Paul's Passing Thoughts

I was there; I saw it for myself. I was very involved in the biblical counseling movement when its revival peaked in the 90’s. I contend that this was the only true Protestant revival that has ever taken place and was the result of being partially correct. The movement, though confused, focused enough on intelligent application of Scripture to bring about powerful results. If you then wonder what kind of revival could take place if all confusion about sanctification were removed, you are asking the right question.

But here is what I saw for myself; it was commonly accepted in the movement that church was anemic in regard to Christian living. Nobody knew why, though it was blamed on Psychology and a medical model of sin, but these only filled the void created by church.

Here is the reason: Protestantism has ALWAYS been about keeping yourself saved and “living by the gospel” (viz, living by salvation). That’s black and white orthodoxy. Discipleship and sanctification and Christian living was, and always has been defined as a maintaining of salvation until “final justification.” That, again, is black and white Protestant orthodoxy. This, and this alone, is why the church has always been in a sanctification crisis.  This alone is why the church has no answers for life’s deepest questions. This is why we hear prominent evangelicals openly claiming that “I am not here to fix anyone because we are not fixable.”

Of course not; if we are fixable, we no longer need salvation, and if we no longer need salvation, what do we need church for? Edification? What edification? Protestant scholars openly admitted that 500 years plus of Protestant brilliance yielded inept sanctification which has always been defined as progressive justification by orthodoxy.

Obviously, if the goal is to “persevere” in your faith, living a blessed life is on the back burner. Obviously, if “reward” is salvation, and not a blessed life, biblical living according to wisdom is not even on the stove.

Furthermore, in addition to stated orthodoxy, Protestantism’s historical Gnostic roots rejects practical commonsense as earthy, lowly, pragmatism, “legalism,” and “moralism.” Actually, commonsense and sanctification are closely related. God created the world according to certain ruling orders, and whatever works well, works well because that’s how the world works. Jesus used several practical examples that pertain to how the world works as a teaching tool. Protestantism’s penchant for rejecting practical common sense and reason is rooted in its Gnosticism.

So, what does the Bible mean when it speaks of “perseverance”? An example from life will aid us in understanding. Once again, I will use my experience as a nurse aide to make the point, but the principle also applies to almost every challenge of life as well and most other occupations.

Here is the principle: when you seek to overcome challenges and rectify them with life rather than eliminating the challenge,  it builds character and patience. This is what the Bible states, and it is true according to life experience. This takes problem solving, improvisation, and reason. Therefore, in most cases, the challenge is not gone from your life, but is no longer a challenge.

Most nursing facilities deliberately push the envelope with nurse aides. I can’t tell you how many times I have been put in situations that seemed impossible, yet I accepted the challenge and sought out new methods that would enable me to overcome the challenge. I work with several excellent aides, and this is how they became excellent in every case. Overcoming challenges builds character and patience.

A word on patience. It is ALWAYS a choice. When your patience is being challenged, emotions, though valid and right, are what will cause you to “loose” patience. No one looses patience; you always have it, it is your choice to use it or not use it. However, applying patience in ongoing challenges makes you better at implementing patience.

Residents will challenge your patience like nothing else. Enter a fellow we will call “Fred.” Fred, like many residents since the de-institutionalization of mental health, will have behavioral issues. Many like residents will be bounced around from facility to facility because they are very difficult. Aides and nurses do not “persevere” or “endure” in regard to Fred. They get rid of the challenge.

Well, it looks like we may be rid of Fred, but I have some regret because Fred has taught me something about perseverance. As I was being interviewed by the other facility, I explained that on a 1-10 scale as far as difficulty,  Fred was about a 6 or 7. Later, while reviewing the interview with a social worker at our facility, the social worker stated, “I bet in the beginning he was a 9 or a 10.” That’s when the lightbulb went on.

The Bible also talks about perseverance increasing knowledge and vice versa, and in this case, increased knowledge of Fred decreased the degree of difficulty and also increased my patience in dealing with him; this is how it works.

I will conclude with a word about family versus institution. Love is practical, but is also a force that cannot be explained at times. Towards the end of the shift, Fred was completely off-the-hook. I, being a 6 or 7, was relatively unphased by the behavior while a new nurse became totally alarmed being new to Fredism. However, a family member showed up and started tending to Fred’s demands. Later upon leaving he said, “Ok dad, you have…(enter long list of quirky “needs”), and I love you.”

This struck me; while we as an institution are in the process of shipping Fred out, his family will always be there for him because he is “dad,” he is family. Yes, my perseverance with Fred while caring for him has endeared me to him, and there is actually a part of me that is sorry to see him leave, but family adds a mysterious devotion to the mix.

In God’s true family meeting together as a true family apart from institutionalism, the same is true. The practical is conjoined with the power of love and the Holy Spirit. It is one body and love versus the law and institutional authority.

The latter will often demand endurance from staff as long as possible because residents equal money, but true family is only indebted to love.

paul

Usually, I’m not much for what’s out there in Christian media, and if I am not mistaken, it’s probably been about 6 years since I have linked to anything out there, but I must admit this is a halfway decent angle to consider.

By Dr. Leighton Flowers Director Of Apologetics for Texas Baptists Editor’s Note: This article originally appeared at soteriology101 and is used by permission. Calvinism’s doctrine of Total I…

Source: The Redundancy of Satan in Calvinism

The biblical counseling movement has come a long way since its beginning in 1970. What does it presently look like? It is totally geared for defining every characteristic of a “Christian” as one in total submission to the institutional church. EVERY aspect of a “true” Christian is set against their willingness to totally eradicate self in exchange for a plenary collectivist worldview regarding church.

“Faith” is defined in regard to one’s willingness to trust the church elders. “Love” is defined by one’s willingness to make church first priority in everything. “Discernment” is simply believing, or buying into EVERYTHING the church teaches. A man who “leads his home” is a man who orders his home after the dictates of the church leaders according to every detail.

This all began to come full circle about 10 years ago with how so-called “church discipline” was being practiced, and still is. Members are not brought under discipline for sin, but for questioning church authority. While other members live in open sin, upright individuals who commit the cardinal sin of thinking for themselves are dealt with swiftly and with the same amount of mercy indicative of the Salem witch trials. This ministry has received so much correspondence and documentation on this that it is now barley more than white noise in the background.

The same can be said for those presently embroiled in the biblical counseling marriage cold wars. Two people presently married legally, perhaps living in the same house, but in an unresolved standoff. The only question left is who is going to file for divorce and end the standoff. In-between is the church. One spouse is dedicated to the church; the other not.

Please note: some of these standoffs, or cold wars, drag on for years; yes, years. Why? Because one spouse doesn’t get it: this will ONLY be resolved in one of two ways; divorce, or the “errant” spouse agreeing to capitulate to church authority. The “errant” spouse may want to save the marriage and is trying to work out a compromise. NOT. It’s just not going to happen.

Newsflash to the errant spouse: you are already divorced because the church covenant has replaced your marriage covenant. Obviously, something other than death has separated you; church.

Furthermore, the “godly” spouse (viz, totally sold out to the church) may be practicing evil of every sort. The church leaders will, and do deem such totally irrelevant until the truly evil spouse submits to church authority. At that point, the “repentant” spouse has a right to be heard, but not a nanosecond before. To address the submissive spouse’s evil in any way, shape, or form, is to give aide and comfort to the rebellious spouse (viz, one who thinks independent thoughts and hasn’t completely given personal conscience to church authority).

Let me be clear: these cold wars are pandemic in the church. The church is now coming full circle to its original church-state persona.

paul