In recent days, signs and wonders seem to be everywhere I turn.
I know that our generation is obsessed with the supernatural and spiritual and not so much concerned with truth or the God of Truth as revealed in Scripture. However, what I have seen and heard in recent days goes beyond our culture's general love for the spiritual while denying the power thereof. The disturbing thing in recent days has been how generally accepted false doctrine is when it is related to the mystic. I have seen solid young believers led astray by dreamers and those who would muddle the gift of prophesy and call themselves prophets. I am in favor of the supernatural and know that God can do exceedingly above and beyond anything that I could imagine. However, the real folly in these experiences is the teaching that accompanies them. It is not that the signs are not real, but that they point to the wrong god. They are couched in progressive theology and are the fruit of a postmodern liberalism that makes God in our image instead of us being conformed to His. These leaders unashamedly teach that God is not omniscient and that we can in fact change His mind. Not only do they teach that we change the mind of God, but that we change the will of God as well because there are things that will not happen unless we speak them into being. In essence, God can not act apart from us and needs us to inform His mind as to what should take place so that He does not make a mistake. And this at the local BCM. These may be true signs, but they lead us away from the God of Scripture.
I have struggled with how to respond to this phenomenon for weeks. Then, I read something yesterday that helped me form a response.
Does God have designs for deceptive signs and wonders? Does he have purposes for heresies?
From the time of Moses to the end of history, this has been and will be an issue. Jesus promised that “false christs and false prophets will arise and perform great signs and wonders, so as to lead astray, if possible, even the elect” (Matthew 24:24). These are not little tricks. They are great signs and wonders. Great. But aimed to deceive.
Paul said that “the coming of the lawless one is by the activity of Satan with all power and signs and wonders of falsehood, and with all wicked deception for those who are perishing, because they refused to love the truth and so be saved” (2 Thessalonians 2:9-10). “Signs and wonders of falsehood” is a literal translation to show that the falseness of the signs and wonders is not that they aren’t real miracles, but that they lie about reality. They are real miracles, and they lead away from Christ.
Similarly, to the end of the history—especially at the end of history—false teaching and heresies will dog the church. “The time is coming when people will not endure sound teaching, but having itching ears they will accumulate for themselves teachers to suit their own passions, and will turn away from listening to the truth and wander off into myths” (2 Timothy 4.3-4).
At the other end of history, things have been this way from the time of Moses. And it is Moses who answers our two questions: Does God have designs for deceptive signs and wonders? Does he have purposes for heresies? Here’s the key passage:
If a prophet or a dreamer of dreams arises among you and gives you a sign or a wonder, and the sign or wonder that he tells you comes to pass, and if he says, “Let us go after other gods,” which you have not known, “and let us serve them, you shall not listen to the words of that prophet or that dreamer of dreams. For the Lord your God is testing you, to know whether you love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul.
(Deuteronomy 13:1-3)
Notice five things:
First, Moses tells us that signs and wonders in the service of heresy really happen. They are not tricks. “If a prophet . . . gives you a sign or a wonder, and the sign or wonder that he tells you comes to pass. . . .” They really do come to pass. It is not smoke and mirrors. These are supernatural, but not in the service of truth.
Second, some miracle workers aim to draw believers away from the true God. “If he says, ‘Let us go after other gods . . .’ you shall not listen to the words of that prophet.” In other words, some heresies (“let us go after other gods”) are endorsed with miraculous signs and wonders.
Third, God has a design in these deceptive signs and wonders, and he has purposes for the heresies they support. He mentions one of these designs and purposes: “For the Lord your God is testing you, to know whether you love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul.” When temptation happens from man, a test is happening from God. This is God’s design in the deceptive signs and heresies.
Fourth, love for God is what God is testing. “Your God is testing you, to know whether you love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul.”
Fifth, I conclude from this that the heart that loves God sees through miraculous deception. Love for God is not based mainly on miraculous power. It is based on seeing through miraculous power to true divine beauty. Therefore, love for God is a powerful protection against heresy, even when it comes with miraculous confirmation.
Understanding these five things from Deuteronomy 13:1-3 helps protect us from deceptive signs and wonders and from heresies. But understanding is not enough. Love for God is both the aim of God’s testing and the means by which his tests are passed. Understanding awakens us to our need to love him. But love for God sees through deceptive signs and wonders to the falsehood they support and flees to Christ. Love for God sees through the heresy and holds fast to him. May God deepen our love to him so that it has this kind of penetrating, protecting power.
© Desiring God
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Please include the following statement on any distributed copy: By John Piper. © Desiring God. Website: desiringGod.org
Thursday, March 27, 2008
Friday, March 14, 2008
One More Reason
Today I received an email from a blogger friend of mine. In the email, he asked me to read his blog about a particular Sunday School curriculum that his church has been using and how they are treating the Easter story.
