

In those days there was no king in Israel. Everyone did what was right in his own eyes. (Judges 21:25)

Judges is a tale of woe about a nation full of villains who abandon the only true hero of Scripture - God! What became even more interesting to me was when I backtracked through Judges to find the threshold Israel crossed when everything started going south in a hurry. And this stood out like a beacon in chapter 2:

And the people served the LORD all the days of Joshua, and all the days of the elders who outlived Joshua, who had seen all the great work that the LORD had done for Israel. And Joshua the son of Nun, the servant of the LORD, died at the age of 110 years. And they buried him within the boundaries of his inheritance in Timnath-heres, in the hill country of Ephraim, north of the mountain of Gaash. And all that generation also were gathered to their fathers. And there arose another generation after them who did not know the LORD or the work that he had done for Israel. (Judges 2:7-10 emphasis mine)

Pay particular note to the highlighted part. Israel failed to teach history to the next generation. A failure to do this is a deadly exercise that leaves a civilization blind, depraved, abandoned and condemned as revealed in what followed verse 10:

And the people of Israel did what was evil in the sight of the LORD and served the Baals. And they abandoned the LORD, the God of their fathers, who had brought them out of the land of Egypt. They went after other gods, from among the gods of the peoples who were around them, and bowed down to them. And they provoked the LORD to anger. They abandoned the LORD and served the Baals and the Ashtaroth. So the anger of the LORD was kindled against Israel, and he gave them over to plunderers, who plundered them. And he sold them into the hand of their surrounding enemies, so that they could no longer withstand their enemies. Whenever they marched out, the hand of the LORD was against them for harm, as the LORD had warned, and as the LORD had sworn to them. And they were in terrible distress. (Judges 2:11-15)

Which brings us back to modern day Denmark! Reformation Resurrection 2011 is a response to the recognition that the wrath of God is being revealed in this land (Romans 1:18-32) and that another reformation is the only hope. Moreover, not a new reformation but a resurrection of the old one as a foundation from which to build upon. Luther and the other reformers had a latin phrase that they often referred to:

Ecclesia semper reformanda est

A phrase which means the church reformed and always reforming. Many criticisms get leveled at the reformers, most of them are nonsense but some of them are legitimate. Rather than writing the whole movement off, we would do well to remember "semper reformanda". We would do well to remember what they reformed from and be thankful for their recovery of the Gospel. Do we really expect them to rectify every aberration after the darkness they had come out of? We have more light because of their labor so we have responsibility to continue what they started. As Paul Washer said, we all stand on Luther's shoulders!

The only solution is to preach this Gospel pure and undefiled as it is clearly laid out in Holy Scripture - the sole authority of the reformers and a radical departure from the Roman substitutes of popes, traditions, and idols. We should march forward building upon this reformation foundation just as it was built upon the plain teaching of Scripture. Like I said Semper Reformanda. Please join us!

Go Back To Part 19
Go Back To Part 1

Just Added - God Has A Wonderful Plan For Your Life

Ray Comfort's free book on evangelism has just been added to the resource directory.

GOD HAS A WONDERFUL PLAN FOR YOUR LIFE
Ray Comfort
Category: Evangelism
Click Here To Get A Free Copy
Why do 9 out of 10 children raised in Christian homes leave the Church? Why do many professing Christians show little or no evidence for their faith? Why do 80-90% of those making decisions for Christ fall away from the faith? For decades, the world's most popular gospel message has been drawing the lost by promising God's wonderful plan for their life. But behind the facade of the "wonderful plan" message is the reality of the trials, temptation, and persecution that Jesus promised. How can we reconcile the two? In this life-changing book, best-selling author Ray Comfort explores whether this common gospel approach aligns with real life - and with Scripture. The vital biblical principles he reveals will force you to reexamine your ideas about the gospel - and will teach you how to reach unbelievers the way God intended. A must-read for all who care about the lost.

Franklin Graham On Hell And Bell (Part 2)

Franklin Graham recently appeared on highly popular conservative US talk show, The O'Reilly Factor hosted by Bill O'Reilly. O'Reilly wanted to take the opportunity to call on Graham to respond to Rob Bell's latest book (Love Wins) which denies the plain Scriptural teaching of a place of literal conscious eternal punishment widely referred to as hell. Franklin got asked seven hot button questions/assertions on the subject of hell. Before I give my responses let's take a look at the video again:



There has already been some pretty spicy debate in the comments section on the previous post. Hats off to Andrew for some excellent biblical reasoning.

