markchanski

The Pentagon says soldiers can be prosecuted for sharing their faith.

Fox News and CBN Report:

The Defense Department released the statement to Fox news, which reads, “Religious proselytization is not permitted within the Department of Defense”  and punishments can include court-martial.

This comes after Pentagon officials met with Mikey Weinstein of the Military Religious Freedom Foundation, who said even the presence of a Bible on a desk can amount to proselytizing.

He added that even a Christian bumper sticker on an officer’s car or a Bible on a desk can amount to “pushing this fundamentalist version of Christianity on helpless subordinates.”

Retired Lt. Gen. Jerry Boykin told CBN News he believes there’s an agenda to get christians out of the military.

“It’s not just about officers or commanders sharing their faith, it’s about every individual soldiers, sailor, airmen or marine being able to exercise their faith,” Boykin said.
 
“The First Amendment talks about the ‘free exercise, thereof,’ speaking of our faith. This will destroy our military because mom and dad in the central part of the U.S. are not going to want Johnny and Janie to join the military knowing that they would not be able to exercise their faith at the same time that they are protecting those constitutional rights to do so,” he warned.

Soldiers in our church who have been deployed in Afghanistan, report that praying, spiritual counseling, and biblical advising is a blessed part of mutual support and morale building amidst the stress hurricane of the front lines.

Watch this video interview with retired Lt. General Jerry Boykin:

http://www.cbn.com/cbnnews/us/2013/May/Atheists-Seek-Pentagon-Crack-Down-on-Proselytizing/

Who are these adorable little bundles of cuteness whom we wrap up in towels after their baths, and with whom we delightfully roll around in the carpet after dinner, and who ask the most endearing of questions while we’re tucking them in their beds after a long day?  These are our children.  But who really are they?  What fundamentally are they made of?  What’s their nature?

A few months ago, our local newspaper reported a tragic story about a family who had raised a raccoon as a house pet.  They treated it as a beagle, as a sweet, well tempered canine.  But one afternoon, the mother went out into the yard to work, leaving her infant daughter in her crib, while the raccoon wandered the house.  The result done to the little girl’s face was devastating!  This tragedy occurred because the parents foolishly failed to understand the identity and nature of the raccoon.  It was not a domesticated house pet.  It was a wild animal.  Likewise, if parents are to properly raise their children under God, they’ve got to understand the nature and identity of their little ones.  A misunderstanding here will bring tragic results.

So, who fundamentally, are our children?

1. According to the World

The secular psychologists and educators are very optimistic here.  Their propaganda paints for us a very nice portrait of our offspring.

Some tell us that they’re innocent darlings, that they’re born morally neutral, like a blank tablet just waiting to be written upon by their environment and experiences.  This is the old Behaviorism of B. F. Skinner who taught that character outcome is determined exclusively by external influences.  This view depicts our newborn children as those floating cottonwood puff ball seeds we see drifting about in the spring air.  They’re suspended and weightless, pushed about by whatever puff of wind might pass by.  And so our morally neutral children are vulnerably pushed about by the influences of their parents and their environment.  It’s the blowing of these external influences, for evil or for good, that exclusively determine the direction of a child’s life.

More prevalent today are those who tell us that our children are born basically good.  These authors, therapists and educators assure us that the fundamental nature of our race is noble and virtuous.  If we would just leave our children to themselves, without authoritatively intruding into their developing personalities, they’d grow up to be happy, loving, and fulfilled people.  The Human Potential Psychology of Carl Rogers popularized this optimistic evaluation.  This view depicts our newborns as helium filled balloons.  Leave them to themselves, and they’ll ascend to noble heights of character.  Firm parental interference and intervention will actually hinder the self actualizing ascent of our children!

2. According to the Bible

The Scriptures give us an altogether different picture.  Sure, at creation Adam was good, even very good (Genesis 1:31).  But then came the serpent, the rebellion, the fall, the curse, and the expulsion from the garden.  Good Adam and Eve became evil.  Since then, with the single exception of the Bethlehem Babe, only evil children have been conceived and born.

Psalm 51:5 Behold, I was brought forth in iniquity, And in sin my mother conceived me.

Romans 5:19 For as through the one man’s disobedience the many were made sinners, even so through the obedience of the One the many will be made righteous.