I was surprised by the blog and shocked by the curriculum's treatment. I know I should not be shocked any more, but I was. So, I read the letter from the curriculum about the Easter lesson and went to the company's website to confirm this all.
What I found was yet another reason that parents should take very seriously their role as the primary disciplers and Bible teachers of their children. My friend is a serving Christian and he attends a great church. Still, thousands of churches will be using this curriculum this Easter. Parents should know what their children are being taught and what they are not being taught.
I have included parts of the blog article below so that you can read the information it contains for yourself.
I was given a copy of a letter that came to our Children’s Pastor on Wednesday that really ticked me off. I was furious. Now when you click to read this letter I have no doubt that you will be furious as well. And to be quite honest I think you should be. However, as I was reminded, my anger was quite misplaced. Let me explain to you the situation.
The people who produce the Sunday School curriculum we use for our 1-5 year olds decided to not give the Easter story on Easter Sunday. Actually, they decided not to give the Easter story at all to this age group. Here is their reason, “because of the graphic nature of the Easter story and the crucifixion specifically, we need to be careful as we choose what we tell our preschoolers about Easter.” Further they say, “We have made this choice because the crucifixion is simply too violent for preschoolers.” They go on to justify their reason for this by suggesting that theories of cognitive development show that preschoolers are concrete thinkers and therefore “are simply unable to truly grasp what it means to die and then be raised again through the power of God.” So on Easter Sunday, the preschoolers at nearly 1400 churches will not hear the Easter story. As a parent of a nearly 4 year old, I really, really, really must disagree!
There are many reasons that I disagree with this, too many reasons to list here. But here are four that deserve some consideration:
1. Whether they mean to say it or not, they are displaying by action that a child should not be exposed to the Gospel until elementary school. Here is what they say; “We believe that, by waiting until children are in elementary school to tell them the marvelous story of Easter, they will be better able to understand it and accept God’s offer of salvation.”
2. They are also basing this decision on secular theories of cognitive development instead of God’s own Word! As concrete thinkers, it is more valuable to expose them to the BEAUTY of the Gospel at this age, so that a concrete foundation is able to begin to be established. If they hear and know the story of the Gospel, they will see it as concrete and will have less chance of doubting it later. This is a time when preschoolers are most pure of heart and pure of mind. To miss this opportunity is incredibly risky.
3. When people begin to pick and choose what is or isn’t appropriate to be taught from God’s Word, those people clearly show that they have no respect for the authority of God’s Word.
4. They are eliminating THE CROSS! We are talking about THE CROSS here for crying out loud! The most vital aspect or our relationship with Christ will not be exposed to preschoolers at 1400 churches across America. My First Look says their goal in the preschool years is to “build a foundation for that eventual decision by focusing on God’s love and telling preschoolers that ‘Jesus wants to be my friend forever.’” HOW CAN YOU DO THAT WITHOUT EXPOSING THEM TO THE CROSS!
By now, I think you can understand my indignation. There are many other areas, but these are the most dangerous in my mind. When I came to these conclusions the other day I was outraged. I wanted to call and chew someone out. I wanted to write nasty emails. I wanted to get in a fight with someone and let them know how wrong they were. However, I am so glad for the Grace of God at work in my life.
As I prayed about this the last two days, I was humbled. The key for me to remember is that whether they are enemies of the cross who have never heard its beautiful message or if they are brothers and sisters who are damaging the Gospel unintentionally, winning the argument isn’t as important as winning them. The people at My First Look are great people. I have had a great dialogue with them and they have answered all of my questions with genuineness and respect to my disagreement with them. It doesn’t change the fact that they are in error here and that they need to be corrected. However, before you strike and lash at them, remember whom you represent. Remember Peter’s own words in 1 Peter 3:14-16. Remember that people are more important than the argument. Write these good people. Email them, call them, but please remember that the goal here is not to make an enemy and embarrass the Cross. The goal is to rescue brothers and sisters from error. That has been and will continue to be a really tough lesson for me.
Blake on March 14th, 2008, @ http://www.twoinstitutions.org/
I was surprised by the blog and shocked by the curriculum's treatment. I know I should not be shocked any more, but I was. So, I read the letter from the curriculum about the Easter lesson and went to the company's website to confirm this all.
What I found was yet another reason that parents should take very seriously their role as the primary disciplers and Bible teachers of their children. My friend is a serving Christian and he attends a great church. Still, thousands of churches will be using this curriculum this Easter. Parents should know what their children are being taught and what they are not being taught.
