Maybe it is because I am young, but I still like Mark Driscoll.

Even after the not so much a single mention of Hell in his sermon Sunday at the Crystal Cathedral and even though it will shock many people, I still believe that Pastor Mark is still a Christian. That sermon however was really bad.

But after reading some of the blogs I felt as if the tone in which they treated Mark Driscoll was inappropriate. Please understand I in no way defend Mark Driscoll for his less then stellar performance of his first sermonette at the Crystal Cathedral. I say first because according to Mark Driscoll he spoke twice.

“On Sunday, June 14, I preached two sermons at the Crystal Cathedral in Southern California. The trip went well. I paid my own travel expenses and preached without an honorarium as a way to ensure I was just serving Jesus. Everyone was super kind and allowed me to preach Jesus without edits. The sermons will be broadcast to 12 million people nationwide on the “Hour of Power” TV show, so please pray that people meet Jesus. They don’t have a firm date yet for when the show will be broadcast, but we’ll let you know on the Resurgence and on my Facebook and Twitter , so keep checking back. My first sermon was on Jesus’ claims to be God, and the second was a brutal tour of the crucifixion of Jesus Christ in our place for our sins.”  - Mark Driscoll

Now we on this side of TV land have no way, without actually being there, to determine what the content of the second sermon was or if the sermons were even preached to the same crowd. We should really hold back until we get more information and a response from Mark Driscoll about that..if we get one at all.

But this blog is not about the content of Mark Driscolls sermon. There is enough blogs on that…

I agree. The first sermon was shallow, was not his best and appeared to be cowardice in comparison to us brave soldiers who know so much more about the pressures of being in the public spotlight and would have personally stoned Robert Schuller if only we had been invited….but we were not and chances are we will never be. We can sit behind our blogs and wine and complain all we want. If I would have been there I woulda, we coulda, he shoulda… If only John MacArthur was there… If only Paul Washer was there… Oh wait…

Paul Washer was placed in a position where he could have turned the tables on TBN…but he didn’t. A few years ago Paul Washer sat on the same stage that has been used by the Crouches, Benny Hinn and Creflow Dollar. The entire time Paul Washer was silent on the word of faith issue.

Likewise just as Dricoll was…I believe Paul Washer was  wrong. Yet no one would say that Paul Washer is a wolf in sheep’s clothing because of that would they?

However the tone across the blogosphere about Mark Driscoll was not the same as it was for other Christian leaders.

When Ray Comfort spoke at a WoF event he was hit hard by several bloggers about the issue in a humble manner. No one doubted his salvation, they were kind and Ray even wrote back responding to criticisms.

Yet look at the comments from the bloggers and commenter’s about Pastor Mark, these taken fromDefCon.

“Sadly, you were proved right: yes, Schuller is a heretic, and Driscoll has unambiguously proven himself to be a wolf is sheep’s clothing. So much for sound doctrine.”

“Perhaps now there will be a few, a precious few, that will see all of this for what it really is: apostates/heretics on parade.”

Correct me if I am wrong, but Mark Driscoll is no apostate. I may not agree on everything he does or everything he says, but he is no heretic nor is he a false teacher. He is a preacher of the Word. I have heard many of his sermons and in his own Church he preaches the Gospel. Which brings me to a question I think is vital that we answer, publicly…very soon.

There seems to be two trains of thought. On the one side you have people like me who if ever given the opportunity to preach at an apostate church will be like Ian Paisley in the midst of the Pope. Turning over the tables, rebuking the false teachings and demanding justice from God. I will preach anywhere as if I will never be invited back but I have the gift of Prophecy. I will boldly tell the truth wherever I go. It even gets me trouble sometimes with my own pride and jealousy. I to was watching Driscoll chewing on my Baja Blast straw hoping and praying that he broke the glass of that heretical glass cathedral and I was angry when it never came.

But I have to remember that there have been other great men of God, who are invited to a place and remain silent. Like I said earlier…Paul Washer on TBN, Ray Comfort at the WoF conference and John Piper when he was sitting right beside Rick Warren. However they all remained silent. These men who I believe are much smarter then me have decided on multiple occasions to stay on the side of wisdom. The wisdom goes like this “Preach the Gospel lightly without the fist pounding in hopes they look me up on the internet and are gently weaned into the Kingdom via solid preaching over time.”