Ray Comfort emailed me concerning this video and said:

God bless Franklin for not compromising. However, when the Law is left out of the equation, “sin” degenerates into “rejecting Jesus.” This is something any reasonable person sees as being senseless and totally unjust. Millions have never heard of Jesus, and therefore never rejected Him. God rather holds us accountable for violation of His Law (1 John 3:4). The Law makes Hell reasonable.

Ray's point here is the major thread in my answers to all seven questions. I'll number the questions and put my responses in italics. Here goes:

1. There cannot be a hell because God is not a monster and He could never assign any human being to a place of eternal damnation.

This question reflects a wrong view of man's depravity and God's Holiness. If God is good, loving, just, and righteous then he would be corrupt if he were not to pass righteous judgment on the actions of all people. The reality of hell maintains God's just character and serves as the backdrop for mercy - being spared from what we deserve.

2. Isn't it a cruel action for God to throw people into hell?

It can be a dangerous and damning practice to spend more time gazing in the direction of a world full of sinners who far exceed your own "small and petty sins". Pause and consider the outrage you felt when Bin Laden's responsibility for the September 11 atrocities was revealed. Now go and multiply that outrage by infinity and load it into the cannon of God's wrath that is aimed straight at you (John 3:36) . . . unless you are clothed with the imputed righteousness of Christ. It is not just the magnitude and volume of our rebellion against a Holy God, but Who we have sinned against. If I lie to my daughter she can do nothing to me. If I lie to my wife I'll be sleeping on the sofa. If I lie to my boss he can fire me. And if I lie to the government they can throw me in jail. The higher the authority we sin against - the greater the consequences. What if God is an infinite authority??? Then His righteousness would deem our crimes against Him as infinite.

3. What about people who've never even heard of Jesus Christ?

Once again this question is based upon a faulty view of humanity. If you jump out of a plane without a parachute do you die because you weren't using a parachute or because of the law of gravity? It is the law of gravity but a parachute can save them. Likewise, people don't go to hell because they never heard about Jesus but because of the law of sin and death. But Jesus can save them. All of mankind are guilty sinners without excuse as Paul accurately pointed out:

For the wrath of God is revealed from heaven against all ungodliness and unrighteousness of men, who by their unrighteousness suppress the truth. For what can be known about God is plain to them, because God has shown it to them. For his invisible attributes, namely, his eternal power and divine nature, have been clearly perceived, ever since the creation of the world, in the things that have been made. So they are without excuse. (Romans 1:18-20 which Franklin Graham also alluded to)

4. Are you saying that if someone believes in the goodness of the Creator then they can be saved?

Not at all. Believing in the goodness of the Creator does not provide payment for your sins. You need a righteous substitute to take God's wrath for your sins and to credit you with his perfect righteousness. There is only one of those and His Name is Jesus Christ.

5. But what about the Jews who suffered and died during the holocaust. They didn't believe in Jesus but they were good people. How could they possibly be sentenced to eternal damnation?

The Bible says that there is none who are good. No matter how much of a victim we are in life, it still pales in comparison with our crimes against God. If some of those Jews were trusting in Jesus Christ to save them then they will not be damned. It should not amaze us that God damns people - we should be amazed that God saves anyone:

"None is righteous, no, not one; no one understands; no one seeks for God. All have turned aside; together they have become worthless; no one does good, not even one." "Their throat is(S) an open grave; they use their tongues to deceive." "The venom of asps is under their lips." "Their mouth is full of curses and bitterness." "Their feet are swift to shed blood; in their paths are ruin and misery, and the way of peace they have not known." "There is no fear of God before their eyes." Now we know that whatever the law says it speaks to those who are under the law, so that every mouth may be stopped, and the whole world may be held accountable to God. For by works of the law no human being will be justified in his sight, since through the law comes knowledge of sin. But now the righteousness of God has been manifested apart from the law, although the Law and the Prophets bear witness to it — the righteousness of God through faith in Jesus Christ for all who believe. For there is no distinction: for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God. (Romans 3:10-23)

6. If innocent people were killed without any revelation of Jesus Christ or were never taught this by their parents - how could they possibly be damned?

Same answer as question 3.

7. I believe it's all about free will. We are free to make choices in this life but we will be held accountable for all of them.

Yes we have free will. A will that is sinful and continually freely chooses to rebel against God. We need to be born again, regenerated by the Holy Spirit, and to become a new creature in Christ in order to even be able to obey Go:

No one can come to me unless the Father who sent me draws him. And I will raise him up on the last day. (John 6:44a, words of Jesus)

I will sprinkle clean water on you, and you shall be clean from all your uncleannesses, and from all your idols I will cleanse you. And I will give you a new heart, and a new spirit I will put within you. And I will remove the heart of stone from your flesh and give you a heart of flesh. And I will put my Spirit within you, and cause you to walk in my statutes and be careful to obey my rules. (Ezekiel 36:25-27)

So there are my responses. Feel free to respond to this whether you agree or disagree. We need to be ready with an answer to these questions.