I have included parts of the blog article below so that you can read the information it contains for yourself.
I was given a copy of a letter that came to our Children’s Pastor on Wednesday that really ticked me off. I was furious. Now when you click to read this letter I have no doubt that you will be furious as well. And to be quite honest I think you should be. However, as I was reminded, my anger was quite misplaced. Let me explain to you the situation.
The people who produce the Sunday School curriculum we use for our 1-5 year olds decided to not give the Easter story on Easter Sunday. Actually, they decided not to give the Easter story at all to this age group. Here is their reason, “because of the graphic nature of the Easter story and the crucifixion specifically, we need to be careful as we choose what we tell our preschoolers about Easter.” Further they say, “We have made this choice because the crucifixion is simply too violent for preschoolers.” They go on to justify their reason for this by suggesting that theories of cognitive development show that preschoolers are concrete thinkers and therefore “are simply unable to truly grasp what it means to die and then be raised again through the power of God.” So on Easter Sunday, the preschoolers at nearly 1400 churches will not hear the Easter story. As a parent of a nearly 4 year old, I really, really, really must disagree!
There are many reasons that I disagree with this, too many reasons to list here. But here are four that deserve some consideration:
1. Whether they mean to say it or not, they are displaying by action that a child should not be exposed to the Gospel until elementary school. Here is what they say; “We believe that, by waiting until children are in elementary school to tell them the marvelous story of Easter, they will be better able to understand it and accept God’s offer of salvation.”
2. They are also basing this decision on secular theories of cognitive development instead of God’s own Word! As concrete thinkers, it is more valuable to expose them to the BEAUTY of the Gospel at this age, so that a concrete foundation is able to begin to be established. If they hear and know the story of the Gospel, they will see it as concrete and will have less chance of doubting it later. This is a time when preschoolers are most pure of heart and pure of mind. To miss this opportunity is incredibly risky.
3. When people begin to pick and choose what is or isn’t appropriate to be taught from God’s Word, those people clearly show that they have no respect for the authority of God’s Word.
4. They are eliminating THE CROSS! We are talking about THE CROSS here for crying out loud! The most vital aspect or our relationship with Christ will not be exposed to preschoolers at 1400 churches across America. My First Look says their goal in the preschool years is to “build a foundation for that eventual decision by focusing on God’s love and telling preschoolers that ‘Jesus wants to be my friend forever.’” HOW CAN YOU DO THAT WITHOUT EXPOSING THEM TO THE CROSS!
By now, I think you can understand my indignation. There are many other areas, but these are the most dangerous in my mind. When I came to these conclusions the other day I was outraged. I wanted to call and chew someone out. I wanted to write nasty emails. I wanted to get in a fight with someone and let them know how wrong they were. However, I am so glad for the Grace of God at work in my life.
As I prayed about this the last two days, I was humbled. The key for me to remember is that whether they are enemies of the cross who have never heard its beautiful message or if they are brothers and sisters who are damaging the Gospel unintentionally, winning the argument isn’t as important as winning them. The people at My First Look are great people. I have had a great dialogue with them and they have answered all of my questions with genuineness and respect to my disagreement with them. It doesn’t change the fact that they are in error here and that they need to be corrected. However, before you strike and lash at them, remember whom you represent. Remember Peter’s own words in 1 Peter 3:14-16. Remember that people are more important than the argument. Write these good people. Email them, call them, but please remember that the goal here is not to make an enemy and embarrass the Cross. The goal is to rescue brothers and sisters from error. That has been and will continue to be a really tough lesson for me.
Blake on March 14th, 2008, @ http://www.twoinstitutions.org/
Monday, March 10, 2008
reThink Conference
Mike Hall, from Inquest Ministries, has asked me to share information about the reThink Conference with you. I am excited about this event and hope many of you will consider attending this event if you can not attend our Student Leaders Conference on August 9th., where my friends Steve Wright and Randy Stinson will also be speaking.
"Steve has been flooded with requests to have some time for discussion and teaching from his book reThink. In response, we have put in motion the one day reThink Conference 08. This exciting conference is scheduled for Friday, May 16th 2008. You are all cordially invited and can get more information by visiting the conference website: reThink Conference 08.
One of the keynote speakers for the event is Dr. Randy Stinson. Dr. Stinson is the Dean of the Lead School at Southern Seminary and is President of the Council of Biblical Manhood and Womanhood."
Soli Deo Gloria,
Mike Hall
Director of Curriculum Development
InQuest Ministries, Inc.
"Steve has been flooded with requests to have some time for discussion and teaching from his book reThink. In response, we have put in motion the one day reThink Conference 08. This exciting conference is scheduled for Friday, May 16th 2008. You are all cordially invited and can get more information by visiting the conference website: reThink Conference 08.