Romans 3:10 as it is written, “THERE IS NONE RIGHTEOUS, NOT EVEN ONE; 11 THERE IS NONE WHO UNDERSTANDS, THERE IS NONE WHO SEEKS FOR GOD; . . . 15 “THEIR FEET ARE SWIFT TO SHED BLOOD, . . . 18 “THERE IS NO FEAR OF GOD BEFORE THEIR EYES.”

Yes, this is the Lord’s sobering diagnosis of even the most seemingly angelic of our newborns.  They’re rebels against God like their father Adam.  Their direction is a rushing toward evil.  Now, this doesn’t mean that they’re all as bad as they could be.  Certainly, we can see admirable qualities, such as that rare toddler who delights in sharing his toys.  But in their hearts, they’re fundamentally inclined against God.

Genesis 8:21a And the LORD smelled the soothing aroma; and the LORD said to Himself, “I will never again curse the ground on account of man, for the intent of man’s heart is evil from his youth;

Psalm 58:3 The wicked are estranged from the womb; These who speak lies go astray from birth.

So our children are not at all like floating cottonwood puffball seeds — morally neutral.  Nor are they like rising helium balloons — basically good.  To the contrary, the bible depicts them like descending bowling balls, plummeting morally downward with a strong inclination and bent toward evil.  And if their course is not arrested by aggressive intervention, they’ll split hell wide open.

Who, fundamentally, are our children?  They’re born rebels.

Bless God, that we have a great Savior to offer to them, and a willing Jesus to receive them!

Excerpt from Manly Dominion, In a Passive-Purple-Four-Ball-World by Mark Chanski, Calvary Press, p 209.

http://www.amazon.com/Manly-Dominion-In-Passive-Purple-Four-Ball-World/dp/1879737558

Seventh Reformed Church in Grand Rapids, MI annually holds and broadcasts over the radio its Community Good Friday Service, featuring a medley of preaching on the 7 words of our Lord from the Cross.  Here is the 2013 audio:

The First Word, “Father, forgive them, for they know not what they do.” Luke 23:34
Rev. Bob Van Manen, Little Farms Chapel, Coopersville

The Second Word, “Truly, I say to you, today you will be with me in Paradise.” Luke 23:43
Rev. Brian Najapfour, Dutton United Reformed Church, Caledonia

The Third Word, “Woman, behold your son!…Behold your mother.” John 19:26-27
Rev. Bill Fennema, Seventh Reformed Church, Grand Rapids

The Fourth Word, “My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?” Matthew 27:46
Rev. Mark Chanski, Harbor Church of Holland, Holland

The Fifth Word, “I Thirst.” John 19:28
Rev. Tom Groelsma, First Christian Reformed Church, Byron Center

The Sixth Word, “It is finished.” John 19:30
Dr. Joel Beeke, Puritan Reformed Theological Seminary and Heritage Netherlands Reformed Congregation, Grand Rapids

The Seventh Word, “Father, into your hands I commit my spirit.” Luke 23:46
Rev. David Vander Meer, Rockford Springs Community Church, Rockford

http://7thref.org/sermons/community-good-friday-2013-words-1-3/

http://7thref.org/sermons/community-good-friday-2013-words-4-7/

George Will takes Planned Parenthood to task for its troubling extremism:

Recently in Florida, Alisa LaPolt Snow, representing Florida Planned Parenthood organizations, testified against a bill that would require abortionists to provide medical care to babies who survive attempted abortions. Snow was asked: “If a baby is born on a table as a result of a botched abortion, what would Planned Parenthood want to have happen to that child that is struggling for life?” Snow replied: “We believe that any decision that’s made should be left up to the woman, her family and the physician.” She added, “That decision should be between the patient and the health care provider.” To this, a Florida legislator responded: “I think that at that point the patient would be the child struggling on a table. Wouldn’t you agree?”

Planned Parenthood, which receives more than $500 million in government subsidies, is branching out, expanding its mission beyond the provision of abortions to the defense of consumers’ rights: If you pay for an abortion, you are owed a dead baby.