Go Back To Part 1

Finding God's Sovereignty In The Arctic Tundra

As you read this I will be on a plane from Down Under back to the Arctic Tundra. Ok, so Denmark is not quite an Arctic region geographically, but it certainly qualifies as a polar ice cap of Christian endeavor. Even though Ray Comfort continually refers to New Zealand as down under, my down under reference is for Australia. I remember pointing this out to Kirk Cameron when I was speaking with him and Ray, and Kirk then asked "if Australia is down under then what is New Zealand?" Well, looking at both countries from a northern hemisphere perspective I would have to say that if Australia is "down under" then New Zealand must be "left over". Please don't take offense at that my Kiwi friends because I do mean it in the nicest possible way.

My body has now been defrosted and my fellowship appetite has been filled with great quality time with great quality friends. I have no idea when I will return to my homeland so it is difficult to say farewell to so many people who I love so much. In spite of my feelings it is of great comfort to know and trust in the Sovereignty of God in all things.

David Wilkerson: 19 May 1931 - 27 April 2011

Just two days ago my friend Nick Booth informed me of the tragic car accident that killed Pastor David Wilkerson and critically injured his wife Gwen.

By late Wednesday night, Times Square Church in New York City announced the death of its founding pastor in a statement from Senior Pastor Carter Conlon:

Pastor David Wilkerson’s was a life fully given for the glory of God and souls of men. He was greatly loved and he will be greatly missed. Our prayers are with the family and we as a church body are committed to standing with them at this time of sorrow.

The Wilkerson family issued a statement after midnight on the World Challenge web site:

We appreciate your prayers and our hearts are sorrowful, yet we rejoice at the joy of knowing David Wilkerson spent his life well. More information will be coming soon. Thank you for your prayers, the statement said.

Alongside founding and pastoring Times Square Church in New York City, Wilkerson also founded such influential ministries as Teen Challenge and World Challenge Ministries.

Though I wear different theological stripes to Wilkerson's charismatic heritage, and though I did shudder at some of his apocalyptic prophetic utterances in the past, David Wilkerson remains to this day as a man who I have deep respect and gratitude for. I am very grateful for some of his sermons that have inhabited my MP3 player in recent years and salute Pastor Wilkerson as an uncompromising voice for Gospel clarity in a wider charismatic movement that has begun to spiral into theological freefall. He was unyielding as an "old school bare knuckle pentecostal preacher" who was unrelenting in his scorching criticism of the entertainment circus that had engulfed the movement he was a part of. It was also David Wilkerson who gave Ray Comfort a platform to speak when he was largely unknown.

I am largely ignorant of the deeper machinations of Wilkerson's ministry, but to the best of my knowledge he remained a faithful preacher of the once for all delivered faith to the day of his departure. A stranger in a strange land who is now no longer in search of the city whose builder and maker is God. The death of David Wilkerson also reminds we strangers who remain, of the great blessing that audio recording is . . .

What Is Biblical Discipleship And Growth (Part 5)

Mark Dever, in his book "Nine Marks Of A Healthy Church", outlines the key factors in biblical discipleship and growth. Today, continuing from part 4, we'll look at the fifth component of biblical discipleship and growth.

6. Biblical Understanding of Church Membership

A biblical understanding of church membership probably sounds like the most boring subject covered thus far in this series. But if we understand what a true Christian is, and what a real church is, then membership in a local church becomes a deep longing for those who are the bride of Christ.

After this I looked, and behold, a great multitude that no one could number, from every nation, from all tribes and peoples and languages, standing before the throne and before the Lamb, clothed in white robes, with palm branches in their hands, and crying out with a loud voice, "Salvation belongs to our God who sits on the throne, and to the Lamb!" And all the angels were standing around the throne and around the elders and the four living creatures, and they fell on their faces before the throne and worshiped God, saying, "Amen! Blessing and glory and wisdom and thanksgiving and honor and power and might be to our God forever and ever! Amen." Then one of the elders addressed me, saying, "Who are these, clothed in white robes, and from where have they come?" I said to him, "Sir, you know." And he said to me, "These are the ones coming out of the great tribulation. They have washed their robes and made them white in the blood of the Lamb. "Therefore they are before the throne of God, and serve him day and night in his temple; and he who sits on the throne will shelter them with his presence. They shall hunger no more, neither thirst anymore; the sun shall not strike them, nor any scorching heat. For the Lamb in the midst of the throne will be their shepherd, and he will guide them to springs of living water, and God will wipe away every tear from their eyes (Revelation 7:9-17).

