THIS DEFINITELY ISN'T MONOPOLY

Throughout the years, I have learned not to be so amazed by the silliness I find in most Christian Bookstores. But what I saw yesterday has to take the cake!!

I would like to introduce "Your Best Life Now" the Board game--yes, you read right--the BOARD GAME! Apparently, making spiritual water was not productive enough, so now the gaming industry has to be infected by this jargon that disguises itself as modern Evangelicalism.

Truly, Osteen has hit a new low in approving this product, and one has to wonder what is next: "Woman Thou Art Loosed" the video game? Oh, how I would need a Psychiatrist in the fear of seeing a virtual TD Jakes!

But nevertheless, products like this only show us how goofy the marketing of this false Christianity truly is. And sadly, the acceptance of such stuff as this only magnifies the cry for sound Theology in the church, and also prayer for all Christians for the need for Biblical discernment.

MICHELLE WINS THE NIGHT!!!

If you have been following my blog, you know that I have been very hard on Barack Obama's beliefs as well as African-American's gullibility in following him because of the color of his skin.

But I like to think of myself as a man of fairness (though some would disagree), and I have to admit that Michelle Obama was very impressive to me at last night's DNC. Now when I say this, I am not talking about her speech alone. While I did like the approach she took by playing the "Simple girl from the Southside" card, I was more impressed with her strength, passion, confidence, and--more than anything else--her full devotion to her husband and for what she believes he can bring to this country as President. Quite simply, all these qualities (along with the speech) is giving a human side to this Presidential Campaign. And while many have criticized the night as "wasted", we must understand that people will not vote for a candidate that neglects to put their family's positives in the spotlight (see Kennedy, Reagan, and Clinton for examples of this). And up to this point, I must admit that Obama is destroying McCain in this area. So while we wait to hear Obama's stance on issues affecting our country, we must embrace the fact that his campaign is trying to show that he is a family man and that his election will bring more than just our first black President, but also a relatable person that is reflected in his family's makeup.

In conclusion, while my stance on Obama and his beliefs have not budged from the get-go, I do applaud Michelle Obama's time in the spotlight. She showed that she is very much her own lady, and at the same time loyal and supportive of her husband and his mission. And for that alone you have to applaud her, whether you are Democrat, Republican, Independent, or affiliated with any other party.

NEVER WOULD HAVE MADE IT WITHOUT ____?

It is one of the most popular songs in the country right now, loved by both Christians and Non-Christians alike. It has brought many to tears and has encouraged many to continue to stay strong during difficult times. It has made its writer--Marvin Sapp--an overnight hit! It's the song Never Would Have Made it.

And while I must admit that it is a very beautiful song, When you stop and listen to the lyrics, one would find something very interesting about them. See if you can pick up what I'm saying:

Never would have made it,

Never could have made it, without you

I would have lost it all, but now I see how you were there for me

And I can say: Never would have made it,

Never could have made it, Without you

I would have lost it all, but I now how I see how you were there for me

And I can say I'm stronger, I'm wiser, I'm better, much better,

When I look back over all you brought me thru.

I can see that you were the one that I held on to.

Do you see it? There is no mention of the LORD Jesus, God the Father, or the Holy Spirit in the lyrics. Now you might be saying to yourself: Gee Jarvis! Aren't you being over picky? The LORD is definitely implied in the song. But what many people don't realize is that Marvin Sapp wrote this song as a tribute to his father after his death. So we cannot assume that this song was written to honor the LORD.

Now, it is not my intention to rip Marvin Sapp in this post. As mentioned before, I truly love this song and it has encouraged me in the LORD many times. However, it is a song that has a "insert your inspiration here" ideaology. In short, whoever you idolize can be the "you" or "he" in this song. And it is this type of music that is being passed off as "gospel" today, when in actuality there is no mention of the Gospel, nor Christ in its makeup.

Sadly, some of today's Christian artist--in an attempt to draw unbelievers to Christ-- are recording songs that are leaving out the most important element to their mission: Christ.

Brothers and Sisters, we must remember that the way sinners are saved is through the preaching of Christ and Him crucified (1 Corinthians 1:23-24). And this must be done in our singing, preaching, counsel, and every other aspect of worship.

God has not sanctioned any other means for a person to be saved. So while I applaud Mr. Sapp for writing such a beautiful song, I would also encourage him to be more direct in the object of his message and to proudly put the cross in his future projects. Because it is the cross of Christ--as Fanny Crosby states-- that is the "precious fountain" that washes away the sins of both men and women.

IS THIS THE REAL MEANING OF THIS PASSAGE?

This past Sunday (as I do every Sunday Afternoon), I tuned to NRB in order to watch Dr. Tony Evans. In this particular show, Dr. Evans was preaching from John 11 explaining how to handle your situation when God "delays" your healing. And, in watching this, I initially wondered (as I often have when I hear messages like this) does God really show up late? If God has designed how the earth (and everything else for that matter) is to operate determining what will happen at the time it happens, then how is it possible for Him to delay at anything? When God does not act when we desire, is it that He is somehow "late" in answering our wants or is the situation exposing a sin of impatience within us? In short, when we say God is "late", are we trying to put God in our time frame when we are supposed to be subjective to His?



But after thinking this, I realized that there was a bigger problem in the delivery of this message. And that problem was: Is God "delaying your blessing" the true meaning of this story? Is the Lazarus account designed to encourage us while we wait for God to give us our "breakthrough", or is the story's message MUCH bigger than that?


It often surprises me how sermons will go off of the deep end when we don't take into account the primary purpose of Scripture. We must remember that, in the story of Lazarus, God the Father and God the Son had a bigger purpose in mind in raising Lazarus than most sermons (like the one mentioned above) would indicate. The primary message in this passage is that Christ is the true resurrection and, by believing in Him, we too will be resurrected (like Lazarus) on the last day to enjoy eternal life with Him.

But when we take a passage with such a powerful message and dumb it down to say that "You can expect great things if God is somehow late in delivering your breakthrough", we miss the true essence of what Christ is showing us through this event. This is why I believe that we need to start seeing stories like Lazarus for what they are: REAL stories with a Christo-centric theme and not some fable where God is trying to teach us some moral lesson or principle for our lives. The events of Scripture are not to be confused with Romeo and Juliet or Dr. Seus. Neither is its purpose to tell us how to live our "Best Life Now" or to give us the "8 steps to create the life we want". But it is to show our LORD and Savior and what He has done to accomplish our salvation (John 5:39-40). And when we prepare and preach our messages with this in mind, then we will truly see the breakthroughs we are hoping God will give the people we minister to.

SPIRIT-FILLED WORSHIP

In today's modern church, a link has developed between emotionalism and the "move of the Holy Spirit". And by deduction, many in the Body of Christ would say that if a service does not provide some form of emotion (and by emotion, I mean things like speaking in tongues, "hooping" preaching, or worked-up crowds) that the Holy Spirit was somehow absent in its makeup.

However, Daniel Hyde challenges this belief in his Modern Reformation article, "In Search of the Spirit". Using the Heidelberg Catechism and other Reformed sources, Hyde shows how the Holy Spirit actually moves within the components of a true Biblical worship service--that is, through the Preached Word, the Sacraments, and Baptism.

To read the article, click here