The Sword Room

No, I did not convert to Arminianism at the F.I.R.E. conference in Tillamook. I still firmly hold to the doctrines of grace as taught and affirmed by the Lord Himself and the biblical writers, most notably Paul. 

But Calvinism is not the Gospel, technically speaking. According 1 Corinthians 15:3-4 the Gospel is the proclamation of Christ’s death, burial, and resurrection for sinners. Regardless of what you believe about election and limited atonement you can sincerely proclaim these core truths of the Gospel. Obviously when Spurgeon made his famous statement about Calvinism being the Gospel he was saying that the great Reformed doctrines of grace are truths extracted from Scripture and not imported or smuggled in. That is to say when we preach so-called Calvinism we are not promoting man-made dogma. If therefore you insist on calling Calvinism gospel perhaps it wold be best to do so using a small “g” to distinguish is from the Gospel of salvation as set forth in the New Testament. After all, we do not require sinners to embrace the Five Points as a condition of salvation, whereas we do insist that they believe the Gospel. 

We Calvinists sometimes put so much emphasis on the Five Points that we miss the beauty and simplicity of the message of the Cross. In so doing we become cold and impotent in our ministry, for the power of God for salvation is in the Gospel message, not TULIP (Rom. 1:16; 1 Cor. 1:18) . Sadly, we hide behind the sovereignty of God as an excuse for no conversions when the fact of the matter is we have left off preaching the simple Gospel to sinners. We become the Frozen Chosen, hunkered down in our air-tight fortresses of doctrinal correctness while the world goes to hell. To top it off we nit-pick at those who use creativity and innovation in reaching sinners and label them as compromisers of the truth.

Nor does the Gospel deliver a powerful punch only in converting the lost–it is also the power of God to those who are being saved. As converted sinners on the progressive path of sanctification we need the basic Gospel truths reinforced repeatedly to keep our faith fresh, alive, and full of power. I believe one reason the Lord has given us the perpetual ordinance of Communion is to remind us continually of the centrality of the Cross (Gospel) in our ongoing experience of salvation.

In connection with all the above, I would like to thank those who planned and attended the F.I.R.E. Conference. It was a great opportunity for renewed and first-time fellowship. Special thanks to the keynote speaker, especially for his sermon on the centrality of the Cross. I came away no less convinced of the truth of so-called Calvinism; but never again will I equate that scheme with the Gospel.

Just getting ready to head south to Tillamook, Oregon for a F.I.R.E. (Fellowship of Independent Reformed Evangelicals) pastors retreat. I will stay with family tonight in Port Orchard and head to Tillamook in the morning. My old friend Rev. Bruce Ray will be there, and it will be great to hear the preaching and enjoy the fellowship. Hopefully also to tour the world-famous cheese factory and sample the merchandise. On the return swing I will stop overnight at the home of Chip and Janet Lind in Edmonds. Chip is a staunch brother I always look forward to spending time with. Then home on Thursday morning for the rest of the week off.

I am taking a laptop along, but not sure if there will be wireless connection. So in case there is no wi-fi, have a great week and we will see you all on Thursday.

The body of little seven-year-old Somer Thompson was found yesterday in a Florida landfill after her disappearance on the way home from school Tuesday of this week. Authorities suspect what we all have felt in our gut ever since this sweet child went missing–foul play was involved. Images of some wretched piece of human excrement pop into our minds, and we wonder what bleeding-heart judge allowed this animal back on the streets with a slap on the wrist. Even the staunchest opponents of the death penalty begin to rethink their position in cases like this.

Some will ask the age-old question of why an all-loving and all-powerful God would allow this little girl to endure such unspeakable evil. If He couldn’t stop it then He is not all-powerful; if He could have stopped it and chose not to then He is not good–for what good person would not intervene on behalf of little Somer if they possessed the ability to do so? And yet Scripture tells us that God “works all things after the counsel oof his will” (Eph. 1:11). We might not know why the Creator and sustainer of the universe allows such things as evil acts by humans and natural disasters, but if we deny His sovereign control then these devastating events are random occurrences with absolutely no meaning. We have no person to lean upon who is in control and has some reason, albeit unknown to us as mortals, for allowing them to happen. Not only that–without God as the supreme lawgiver and determiner of morality the concepts of good and evil are relative and meaningless abstractions. Our deeds are good or evil because God declares them so; and that is the only reason they are such. Now as a father of six kids–two daughters–I shudder to think of how I would trust God if I were in the position of the parents of Somer Thompson. Here is where the grace of God sustains us when we are unable to hold it together. Our prayers go out to this family during this time of horrendous grief and loss.