That is an exciting picture. But if you talk to many professing Christians today they will complain and give you a huge list of negative things about the church. Paul Washer commented on this:

I want to talk about finding the church, in other words, stopping the slander. If you want to be endeared to me, then treat my wife with the greatest respect. If you want to be on my bad side, then slander my wife. The accusation of infidelity and immorality is the hindrance in the work of missions.

We have experts who tell us over and over that there is little difference between the actions of the church and the actions of a fallen world. We hear experts that there is just as much immorality in the church as there is in the world. I am here to tell you that angers me because it is a lie. The experts do not even know what the church is. The church today is absolutely beautiful, and I will have words for anyone who says anything else. Because we are talking about Christ’s bride.

The church is in a process of sanctification. Yes she has her weaknesses; yes she has failings. Our bride is broken and humble and believing her master, and she is following him and being changed by him in a way that exalts the power of God in salvation. We are calling Christian that which is not Christian, and it has led to the slandering of the bride of Jesus Christ. Because of our watered-down view of the gospel, our superficial views of regeneration and conversion, because we believe that God is enough to save from the condemnation of sin but not enough to save from the power of sin.

It is not the fault of a liberal political party; it is the fault of pastors. Even conservative, fundamental pastors.

As we examine the topic of a biblical understanding of church membership, I will try to answer these three questions:

1. What is a true church?

2. Why should we join a church?

3. What things does church membership call us to do?

In today's post I will focus solely on the first of these three questions because it addresses the biggest problem - a problem created/perpetuated by the abundance of "seeker sensitive" churches that many of us have “left behind”. If I can answer and clear up the issue of defining church biblically, then I believe everything else will happen naturally.

Theologians through church history have made a distinction between what they call the “visible church”, the “invisible church”, and sects/cults/false churches. The greek word used for church in Scripture is “ekklesia” which describes the called out ones. All true Christians all over the world. These are the ones Jesus prayed for in John 17. This is every name written in the Lamb's Book of Life. Do we know every name written in that book? That is why we call the whole body of Christ the invisible church. There is no real argument here. It is when we discuss the visible church that the big problems start.

The expression of the local congregation where we find ourselves on Sundays is one example of a visible church. It is something we see every time we visit an area where professing believers gather to worship God and hear His word preached. These local churches are visible churches. The seven churches in Revelation are visible churches with one of them on the edge of apostacy by departing from the Gospel. The Laodiciean church was close to becoming an apostate or false church and was being strongly warned to repent by our Lord Himself. Professing believers gather in a visible church but we are always aware that there is always tares among the wheat, goats among the sheep, and false converts among true Christians in a visible church. The visible church is called to deal with this through church discipline but some goats are able to wear a sheep suit all their life as Judas did. I once told Ray Comfort that I am so thankful for him being the first person to teach me about false conversion. It has helped in many ways but none more so than in harmonizing passages that I used to find difficult.

They went out from us, but they were not of us; for if they had been of us, they would have continued with us. But they went out, that it might become plain that they all are not of us (1 John 2:19).

John says that true Christians or members of the invisible church cannot apostatize: "for if they were of us, they would have continued with us." The fact that these professing Christians departed from the church is empirical proof that they were never true Christians. On a recent visit to the USA, a friend with Arminian theology asked me “Who perseveres until the end” and I said “the elect”. He then asked me “who are the elect” and I said “those who persevere”. Brothers and sisters, this may make our head spin but it is easily understood in the Sovereign mind of God. It is ultimately He who will divide the sheep from the goats.

When God saves someone they become a part of the invisible church. They then need to find a true visible church to join.

And let us consider how to stir up one another to love and good works, not neglecting to meet together, as is the habit of some, but encouraging one another, and all the more as you see the Day drawing near (Hebrews 10:24-25).

This is where a lot of the problems happen. Rick Warren, for some very strange reason, recently preached to a lot of reformed pastors (at Desiring God 2010). During his “talk” he rebuked them for teaching too much Scripture and not enough application. Why would Rick Warren say something so incredibly stupid and unbiblical? Because his church growth philosophy has perverted how he defines a visible church. When he sees a large group of people who pray a sinners prayer but keep living in their old way he doesn't see false converts – he sees people who have not been taught how to apply all the teaching that they are getting too much of. Guess what will happen if I start teaching all my fornicating friends the application of waiting until they are married? They don't sin because they have never been taught application, they sin because they are evil, and love their sin, and hate God, and so did I, but God saved me and gave me a new heart with new desires, and now I am called to preach this Gospel to all those wicked sinners because God loves to save wicked sinners just like me!