Read George Will’s entire Washington Post opinion piece here:

http://articles.washingtonpost.com/2013-04-05/opinions/38304909_1_sga-student-group-rick-santorum

Dr. Peter J. Williams is relentless.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=vpJzWF4lnG0

Johnny one note, or a 47 string harpist?

David Powlison wrote in his latest essay for The Journal of Biblical Counseling (27:1), on “How Does Sanctification Work? Part 1”:

Here’s the takeaway. I dare not extrapolate my exact experience of God’s mercies to everyone else. Similarly, those who have had their Christian life revolutionized by awakening to the significance of justification by faith dare not extrapolate that to everyone else. One pattern of Christ’s working (even a pattern common to many people) should not overshadow all the other patterns. A rightly “unbalanced” message is fresh, refreshing, joyous, full of song, life-transforming. But eventually, if it is oversold, it becomes a one-string harp, played by one finger, sounding one note. It drones. Scripture and the Holy Spirit play a 47-string concert harp, using all ten fingers, and sounding all the notes of human experience. Wise ministry, like growth in wisdom, means learning to play on all the strings, not harping on one note.

I am certain that those who teach “sanctification by revisiting justification” have heard that message as a new and joyous song that sanctifies them. May Jesus Christ be praised! Perhaps God has been liberating them from a ponderous Christianity that seemed to breed a weight of failure to perform, of failure to live up to expectations, of failure to accomplish all that needs doing, and of judgmentalism toward others who fail. May the God of mercies be praised! But let’s not forget to learn all the other sweet and joyous songs. And let’s learn the darker notes of lamentation and the blues. Let’s learn the call to action in work songs and marching music. And let’s learn everything else that comports with and nourishes life in Christ.

When we look closely at what actually changes people—examples both from Scripture and from personal experience—we see how diversely relevant the Word and Spirit are to our human struggles. David Powlison challenges the popular views on sanctification that take one strand in Scripture and present it as the be all and end all of Christian growth. He specifically engages the strengths and weaknesses of the view that asserts, “You are sanctified by remembering that you are justified.

http://www.ccef.org/JBC

Moody Radio interviewed Mark Chanski regarding the upcoming West Michigan Men’s Conference 2013 that begins Friday night at Lakeshore Baptist Church in Grand Haven.

Here is the the ten minute interview:

http://www.harborchurchholland.org/wp-content/uploads/2013/03/moody_interview.mp3

Trent Hunter’s strategy is biblical and priceless:

We’re supposed to flee from things that can kill us.

Active volcanoes, oncoming traffic, and snakes come to mind. So should sexual immorality. To Christians in a sexually confused culture, Paul issued this clear order: “Flee from sexual immorality” (1 Corinthians 6:18). That is, flee from the dangerous enjoyment of sexual pleasure outside of God’s wise design for its enjoyment in marriage.

So how are you doing at fleeing?

Maybe you are fleeing into sexual immorality. Or maybe you’re just thinking about it . . . all the time. You’re already there, of course. Maybe you’re running, but in circles. Images are glued to the walls of your brain. Or maybe this whole subject just adds to the feeling of shame.

Thankfully, God is committed to our sexual purity. Scripture says, “You were bought with a price. So glorify God in your body” (1 Corinthians 6:20). Christ died to purify our consciences and our very lives. What grace! When we see him we will be like him, but until then we flee sexual immorality.

What’s your plan for the next encounter with temptation? Or for the next conversation with a friend, child, or spouse who needs your counsel?

Here’s a strategy: F.L.E.E.

It’s biblical, it’s hard to forget, and it fits on a napkin.

First, fill yourself with Christ.

The seductress of Proverbs 9:17 says, “Stolen water is sweet, and bread eaten in secret is pleasant.” That’s the voice of the ancient serpent promising satisfaction to a hungry man passing by a pretty girl’s house, “but he does not know that the dead are there” (9:18).

This is why the first step in our flight is to fill ourselves with Jesus Christ, who says, “I am the bread of life; whoever comes to me shall not hunger, and whoever believes in me shall never thirst” (John 6:35). Sexual pleasure can never do what only God can. But Christ, on the other hand, is satisfaction.

How, then, do we fill ourselves with Christ?