We also look with disgust and disdain on the perpetrator of this monstrous act–as well we should. But we must also accept the fact–if we are Bible believers–that it is no credit to us that we are not just as evil as the most foul and depraved humans who ever blighted the face of the earth! The fact is that in our natural state we have no righteousness whatever with which to commend ourselves to God (Rom. 3:10-23). No one is as evil as he could be, were it not for the restraining hand of God’s common grace–not even Hitler. God does not save us for any righteousness we possess, but in virtue of Christ’s perfect righteousness in spite of our complete lack of spiritual merit. This is a tough and humbling pill to swallow in this humanistic age of self-love, self-worth, and self-esteem.

But there is a difference between salvation and consequences for violation of  civil law. We pray the perpetrator will be captured before he kills again. And we all pray for the family of Somer Thompson in this dark hour.

I guess Washington State is not a good place to live if you hate rain, and I was born and raised here. Western Washington I mean; the east side of the state is the northern-most desert area in the world. I love it over there, with its golden brown fields and warm dry air. In the few dry months we get here in Whatcom County I let the grass turn brown because that way it only needs mowing every three weeks.

As you might have guessed, it is raining today, and I am not a fan of rain. It always makes me laugh when I see personal ads by men seeking women, and the men say they are into things like long walks in the rain or candlelight dinners. They are lying–they know that is what women want to hear. You don’t believe me? Well then just drive around on a rainy day and tell me how many men you see out for a walk. Or how many are strolling the beach at sunset. Or sitting in a posh restaurant dining by candlelight. Men will do these things if they have a woman with them who loves to engage in such activities; and when they do, it is the woman who is the attraction. Women, get over it. Guys do not want to sit around talking about their feelings, comparing recipes, asking one another if this pair of jeans makes my butt look big.

On days like this I am so thankful for my man-cave–rustic, lots of wood, hides, horns, and heads all around. A warm fire burning. Guns, guitars–and God. This place smells like the field which the Lord has blessed. I know, God is the one who makes it rain. We need rain; Connie always reminds me of this. Well, maybe we need rain, but I don’t. Except it gives me an excuse to hole up in the man-cave with a cup of hot coffee, my books, laptop, and the Word of God.

Brothers–if you hate rain as much as I do, come on up and join me as I crack a seasonly word and forget all the outdoor jobs on my honey-do list. The door is always open and the coffee is always fresh in the Sword Room: Home of the Spiritual Fight Club.

Today’s post might be a bit rambling, so please bear with me. I have just spent an hour plodding through a few lessons in The Essentials of New Testament Greek by Ray Summers (Broadman Press, 1950). This was my original textbook in Bible college in 1975, and I immediately fell in love with the language. It seemed almost annointed to me and I devoured it so quickly, that by second semester I was in an exegesis class with the fourth-year students. Greek ended up being my undergrad major, and for many of the 34+ years since I started studying Greek, I have read through the Greek New Testament at least once a year and reviewed the basics as presented in Summers’ text. For fun I read Greek grammar books cover to cover, so I am a bit of a fanatic. The ancient Greek language is like an old friend who has been faithfully with me through thick and thin over the years.

Another dear companion–no longer with me–was the ministry of the pulpit. After all those years (my entire adult life) of preaching/teaching fifty Sundays a year it is strange to be out of the saddle. Even my wife and kids feel awkward about this. Just yesterday I put in an old tape of a sermon and listened as I drove down the freeway. I kicked myself for not saving more of these old tapes for posterity, but at the time they did not seem valuable at all. It makes me feel kind of sad to think of all those sermons of the past as I ponder what the future might hold. Especially after sampling some of what passes for preaching in the churches these days. Fortunately we have found a little church where the pastor actually opens his Bible and knows it. He is a very cool brother with a humble spirit, and as unbelievable as it might seem, we agree on almost every area of theology.

We have all but decided to settle into this little congregation. I will be traveling to a F.I.R.E Pastor’s conference in Tillamook, Oregon on October 26-28 for a time of prayer, fellowship, and counsel from some respected brothers. Barring the opening of some doors of ministry we will be settling into the life and ministry of the local church. This would mean that for the forseeable future we will be taking a haitus from the pulpit.