I personally don’t know if that tactic is wise. It’s not what I would do but on the same scale I am still quite immature and react in ways that represent it. Yet, great Godly men are doing it. So the question that needs to be debated, wrestled with and fought over is “How do we handle this?”

How does one handle being invited to a place where they will be in the midst of wolves?

Is being silent and getting your name out there worthwhile pragmatism? Or should we ravage every single pulpit we go into that preaches something we don’t agree with, or just the rank heretical ones?

There may only be one correct answer, and I lean more towards option one for multiple reasons, but because one sides on the other does not make them an apostate. They need to be rebuked in love as Christian brothers. Not wolfs in sheeps clothing. Not at all like heretics.

We cannot use a brother in Christ as a demonstration, to show how we would have attacked a heretic.

So what will it be…since obviously reformed theology is becoming more and more mainstream, Praise God. We can expect our leaders to be invited places they should not go. So the question is if we go, how should we act?

A friend of mine tonight while talking on this subject said the following “If their not going to condemn the heresy, then they shouldn’t go at all.” That seems very wise to me, I can rest with that.  How about you?

Everyone has their own unique ways of resting and spending time with the Lord. Recently I have found something I love to do and it’s nature photography. I have always been a fan of photography I even run my own photography business on the rare occasion  I actually have a client. That website is available at http://www.focusphotographs.com

However recently I have decided to get out and spend time, along with the Lord observing his creation. I find a secluded place and ask God for permission to photograph some of his Glory… as it says in the bible “The heavens declare the Glory of God.”

Martin Luther said the following “God writes the Gospel not in the Bible alone, but also on trees, and in the flowers and clouds and stars.” Martin Luther

The proof of God is in his creation.

So Sunday evening after church, I grabbed my camera and ran back behind a school where there was a field of grass with some yellow flowers. Praying that God would allow me to get “that one photo” I waited until the bees and butterflies returned after I laid in the middle of their pollen harvest. While waiting I thought to myself. What a curse. I get so much joy out of being up close with the smallest of God’s creatures., yet because of Adam they are scared of me.

Have you ever thought about that. How much enjoyment you get from watching squirrels chase each other around the trees or seeing birds up close. With the sin of Adam and Eve…all of that was gone. We can’t even enjoy God’s creation the way God intended us to. We have to lay in the middle of the grass, get all dirty and wait in a silly attempt to fool bees that were not there or else they will fly away.

But thankfully God did allowed me to capture some of his Creation. So I post it here not to brag about my skills but to allow people to see the wonders of God as he allowed me to see up close and personal.

The following is a post from my friend Matt Johnson. You can view his blog here: http://john1-37.blogspot.com/

It seems as if we live by LifeWay alone in the SBC. I really hope the Great Commission Resurgence tackles this…

LifeWay Legalism
So I’m back in the traditional church, preparing to fill in to teach a Sunday school class of adults. The lesson is on Jonah (sigh). LifeWay (the publishing arm of the Southern Baptist Convention) has hit a new low in their “bible study” materials.

The title of the lesson is “Catch Me if You Can”. The focus? Twofold. 1) Beating people over the head with legalistic appeals to obey God and forsake their own adgendas. 2) Completely removing any possibility of assurance gained by God’s people through the knowledge of what God does in His people through the New Birth (John 3, Ezekiel 36).

So in my frustration, here’s what I see as the difference between the “Christianity” of the LifeWay author(s), and that of biblical Christianity:

True, Biblical Christianity is not some ‘twist-your-arm’, ‘make-you-feel-guilty-so-you-will-obey-God’ (and thus works-based) religion. It is an all-transforming, life-altering, affection-changing event, and subsequent process, whereby God (not the person) purposes to so change the heart of His people that they obey Him, not out of duty, but out of joy, and in so obeying Him, they accomplish His purposes, and demonstrate to themselves and the world the only tangible evidence of such a Divine encounter. Contrary to popular teaching, Christianity is not a change of heart to obedience from the inside out (works), but from the outside in (grace).

I shudder to write any more. There’s much futility in trying to challenge such a behemoth of a system that is infatuated with silencing those who teach otherwise. Besides, they are plenty busy peddling their latest “Beverly Hillbillies Bible Study”.  Need I say more?