One of the keynote speakers for the event is Dr. Randy Stinson. Dr. Stinson is the Dean of the Lead School at Southern Seminary and is President of the Council of Biblical Manhood and Womanhood."
Soli Deo Gloria,
Mike Hall
Director of Curriculum Development
InQuest Ministries, Inc.
Legacy Letter
There is always and excitement and energy when the newness of life breaks forth in spring. That is certainly the way we are feeling at Legacy these days. It has been an exciting and wonderful year already, and as we enter March, we are excited about what God is doing through Legacy and how He has called you to be a part of it.
I talked last month about our ongoing partnerships with the old and the new. God did great things though our evaluation and follow up meetings in February. I was able to spend a couple of days doing a review and strategy session with one of our oldest partners from Smith’s Station, Alabama. We focused on simplifying his ministry structure in order to allow him to delegate more efficiently, and do a better job with assimilation and partnering with parents. I will be speaking to the youth group at Smith’s Station Baptist on March 5th.
I am also excited about what God is doing through our newest partnership with St. James United Methodist in Montgomery, Alabama. Already this year, we have completed the evaluation and implementation strategy for a new ministry structure at St. James. It has been a blessing to help take their vision for small groups and community service and implement it in a way that connects with the rest of their ministry and simplifies their overall strategy. It has also been fun to challenge them to find ways to partner with parents and incorporate their student ministry into the life of the larger church family. I look forward to working with their ministry as we begin to put these strategy elements into place on March 17th, when I meet with more of the Student Ministry Team in Montgomery.
We are also excited that we continue to have the opportunity to bring God’s word through many other venues. I will be speaking this month at Jesus Jam, a first year youth event in Brundidge, Alabama and at the Troy University BCM, where Rayanne and I have both been speaking on relationships this semester.
One venue that we are particularly excited about is the new writing project that I mentioned last month. At our annual board meeting, the Board of Directors approved that we go forward with a book project I have been working on for some time. We have entered into agreement with Booksurge Publishing to publish and distribute Legacy Leadership: Principles for Leaving a Spiritual Legacy. The project should be finished in April and available for purchase through the Legacy office, Amazon.com, abebooks.com and other limited online avenues.
We also continue to plan and prepare for our Student Leaders Conference in August and one of our big fundraising events, the annual Boston Butt Sale on April 26th. We are excited about these and many other things that God is doing in and through Legacy Ministries. You are a big part of each one of these as God calls you to prayerfully support Legacy. Without you prayers and continued financial support the extent to which we could do what God has called us to do would be limited. You are the means by which he supplies our need so that we can serve His kingdom.
I talked last month about our ongoing partnerships with the old and the new. God did great things though our evaluation and follow up meetings in February. I was able to spend a couple of days doing a review and strategy session with one of our oldest partners from Smith’s Station, Alabama. We focused on simplifying his ministry structure in order to allow him to delegate more efficiently, and do a better job with assimilation and partnering with parents. I will be speaking to the youth group at Smith’s Station Baptist on March 5th.
I am also excited about what God is doing through our newest partnership with St. James United Methodist in Montgomery, Alabama. Already this year, we have completed the evaluation and implementation strategy for a new ministry structure at St. James. It has been a blessing to help take their vision for small groups and community service and implement it in a way that connects with the rest of their ministry and simplifies their overall strategy. It has also been fun to challenge them to find ways to partner with parents and incorporate their student ministry into the life of the larger church family. I look forward to working with their ministry as we begin to put these strategy elements into place on March 17th, when I meet with more of the Student Ministry Team in Montgomery.
We are also excited that we continue to have the opportunity to bring God’s word through many other venues. I will be speaking this month at Jesus Jam, a first year youth event in Brundidge, Alabama and at the Troy University BCM, where Rayanne and I have both been speaking on relationships this semester.
One venue that we are particularly excited about is the new writing project that I mentioned last month. At our annual board meeting, the Board of Directors approved that we go forward with a book project I have been working on for some time. We have entered into agreement with Booksurge Publishing to publish and distribute Legacy Leadership: Principles for Leaving a Spiritual Legacy. The project should be finished in April and available for purchase through the Legacy office, Amazon.com, abebooks.com and other limited online avenues.
We also continue to plan and prepare for our Student Leaders Conference in August and one of our big fundraising events, the annual Boston Butt Sale on April 26th. We are excited about these and many other things that God is doing in and through Legacy Ministries. You are a big part of each one of these as God calls you to prayerfully support Legacy. Without you prayers and continued financial support the extent to which we could do what God has called us to do would be limited. You are the means by which he supplies our need so that we can serve His kingdom.
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