Here is the lesson I have learned from the experience of the past few months. Whatever else you do in life you are a Christian first. Pete Holdaas is a Christian first and a preacher second. You are a Christian first and a father, wife, boss, student, musician, teacher, etc. second. Be the best Christian you can be and realize that as such you are in the ministry full time. There are needy people all around you, and you always have an opportunity to touch another life with the love of Christ and/or the gospel.

Just remember–follow Christ. Forget about the teachings and traditions of man. Look to the Lord and His Word. Plug in with solid people who are actually regenerate and not Christians in name only. Be a Christian first!

Do not despise the day of small things. As the legendary Yankee catcher Yogi Berra once said: “It isn’t over until it’s over.”

In Acts 23:1 Paul makes a statement which puzzled me for years: “I have live my life with a perfectly good conscience before God up to this day.” The first time I read this verse I could not understand how someone who had lived much of his adult life as an enemy of Christ–much less your average Christian–could make such a brazen claim. Surely I am not able to look back on my whole life and say I have lived with a clear conscience up until now. How could a man who had been responsible for the persecution, imprisonment, and death of Christians boast in this way.

One explanation would be to say Paul is confident that his sins are forgiven and that he stands before the Sanhedrin clothed in the righteousness of Christ by faith alone. His conscience is good not in the sense that he in righteous in himself, but that it has been cleansed by the blood of Christ.

No doubt Paul, like all of us, stood before God pronounced righteous by faith alone in Christ alone. No debate there. But is this really what the Apostle was referring to in Acts 23:1? I think not. I do not believe Paul is referring to the course of his whole life here but only to the present episode and to the specific charges the Sanhedrin brought against him–namely that he was in some way transgressing the Law of God.

My reason for this conclusion is based on Paul’s use of the Greek verb politeuo. This word means “to conduct oneself as a citizen.” It is the verb form of the Greek noun polis (city or city-state). Paul is not saying he has always had a clear conscience over the whole course of his life–his own statements elsewhere in Scripture refute such a notion. What he is telling the Jewish leaders is that in the present episode and with reference to the bogus charges they are bringing against him he feels no remorse or guilt before God. For this he is struck on the face by one standing by.

What is the lesson here? Simple. Do not be guilt-tripped by religious rules and traditions of men elevated to the level of divine commandment. Know what God says, and be able to distinguish it from that which issues forth from the flesh of man. Obey God. Remember that His Word is the standard you must live by and that He alone writes the rules.

If you allow them to do it, the pharisees of this world will place a load on your back that they cannot so much as budge themselves: Don’t watch TV or movies, drink alcoholic beverages, play cards, listen to “secular” music, read Bible versions other that the KJV, attend church wearing pants (ladies) or going tie-less (men). Dear believer, if you are attending a church where those in charge are laying these kind of fleshly man-made diirectives on you, get as far from that place as you can as soon as you can! It is hazardous to your spiritual health!

Like Paul you need to examine your life in light of  what God has revealed to you. You stand or fall before Him alone. Personally none of us could ever look back across the course of our lives and claim to have lived with a perfectly good conscience. But in terms of your present life and circumstances make sure of two things. First, your sins are forgiven and you are standing before God clothed in the righteousness of Christ. Second, in your present circumstances you are informed and walking by the Word of God, not man-made religious regulations. If your conscience is good in that context, that is what really matters.

Sometimes we get mixed up as Christians in our thinking about how God works because we hold to a false dichotomy or dualism. In plain language what this means is we often wrongly conclude that God is present and blessing us only when we are praying, reading the Word, witnessing, or consciously thinking and talking about spiritual matters. As a result we attempt to manufacture the work of the Spirit through outward appearances and behaviors. This practice is called Pietism.

Pietism rears its head in many ways, from quiet contemplative false humility to identifying the work of the Spirit in emotionalism and sensationalism. The error of Pietism is two-fold: not only does it identify the nature of spirituality in outward appearances and behaviors, but it presents a false dichotomy that says life is divided into two compartments: the spiritual and the profane.

At the root of Pietism is a denial of the Providence of God. Question 11 in the Westminster Shorter Catechism asks, “What is God’s Providence?” The answer is then given: “God’s providence is His completely holy, wise, and powerful preserving and governing every creature and every action.” God is always at work, and God can and does work in and through what we would consider normal or natural means. While Pietism teaches us that God is to be worshipped in a specific place at a specific time in one prescribed manner only, biblical providence declares that all of life is worship–not just some little corner of life that we label as spiritual. God’s Spirit does not need us to be in a visible emotionally ecstatic state to authenticate His presence and power. Nor does He need us to be quietly sitting in a dimly-lit corner with our shoulders rounded and lips pursed like little pharisees, praying for all those unfortunate sinners out there in the big bad world.

