Prayer and Fasting

I watched a great web cast last night. It featured Dr. Jim Garlow, senior pastor of Skyline Wesleyan Church in San Diego. He had a number of guests including Chuck Colson. They challenged believers to do a couple of things.

First, read the Manhattan Declaration. It is a call to Christian conscience. I would encourage you to read it. It addresses the sanctity of life, the biblical definition of marriage, and the struggle for religious liberty. You can simply Google it and find the document.

Second, Colson, Garlow and others are calling on Christians in America to fast and pray for 40 days, September 20 - October 30. We need to focus our hearts toward God during this pivotal election period, as well as for the heart of America itself. Some of you may be able to fast a meal a day. Others for health reasons may have to find something else to fast. The key isn't what you fast, but that you give that time to prayer and ask God to change hearts.

If you want more information, go to Colson's website: http://www.breakpoint.org/.

Defining Biblical Christianity

I have become increasingly concerned about the "dumbing down" of faith in our churches. I fear that we (the Church in general) have become so attraction-oriented that we have failed to teach our people doctrine. The easy believe-ism that has dominated the faith landscape has produced a void of understanding about what a Christ-centered faith is all about. Too many Christians don't read the Bible any more (I don't care what Gallup numbers may say). Too many pastors aren't teaching doctrine. They are afraid that people won't come to church if it isn't entertaining.

So when we have Glenn Beck calling America back to God, many evangelical Christians are jumping on the bandwagon and applauding his message. It's true that we must return to our God. But here's the rub - Glenn Beck is a Mormon. I appreciate his political conservatism. He has crafted an agenda and a position of influence. But Mormonism isn't Biblical Christianity! The doctrine of the Mormon church is not biblically sound and is in a state of constant change. Every new leader brings his own version of revelation to the table. The Book of Mormon even has supremacy over the Bible as far as Mormons are concerned. So when I hear Joel Osteen sharing with Pat Robertson that Glenn Beck is a Christian and I hear them both applauding this, I can't help but cringe.

I'm not writing to attack the Mormons, Joel Osteen, or Pat Robertson. I challenging my fellow pastors and teaching friends to join me in preaching doctrine in such a way as to inform and transform our people. Let's lift Christ higher than we ever have. Let's teach truth in an uncompromising fashion. Let's be unapologetic in our stand that the Bible is the only source of truth and that God is speaking - to us! Our people need to know what it is they believe when they say that they are following Jesus. If you and I don't teach the truth, they will look elsewhere. And who knows what they will find!

"Biblical Christians approach the Bible with reverence and respect, because they believe it is true and authoritative - that it contains God's very words." (Fritz Ridenour in So What's the Difference)