When we look for a visible church to join we need to look much deeper than seeing a building with a sign that says church. The reformers fought against the false church of Roman Catholicism all their lives. To this day the Catholic church denies salvation by grace alone, through faith alone, in Jesus Christ alone. The council of Trent pronounces damnation on anyone who believes that.

If any one saith, that by faith alone the impious is justified; in such wise as to mean, that nothing else is required to co-operate in order to the obtaining the grace of Justification, and that it is not in any way necessary, that he be prepared and disposed by the movement of his own will; let him be anathema (Council of Trent, Canons on Justification, Canon 9).

The Reformers defined a true Church in article 29 of the Belgic Confession:

Article 29 of the Belgic Confession

We believe that we ought to discern diligently and very carefully from the Word of God what is the true church, for all sects which are in the world today claim for themselves the name of church.1 We are not speaking here of the hypocrites, who are mixed in the church along with the good and yet are not part of the church, although they are outwardly in it.2 We are speaking of the body and the communion of the true church which must be distinguished from all sects that call themselves the church.

The true church is to be recognized by the following marks: It practises the pure preaching of the gospel.3 It maintains the pure administration of the sacraments as Christ instituted them.4 It exercises church discipline for correcting and punishing sins.5 In short, it governs itself according to the pure Word of God,6 rejecting all things contrary to it7 and regarding Jesus Christ as the only Head.8 Hereby the true church can certainly be known and no one has the right to separate from it.

Those who are of the church may be recognized by the marks of Christians. They believe in Jesus Christ the only Saviour,9 flee from sin and pursue righteousness,10 love the true God and their neighbour11 without turning to the right or left, and crucify their flesh and its works.12 Although great weakness remains in them, they fight against it by the Spirit all the days of their life.13 They appeal constantly to the blood, suffering, death, and obedience of Jesus Christ, in whom they have forgiveness of their sins through faith in Him.14

The false church assigns more authority to itself and its ordinances than to the Word of God. It does not want to submit itself to the yoke of Christ.15 It does not administer the sacraments as Christ commanded in His Word, but adds to them and subtracts from them as it pleases. It bases itself more on men than on Jesus Christ. It persecutes those who live holy lives according to the Word of God and who rebuke the false church for its sins, greed, and idolatries.16

These two churches are easily recognized and distinguished from each other.

(1. Rev 2:9. 2. Rom 9:6. 3. Gal 1:8; 1 Tim 3:15. 4. Acts 19:3-5; 1 Cor 11:20-29. 5. Mat 18:15-17; 1 Cor 5:4-5, 1 Cor 5:13; 2 Thes 3:6, 2 Thes 3:14; Titus 3:10. 6. John 8:47; John 17:20; Acts 17:11; Eph 2:20; Col 1:23; 1 Tim 6:3. 7. 1 Thes 5:21; 1 Tim 6:20; Rev 2:6. 8. John 10:14; Eph 5:23; Col 1:18. 9. John 1:12; 1 John 4:2. 10. Rom 6:2; Phil 3:12. 11. 1 John 4:19-21. 12. Gal 5:24. 13. Rom 7:15; Gal 5:17. 14. Rom 7:24-25; 1 John 1:7-9. 15. Acts 4:17-18; 2 Tim 4:3-4; 2 John 9. 16. John 16:2).

In Part 6 we will look at the questions of why we should we join a church and what things does church membership call us to do?

Go On To Part 6
Go Back To Part 4
Go Back To Part 1

WooHoo - I'm Coming Down Under!!!!!

There has been a sudden and unexpected twist in the plans of the Buettel family. Due to several unforseen circumstances (some good and some bad) we decided to seize upon a rare window of time to make a trip down under for the first time in over four years. Wow - I'm already getting cravings for musk sticks, fruit tingles, chicos, tim tams, and vegemite! I will be in Australia (mainly Queensland) from March 12th to May 20th 2011. I know this blog has quite a few Aussie readers so if anyone of you wants to contact me or if I can help/serve you in any way then email me at talkingdonkeys@hotmail.com and I'll get back to you. And if anyone sees my mother be sure to stand well clear. Grandmother is at Defcon1 right now making sure that ALL necessary security and entertainment requirements are in place prior to the arrival of her three little treasures.