All through Acts we have seen how God worked mightily in and through Paul in the confirmation of the Gospel by conversions, miracles, and exorcisms. But in Chapter 22 we see God using ordinary means in the life of the Apostle to accomplish His purpose. The commander and centurion protect Paul from harm. Little do they know that God is using them to preserve His chosen vessel and that their actions would be recorded in God’s Word for millions of future readers to see. Surely Paul never anticipated that one day his lifelong status as a Roman citizen would be used by God to keep him from being unduly punished. Notice, too, that Paul spoke up for himself and used his “rights” as a Roman citizen. A more pietistic approach would have been to pray and “trust God” rather than to take things into his own hands and ”operate in the flesh.”

What idiocy! Christians, look around you. Everywhere there is evidence of God’s majesty and presence through general revelation in the created order. You do not need God to speak to you through an inner impression or so-called word of knowledge in order for Him to reveal Himself. Of course, God can do whatever He chooses, but He is not bound by our false dualisms and dichotomies. Be done with this neo-gnostic compartmentalized view of the  world and Christian life. Look for God to work in and through the most ordinary and mundane circumstances, as well as through miraculous means if He so chooses. God is providentially present in your life always. The hairs of your head are numbered, and not one sparrow falls to the ground apart from His knowledge and control. God will take care of you. Correction: God is taking care of you!

The Gospel has offense built into it. The natural man cannot help but view the things of the Spirit of God as foolishness (1 Cor. 2:14). The word of the cross sounds like nonsense to the mind of a perishing unregenerate man, but to those who are being saved it is the power of God (1 Cor. 1:18). You do not have to try hard to offend people with the Gospel; just present it clearly and honestly, and it will grate against the flesh of the unbeliever. No one wants to be told they are a guilty helpless sinner whose only hope of eternal life is to abandon all pretense of self-righteousness and trust alone in the crucified risen Christ.

It is one thing, however, when the Gospel alienates people, and it is another matter when we offend unbelievers by being insensitive pious idiots. I have seen Christians become like a pushy salesman in witnessing to where people stormed off angrily, only to have the insensitive Christian conclude that the offended party was “under conviction” by the Holy Spirit. Other times I have seen well-meaning believers snow non-Christians under with an avalanche of Christian-ese jargon and Bible verses quoted by the spitfire method. Recently I went to a church service where the worship leader greeted the people with something like, “We trust today that as you linger in our midst you might be warmed and filled with blessing, and that the Lord will be your portion and raise up a horn of plenty in your heart and life.” (Well, maybe I exaggerated a little! :>)

Which brings me to my points. In Acts 22 Paul faces a hostile audience of Jews who are eventually offended when they hear his presentation of the Gospel. But Paul attempts to build connection with them in the following ways. First, he addresses them respectfully. He calls them brethren, and he acknowledges that in some sense they are zealous for God. Second, he speaks to them in the native Hebrew language. Although these Jews knew Greek, the fact that Paul was able and willing to speak to them fluently in their native tongue brings their rapt attention. He further builds connection by reference to his upbringing in Jerusalem and by dropping the name of the famous rabbi Gamaliel. Third, he relates personally how the Lord had worked in his own life in bringing him to Christ. There is a human element in a well-given testimony that can build connection with the most reluctant and hostile hearers.

A few good tips from Paul’s example for us. Don’t water down the Gospel in an attempt to sugar coat it. Expect the word of the cross to offend sinners. If you do not offend sinners in your witnessing then you are probably not preaching the true Gospel. On the other hand, do not alienate people by being a blithering moron. Show respect for those with whom you share. Speak in language they can understand. This does not mean you have learn street slang or Ebonics, or try to morph like the Terminator or change colors like a chameleon to fit every situation. Be yourself but also be aware that many people have less than an entry-level knowledge of spiritual things. Finally, share what Christ has done for you personally; but do not do this to bring glory to yourself by bragging about what a rotten sinner you were and what a favor you did the Lord by turning to Him. Emphasize what God did for you, and spotlight His power and glory.

Observe and practice these principles as you seek to build meaningful redemptive connections with people.