I really hope I get to review this film. This really looks fantastic. I wonder if they will even show the film in theaters or if it will be something you have to buy straight on DVD.

Judging by how this lady reviewed an entire series, which had one line in the pilot that mentioned abortion was illegal in the future. I don’t expect any credible reviews from Hollywood.

“And they were selling their possessions and belongings and distributing the proceeds to all, as any had need.” Acts 2:45

I think in America we have truly lost the idea of what it means to be a part of your church. This verse is so incredibly contrary to anyone in America. In fact its so  far away from any Church plan, that it may seem kool-aid drinking cultish and by all accounts crazy, but we must remember that just because a principal is used for heretical, cult like and socialist things does not make the principal itself invalid.

We have here in Acts 2:45 on first impression, what appears to be scriptural support for socialism. Selling all you have, and giving it to others. Distributing proceeds to all. Yep, there are a lot of socialist keywords in that verse.

However, it’s not socialist. Whereas socialism insists that men are required by force to give out of pocket, these were Christians who did it willingly out of love for the Body of Christ. Also looking at the context of the verse “all” does not mean every single person, throughout all of time and history but it means all those within the Church. All of those who have truly been born again. I also gather from this passage that the collections were given on an individual basis from the words “as any had need” and were not decided upon by a hierarchy system within the Church.

So the question is what does this look like? How does this work?

I can’t tell you how many times I have heard a preacher exposit this verse and say something along the lines of “this was a different time and place, our culture is not suited for that, don’t worry.”

Let me stop here and ask, when in any culture throughout all of time, was it seen as the norm to Ssell all things and give to one another? Never. The principal here is not just for those guys in Acts. We can’t devote ourselves “to the apostles teaching and fellowship” and then ignore this verse. So the question must be asked. What would this look like?

Joe is an active member of Middle Baptist Church. A small church, but an active Church. Fully devoted for the Gospel. Joe is one of the most prominent members. He is an elder and shares the Gospel with as many people as possible. In fact he just quit his Job with great benefits to get a part time job to spend more time devoting to the Gospel. He is a true example in that Church.

But Joe gets Cancer. Joe’s family has no health insurance.

It’s treatable. It can be cured, but will cost hundreds of thousands of dollars in medical expenses. Joe might have to sell his house.

What does the modern church member do here? They usually say something like “Ill be praying for you, say some sympathetic words” Go home and think, “Wow, that’s awful, glad thats not my problem.”

Well I want to add that it is your problem. If you are a devoted member of that Church, it is every member of Middle Baptist Churches problem. It is not the problem of the government not providing health care. It is not Joe’s fault for leaving his fulltime job. It is a problem of the entire Church body of believers. Why? Because the Church loves Joe…and those in the Church would gladly take on the cancer for Joe if the Lord allowed.

So what does Joe’s church do?

I would like to suggest that they do exactly what it says in Acts. “sell their possessions and belongings and distribute the proceeds to all, as any had need” in this case Joe has need.

A true body of believers is not concerned with their possessions, their wealth, their own health as much as they are concerned with one another for the sake of the Gospel.

Based on what I gather from this short verse in Acts. This is how I believe this situation should take place within the confines of the local Church.

Joe stands before the Church explaining the news, He discusses how he plans to sell his house to cover the expenses. Dr. Luke an active member of the Church for twenty years stands up and says to him “I am taking over all of your Doctor visits. Send me the Medical Records Monday…All visits and expenses within my office, I will cover”

At that moment Mr. Rich, a long time wealthy member of the church stands up and says “Sell your house and use the expenses to cover the rest of the treatment. I will begin the process of selling my mansion by the river and get two smaller and affordable houses for your family and myself.”

Joe goes through treatment, is healed and is able to devote the rest of his life to the preaching of the Gospel debt free.

Man…that’s unique. You might even say, “That will never happen!” but why not?

Maybe that won’t work in most cases, but how about churches setting up medical expense funds for its members? How about the church stepping up and saying “if any member leaves his Job to pursue full time ministry, all medical expenses will be on us”

I am not saying this is the way it has to be done…but what do you think? Am I crazy? Comment below and tell me what you think.

For the discussion lets keep in mind some points.

Keep in mind were talking about members here. Not Mr. Homeless walking off the street looking for a handout, there should be funds set aside for homeless non-members as well. This
is only for active members, devoted to the Gospel, who have lives reflective of Christ.