One of the most annoying questions I sometimes get asked outside of Australia is "why does Australia and New Zealand have the same flag?" We don't OK - take another look at the stars dude! I know Ray Comfort refers to New Zealand as "down under" and Australia as a small island off the coast of New Zealand but nothing could be further from the truth. Australia is "down under" which makes New Zealand "left over" (at least when you look from north of the equator).

But speaking of New Zealand, after the shocking flooding and cyclones that hit Australia, it was stunning to wake up and see the pictures of Christchurch after their huge earthquake. Christchurch is Ray Comfort's hometown where he began his open air preaching ministry in front of the cathedral (pictured left). The following picture reveals what's left of it now!

I thought it might be appropriate to close with this article Ray wrote in the aftermath of the earthquake because they are sobering words for all of us and remind us of Jesus words in Luke chapter 13 about the collapse of the Tower of Siloam (check it out if you don't know the story) and that we usually ask the wrong questions when it comes to disasters:

As many of you know, our home city of Christ-church, New Zealand, was hit with a massive earthquake Monday (2/21). This is the city where I spoke in front of a large Cathedral in the local Square for many years.

My heart goes out to the many who have lost loved ones. Sue and I appreciate those of you who have contacted us and assured us of their thoughts and prayers. (We were even contacted by some atheists--who were kindly sympathetic.)

Our eldest son, Jacob, and his wife and son were visiting Christchurch when the earthquake struck. They are okay, and so are all of Sue’s and my relatives, for which we thank God.

Many in the city had very frazzled nerves even before this quake. A 7.1 hit six months ago with no fatalities, and since then there have been more than 4,500 aftershocks. This one was much worse. None of my family know the Lord. Please pray that this will make them realize the fragility of life.

Back in 1971, just before my conversion, a surfing buddy who was deeply into pornography got his girlfriend pregnant, was married at 16, and had the baby girl adopted.

At the age of 16, she searched out her natural parents, found them, and turned up at their doorstep, pregnant. My friend became a grandfather at 32 years old.

I tried to witness to him when I went back to New Zealand in 1992, but it didn't work out too well as it was in his surf shop, and customers kept coming in. Although he did say that he wanted to ask God about his younger brother, who had tragically committed suicide because he got into financial difficulty.

For some reason I thought about all this, this past Sunday, found his surf shop online, emailed him and was amazed to get a reply. He said that my god (he used a small "g") really scared him with the big earthquake they had six months ago (he used profanity to say how much it scared him). I then wrote back and said that I failed to tell him something when I last saw him, and added that Jesus said if you lust after a woman, you commit adultery with her. I said that Hell was real, and that God made a way for us to be forgiven and have everlasting life.

He responded “That is scary, you mean I have committed adultery about 140 times already today? Hell won’t be so bad – at least all my mates will be there and all the naughty girls. Just don’t tell me it will be onshore all day every day. That will really make me gnash my teeth. Heaven sounds really boring -- all the goody two shoes kids drinking tea and singing hymns all day. Is there surf there?”

I emailed back that there would be no friendship or any pleasure in Hell and talked about his misunderstanding of Heaven, hoping he would get back to me.

The following day, the earthquake struck. His shop was very close to the epicenter. I don't know what happened to him.

The Real Story Of Martin Luther

We, in Denmark, had the great privilege of hosting Dr Peter Hammond who is (among many other things) the president of the Reformation Society. Dr Hammond made many fascinating presentations from history and the frontier mission fields last summer for our annual Reformation Resurrection conference but his touching presentation on the life of Martin Luther really stood out to me. Luther's bold stand against the evils of the Roman Catholic church, coupled with his dynamic recovery of our precious doctrine of justification by faith, often get lost in the shadow of historical revisionism which has painted an ugly picture of the reformer.

Without a doubt, Luther got things wrong, which he readily admitted himself. But we often forget the term "Semper Reformanda" - the Church reformed and always reforming. Later reformers went on to make more of the necessary reforms as the Protestant movement veered further and further away from the elaborate and idolatrous works righteous system that emanated from Rome. I think Paul Washer said it best when he declared that we stand on Luther's shoulders. If our theology is superior, it is only because of that monk who discovered the doctrine of justification by faith alone as he groped around in the immense darkness of that Catholic monastery and found a way out. Should we expect Luther to have had all his theological ducks lined up when he nailed his 95 Theses to the door of the church in Wittenburg?