When I say to go with the flow I am not talking about the flow of the world but the direction in which God’s Spirit seems to be moving and blessing. In today’s post I am going out onto a limb by explaining Pauls’ trip to Jerusalem in Acts 21 in a light unfavorable to the Apostle. As I mentioned in the previous post, I honestly believe God told Paul not to Go to Jerusalem. Paul was called to the Gentiles; that is where his effectiveness was confirmed through signs and wonders and the conversion of sinners. But Paul’s heart ached for his fellow Israelites, and he wanted to go to Jerusalem to do his part in bringing the Gospel to them.

He is so concerned about making a positive impression that he heeds the counsel of James and the other Christian leaders at Jerusalem by observing Jewish purification rituals. This goes beyond the whole concept of being all things to all men. Paul would never have engaged in such activity in any other place at any other time.

And it didn’t work! It backfired in his face. Why? Because God had not directed him to Jerusalem or into the temple to engage in the acts of empty ritualism. In fact, as the Holy Spirit had warned earlier, it almost got him killed. Again, I am aware of how God in His sovereign will preserved Paul from serious harm and used this episode to get him to Rome, where he preached the gospel and wrote prison epistles. God is able to work in spite of our disobedience and still blesses and uses us. If this were not the case we would all be in serious trouble, and we could never be instruments of God’s service.

The bottom line is: Be who you are in Christ. What has God gifted you to do? Then do it. In what areas has God blessed your efforts before? Then go with that flow and believe Him to bless your work again. God is always working. It is not a matter of us trying to get Him to do something, but rather to line ourselves up with what He is already doing. Don’t look to some imaginary greener pasture over yonder hilltop just because some so-called expert says it ought to be so. Be who you are, where you are, with what God has given you. If you are in the flow of God’s blessing, in a big or small way, stay there. This is what Paul did not do.

The Bible presents its characters with warts and all and never whitewashes their shortcomings. Even when they get out of the flow of His Spirit He sovereignly works in a way to bring about His purpose.

Come on back!

“The will of the Lord be done.” These were the words of the disciples in Acts 21:14 after Paul persisted in going to Jerusalem following the warning of the Holy Spirit through Agabus the prophet. Earlier (v. 4) the believers at Tyre “kept telling Paul through the Spirit not to set foot in Jerusalem.” Many people cannot wrap their minds around the possibility of an apostle disobeying a direction given by the Holy Spirit, but that is the plainest and simplest understanding of the text. We read in Acts 13:2 that the Holy Spirit told the leaders of the Antioch church to “Set apart Paul and Barnabas for the work to which I have called them.” In Acts 16:6-7 we are told that Paul was forbidden by the Holy Spirit to speak the word in Asia, and that the Spirit of Jesus did not permit Paul and his companions to go into Bithynia. The easiest way to understand these statements is that Paul was told not to go to these regions and that he obeyed the voice of the Spirit. Therefore it does not make sense when we get to Acts 21:4, 10-11 to say that in these cases we are seeing not actual directives from the Lord but merely the inner impressions or promptings of the Spirit in the heart and minds of Paul’s concerned brethren. I maintain that the only reason for such a rendering of the text is our desire to preserve our exalted image of Paul.

I believe Paul disobeyed the Holy Spirit when he went to Jerusalem. That is, he disobeyed the moral revealed will of God. Sensing Paul’s resistance to the Holy Spirit in this case the disciples fell silent and said “The will of the Lord be done” (v. 14). What does this mean? Does God have two wills? Not really, even though sometimes we speak as if this were true. We talk about the Lord’s revealed moral will. This consists of the commands, warnings, promises, and exhortations we receive from Him through Scripture and what Paul received through the words of the prophecies. These can be thwarted through our disobedience.

The secret sovereign will of God is fixed and decreed from all eternity, and nothing can stop it from coming to pass exactly as God has planned. This was what the disciples were referring to when they said, “The will of the Lord be done.” Thus we see that despite Paul’s refusal to hear the warnings of the Holy Spirit, God continued to work sovereignly in getting him to Rome where he preached to many and wrote several of the epistles in our New Testament.

The lessons for us are pretty simple. When God tells you to do something, do it. But even if you have disobeyed God’s revealed moral will you can never thwart His secret sovereign purpose. If you have failed Him–and we all have–as long as you are alive and kicking and you really want to be lined up with what God is doing He can and will use you in the unfolding of His eternal decree.