Were not talking about common churches here. So whether or not something like that will happen in your church filled with goats is not the point. Just because it won’t happen in a certain Church doesn’t mean that it shouldn’t happen.

Also keep in mind that all the giving is voluntary and no pressure is being placed on any member. They do it out of the cheerful overflow of their heart and love for each other and the Gospel.

Ok. Let the discussion begin. I am looking forward to hearing what you have to say.

Over the past few days you may have noticed there has not been a lot of posts.

Several things are in the works and we had to take sometime and work on those.  So you might ask what has been keeping you so busy? Well for one I have been looking for a job. It’s been pretty challenging, so challenging that I decided to take what I leaned from sharing the Gospel and use it to see if it would help my job search. Using a large sign, standing in the public square the sign said “Marcus Pittman Needs a Job”, although it didn’t catch the attention of any employers…it did catch the attention of the local news. You can watch that here…

By the way…the reporter asked me two questions that I specifically answered with a Christ centered attitude. One of the questions was why are you so cheerful if you have been having such a hard time finding a job. My response was “My joy is in Christ, I rest in Him” well, that didn’t make it past the editing bay.

I have also been using all the free time to work on promotional material and info-packet work for our new evangelism training ministry called “East Coast Evangelism” be sure to check out the website. We will be doing a lot of stuff with it in the very near future.

Third and finally, I have been working The Five Hundred.

For those that do not know The Five Hundred is a gathering of five hundred Christians in Atlanta, GA.  On September 12th immediately after The Deeper Conference which is hosted by Living Waters all five hundred or more Christians rush out to the streets of Atlanta to share the Gospel all over the city. Please be praying for that. If you live near Atlanta or plan on coming to the Deeper Conference please register for free at TheFiveHundred.org

So continue to pray for me during this ironically busy, yet unemployed time.

In this video, and no this is not a joke, Joshua Mills talks seriously about a testimony from someone who felt the presence of God and smelled toothpaste. Next thing you know their teeth were sparkling clean. You know it really is blasphemous to reduce the “Glory of God” to a a glorified dentist.

In this video Tony Jones tries to get us to use the bible, but not use those those pesky six verses.

“So I guess what I would say is I’m not asking anybody to not use biblical reasoning, I’m not asking anybody not to um refer to biblical passages, I’m just saying these six particular passages, I think that the heremnutical differences that I have with those of you who use them as your sole basis for concluding that homosexuality would keep someone from a full relationship with Christ were not, they’re irresolvleable”

So Tony Jones is the one who decides which passages of scripture should be used for debate? Says who?

This shows you the ridiculous nature of the pro-homosexual Christian agenda. Let’s use the Bible to sort this out, just not those verses, because I interpret them differently then you do. That is so illogical it flies in the face of common sense.

Let’s use the logic on other passages of scripture.

I don’t interpret the passages on Bestiality, murder and rape the same as you do so let’s just ignore them all together and continue the discussion.

Let’s take this to court shall we…

“Your Honor, I wish not to use this evidence because, well we have disagreements on how we interpret it.”

Uh, how about not. This is so clearly an example of Romans 1.

“Claiming to be wise, they become fools…”

I like these verses. I think I’ll continue to use them. Whose with me?

Leviticus 18:22 – “You shall not lie with a male as with a woman; it is an abomination.”

1 Corinthians 6:9-11 “do you not know that the unrighteous will not inherit the kingdom of God? Do not be deceived: neither the sexually immoral, nor idolaters, nor adulterers, nor men who practice homosexuality, nor thieves, nor the greedy, nor drunkards, nor revilers, nor swindlers will inherit the kingdom of God.”

Romans 1:26-27 “For this reason God gave them up to dishonorable passions. For their women exchanged natural relations for those that are contrary to nature; and the men likewise gave up natural relations with women and were consumed with passion for one another, men committing shameless acts with men and receiving in themselves the due penalty for their error.”

Why do good things happen to bad people? Why do you still live even though you steal God’s air?

The supremacy of Christ…in all things.

A true martyr for the heretical cause, Carlton Pearson complains about how he lost everything when he decided to become inclusive with his theology. No heaven, No hell, No Gospel, just all about Carlton.