It is interesting to note these words in the second chapter of the book of Judges:

When Joshua dismissed the people, the people of Israel went each to his inheritance to take possession of the land. And the people served the LORD all the days of Joshua, and all the days of the elders who outlived Joshua, who had seen all the great work that the LORD had done for Israel. And Joshua the son of Nun, the servant of the LORD, died at the age of 110 years. And they buried him within the boundaries of his inheritance in Timnath-heres, in the hill country of Ephraim, north of the mountain of Gaash. And all that generation also were gathered to their fathers. And there arose another generation after them who did not know the LORD or the work that he had done for Israel. (Judges 2:6-10 emphasis mine)

This is the turning point that sent Israel spiraling into some of the darkest chapters of their history - in fact the book of Judges finishes with several horrific stories and the closing words:

In those days there was no king in Israel. Everyone did what was right in his own eyes. (Judges 21:25)

Perhaps Frank Sinatra was actually paraphrasing the book of Judges in his song "I did it my way" which may also be the only song in the hymnal of hell.

Please note carefully the bold words I quoted above in Judges 2:6-10. Israel's tragic descent started with their failure to teach history and that history is His Story. Ray Comfort once said that "the only thing we learn from history is that we don't learn from history". May we not be like those before us and around us who run headlong towards the cliff. May we look back at our rich reformation heritage and the undeniable Sovereign hand of God in a movement that transformed every sphere of European society and won many into God's Kingdom. May we take the time to listen and learn as we take this journey back into the 16th century so we can press on in the 21st century with the knowledge that unless God builds the house, we all labor in vain . . .

Just Added - Wesley Gold

Ray Comfort's compilation of golden nuggets from the preaching of John Wesley, has just been added to the resource directory!

WESLEY GOLD
Ray Comfort (Editor), John Wesley
Category: Heroes, Puritans, And Reformers
Click Here To Order
How could one man turn a whole country upside-down? How could he be disciplined to daily read his Bible, have private prayer, meet others for public prayer, and yet not be saved? Why did he say, I went to America, to convert the Indians; but oh! Who shall convert me? What did he read that “strangely warmed his heart” and brought him to Christ? These questions and others are answered in Ray Comfort's compilation of golden nuggets from the life of the great field preacher John Wesley who said that "The World Is My Pulpit". Loaded with great inspiration for evangelism and appreciation for our Christian heritage.

Just Added - Whitefield Gold

Ray Comfort's compilation of precious excerpts from the preaching of George Whitefield has just been added to my resource directory!

WHITEFIELD GOLD
Ray Comfort (Editor), George Whitefield
Category: Heroes, Puritans, And Reformers
Click Here To Order
A collection of pearls painstakingly harvested from the work of the "Trumpet of the Great Awakening", George Whitefield. Editor Ray Comfort shares the "best of Whitefield's best" with other Christians who seek inspiration and sage advice regarding evangelism, open air preaching, and the Christian life. Organizing the sensitively revised material into short, titled sections, Comfort leads the reader through an energetic exploration of elegant work that's guaranteed to strengthen the skills and fortitude of anyone leading another person to the Lord. This compilation is also accompanied by a biography and photographs that will bring Whitefield to life.

Just Added - Spurgeon Gold

Ray Comfort's compilation of golden nuggets from the preaching of Charles Spurgeon, has just been added to the resource directory!

SPURGEON GOLD
Ray Comfort (Editor), Charles Spurgeon
Category: Heroes, Puritans, And Reformers
Click Here To Order
Books about the life and ministry of “The Prince of Preachers” are not uncommon. However, Spurgeon Gold takes a unique approach. It has isolated the great preacher’s deep passion for the lost, many of his powerful gospel proclimations, and his convincing exhortations to Christians to share their faith. Spurgeon was an immense and prolific writer and this book will whet the appetite for much more of his writings. Furthermore, Spurgeon Gold is a literal goldmine of riveting, theologically profound, accessible, and inspiring treasures from the deep well of Charles Spurgeon's deep well of material - bound to wear out any highlighter pen!

Just Added - What Did Jesus Do

Ray Comfort's book concerning Jesus' use of the Mosaic law has now been added to my resource directory!

WHAT DID JESUS DO
Ray Comfort
Category: Evangelism
Click Here To Order
Rather than wonder “What would Jesus do?” we should look to the Scripture to see: What Did Jesus Do? Why did He use a radically different approach than that of the modern Church when it came to reaching the lost? Paul imitated Jesus, working for “the profit of many, that they may be saved.” Then he admonished, “Imitate me, just as I also imitate Christ” (1 Cor. 11:1). James obeyed that command. So did Stephen, Peter, John, and Jude. So did Charles Spurgeon, John Wesley, George Whitefield, Martin Luther, D.L. Moody, and many others through the ages. This book serves as an abbreviated form of Ray Comfort's foundational teaching as found in "Way of the Master" with a strong emphasis on the correct usage of law and grace when presenting the Gospel.