• Believe he really is the bread of life: “whoever believes has eternal life. I am the bread of life” (John 6:47-48).
• Fill yourself with his Word: “Man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word that comes from the mouth of God” (Matthew 8:4).
• Fill your life with his people: “Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly, teaching and admonishing one another” (Colossians 3:16).

You get air out of a glass by filling it with something else, and you can shake that taste for stolen water by going to the One who offers “water welling up to eternal life” (John 4:14).

Second, lock out the lies.

Why do we run to instead of from sexual sin? Lies, I tell you!

If a koala so much as looks at me, I’m going to run. They’re cute, but they have large claws, sharp teeth, and I’ve heard they can destroy you. Sexual immorality is similar. Sure, it looks just good. But watch this guy:

She seizes him and kisses him, and with bold face she says to him . . . “I have perfumed my bed. . . . Come, let us take our fill of love till morning.” . . . With much seductive speech she persuades him. All at once he follows her, as an ox goes to the slaughter. (Proverbs 7:13-23)

Our flight from sexual immorality requires that we lock out the lies that give it power. Or, as Solomon said, “keep your way far from her” (5:8).

So what would that look like for you?

When and where are you hearing seductive speech? How can you get away? Whatever the cost—your smartphone, home internet, a relationship—if it helps you see God, it’s a net gain. After all, “it is better for you to enter life with one eye than with two eyes to be thrown into the hell of fire” (Matthew 18:9).

Seduction’s voice calls “to those who pass by” (Proverbs 9:15). Flee now! Better yet, don’t pass by.

Third, exchange lies for truth.

Unless we retreat from the world, we’re going to encounter seductive lies. Actually, we lie to ourselves. We are born exchanging the truth about God for a lie, along with everything else, including sex (Romans 1:25-26). For Christians, God reverses the exchange. While our old self was corrupt through deceitful desires, the new self is created after the likeness of God (Ephesians 4:22-24).

What, then, should you do when tempted? Unsheathe your sword and go on the offensive, rejecting lies and rehearsing truth:

• God is not stingy, but good (Deuteronomy 10:12-13).
• Sinful pleasures are not filling, but fleeting (Hebrews 11:24-26).
• People are not objects, but image bearers (Genesis 1:27).
• This is not private, but reaches heaven and eternity (Psalm 51:4).
• God does not approve of sin because he loves to forgive, but forgives to free us from sin (Romans 6:1-2).
• Sexual sin isn’t harmless, but defrauding (1 Thessalonians 4:3-6).
• It will not be easy to turn back, as you are already hardening your heart (Hebrews 3:13).
• This is not inevitable, since God provides a way of escape (1 Corinthians 10:13).
• Your past does not define you, Christ’s blood does (1 Corinthians 6:11).

Are you embracing lies, or exchanging them for the truth? Are you glorifying the body, or are you glorifying God with your body?

When seductive speech calls out, remember, “all her slain are a mighty throng” (Proverbs 7:26).

Finally, expose yourself to the light.

If you fall to sexual sin you will be tempted to hide in the dark and pretend it didn’t happen. But remember: we are still sinners. So we confess sin.

Confession brings sin to the light and light to our eyes to see what we could never see in the dark: the holiness of God, the sinfulness of sin, and the glory of God’s grace. John weaves these themes together beautifully:

God is light, and in him is no darkness at all. If we say we have fellowship with him while we walk in darkness, we lie and do not practice the truth. But if we walk in the light, as he is in the light, we have fellowship with one another, and the blood of Jesus his Son cleanses us from all sin. (1 John 1:5-7)

Coming to Christ means coming out of hiding to be exposed by the light and covered with Christ’s blood. As Christians, the best thing to do, of course, is just stay in the light. But the best thing to do when we wander into the shadows is to run back. Confession is where that starts.

So, are you hiding? Confess your sins to God. He forgives! But don’t stop there. “Confess your sins to one another and pray for one another” (James 5:16). That’s what Christian friends are for.

It is good news that we are not condemned in Christ, and it is good news that we are no longer slaves to sin. My friends, flee from sexual immorality.

Trent Hunter, Desert Springs Church, Albuquerque, New Mexico.

http://thegospelcoalition.org/blogs/tgc/2013/03/12/f-l-e-e-a-strategy-for-pursuing-sexual-purity/