Kristuskirken Reformed Baptist Church Of Denmark - My Life In Denmark (Part 15)

I am proud to attend and be associated with Kristuskirken which is the first Reformed Baptist Church to be planted in Denmark. Kristuskirken is a church which preaches Christ crucified without apology. A church where the Bible is the sole rule for all matters of life, faith, and practice. Kristuskirken is a church that recognizes the Holiness of God, the utter sinfulness of all men, the reality of God's wrath, the constant danger of hell, the necessity of the Christ's death as a penal substitute on the cross, the exclusivity of Jesus Christ, the call on all men everywhere to repent of their wickedness, and the glorious eternal hope for those who put their faith and trust in Jesus Christ - Who is the resurrected Savior.

Kristuskirken was formed in November 2009 by several Christian families in Denmark who were desperate for fellowship and a place where the Christian Gospel would be preached in purity. Everywhere we looked we saw either a society headed for hell, or liberal churches leading the way there. Kristuskirken was birthed out of necessity - the necessity that God's great Name be glorified and magnified in Denmark. Kristuskirken was also birthed out of a desire to see a sinful people saved by a merciful God. The same God that saved sinners like us.

For the Scripture says, "Everyone who believes in him will not be put to shame." For there is no distinction between Jew and Greek; for the same Lord is Lord of all, bestowing his riches on all who call on him. For "everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved." How then will they call on him in whom they have not believed? And how are they to believe in him of whom they have never heard? And how are they to hear without someone preaching? And how are they to preach unless they are sent? As it is written, "How beautiful are the feet of those who preach the good news!" (Romans 10:11-15)

Kristuskirken meets at 10am every Sunday.
Gyvelvej 1
8850 Bjerringbro
Denmark
Phone +45 8668 0345
Email henrikruth@gmail.com
ALL ARE WELCOME!!!
Lunch is provided.

KRISTUSKIRKEN DOCTRINE
Kristuskirken holds to the 1689 Baptist Confession Of Faith. Our desire is to be absolutely clear about who we are and what we believe. We are well aware that there is no shortage of churches that desire to be as vague as possible to those who visit in the hope that they will join regardless of beliefs. Kristuskirken wants to be sensitive to the One True Seeker - the One Who came to seek and save the lost. For this reason we welcome all to attend - believer and unbeliever alike - in the knowledge that our preaching is not aimed at comforting the believer and accommodating the unbeliever. Our preaching and teaching is aimed at building up the Christian, and bringing conviction upon those who are not. We love people so much that we are not willing to conceal any of God's message to mankind.

KRISTUSKIRKEN IS A MEMBER OF THE NINE MARKS NETWORK
Kristuskirken is one of only three churches in Europe that are members of the 9 Marks church network. This is a network of churches that grew out of the ministry of Mark Dever and his landmark book "Nine Marks Of A Healthy Church". It is a model for advocating, planting, and growing healthy biblical churches. You can find us here in their directory where it reads that:

Kristuskirken is a newly planted Reformed Baptist Church in Denmark. We hold to the 1689 Baptist Confession of Faith. We place great emphasis on the authority of Scripture, the exclusivity of Jesus Christ, gospel purity, and the call on all people everywhere to repent and believe the gospel. We believe that evangelism should be normal Christian behavior. We stress the biblical importance of male headship. We love the fellowship of believers and seeing sinners come to saving faith. And we desire to see God's Name magnified and exalted in Denmark.

KRISTUSKIRKEN MISSION
We at Kristuskirken are very grateful for the guidance and assistance we have received from Paul Washer and his Heart Cry Missionary Society. Brother Washer was the chief instigator in provoking the pioneering work of Kristuskirken when he came and ministered to us in 2009. Kristuskirken is a proud financial supporter of the preaching ministry of Paul Washer and of the heart Cry Missionary Society. They train faithful indigenous ministers of the Gospel all over the world at a fraction of the cost of sending a western missionary. We also consider ourselves to be one of their mission fronts.

KRISTUSKIRKEN EVANGELISM
Kristuskirken is proud to be a Way Of The Master Evangelism Embassy. Two of our members have travelled to California to be personally trained by Ray Comfort and Kirk Cameron at their evangelism academy. The ministry of Way of the Master recognize Kristuskirken as a church that teaches and practices biblical evangelism. We actually go out on the street to share the Gospel with strangers. For those who would like to see this in action come and join us in Bjerringbro on Saturdays. You can also watch these videos (please excuse the background noise):





Go On To Part 16
Go Back To Part 14
Go Back To part 1