Please pray for Matt Chandler and his family

Matt Chandler, preaching pastor of The Village Church in Dallas, TX, suffered a seizure Thursday morning while at home, was taken to a nearby hospital and is now at home resting with his family. Please pray for Matt, Lauren, the kids, and the congregation.

The Village Church
The Village Church continues to post updates and opportunities to join in prayer

An update from the elders
The Village Church elders provide an encouraging update about Matt's health

Them Chandlers blog
Lauren shares about walking with the Lord in the midst of Matt's seizure

Turning to a different gospel

Joel Osteen's church, which recently relocated to the former arena of the Houston Rockets, boasts the largest congregation in the history of America, averaging more then 30,000 a week. Osteen took over the church in 1999 and has increased the size of the congregation almost five-fold since then. His book, "Your Best Life Now: 7 Steps to Living Your Full Potential" has sold almost 3 million copies and is a New York Time's best seller. Yet, the brand of Christianity Osteen is offering is mild, shallow, and seems to be a kind of dim-witted boosterism simply designed to get you through the week. He has been called "prosperity gospel's coverboy," and John Piper speaks strongly against the "Health, Wealth, Prosperity Gospel" which Joel Osteen is known for (see John Piper on The Prosperity Gospel).

Although Osteen can boast the largest congregation in America his impact is not ultimately determined by church attendance or book sales but by the content of the Gospel he preaches. So I care little for Osteen's popularity (my only concern to the shudder and pray for his soul and for the thousands he has led astray), but I care much more about the content of his Gospel. In his letter to the Galatians Paul is a model of forthright frankness when central gospel issues are at stake.

I am astonished that you are so quickly deserting him who called you in the grace of Christ and are turning to a different gospel— not that there is another one, but there are some who trouble you and want to distort the gospel of Christ. But even if we or an angel from heaven should preach to you a gospel contrary to the one we preached to you, let him be accursed. As we have said before, so now I say again: If anyone is preaching to you a gospel contrary to the one you received, let him be accursed. (Galatians 1:6-9)

The gospel is unchanging. No pastor can rightly add or take away from the Gospel - it is an objective truth. Thus Paul pronounces a curse of final judgment on those who proclaim or receive a different gospel. Even if he himself, or an angel from heaven, were to preach such a gospel, the Galatians should reject it. Paul doesn't take this lightly and neither should we. So why do 30,000 men and women regularly put on their Sunday-best to hear Osteen's preaching?

For am I now seeking the approval of man, or of God? Or am I trying to please man? If I were still trying to please man, I would not be a servant of Christ. (Galatians 1:10)

The "Health, Wealth, Prosperity Gospel" pleases man in his greediness, and I don't doubt that Osteen knows that by now. A pastor who seeks the approval of man can quickly grow his church, while simultaneously revealing that he is not truly a servant of Christ. It is obvious that Osteen's congregation will fill the arena seats, buy copies of "Your Best Life Now", and rejoice as God provides. But try to find men and women in Osteen's church who desire to pick up their cross daily, who embrace persecution for the sake of the Gospel, who cry out "To live is Christ, To die is gain!"... because you won't find them there. Only the true Gospel brings about true disciples of Christ - because there is no other Gospel.

My Sense of Humor

Reasons to Laugh Out Loud...

Great Christian Pick-up Lines:
I could not help but notice you were exegeting me instead of the text during the sermon.
Your name must be grace, because you are irresistible.
Nice braclet. What would Jesus date? I mean "do"
Can I buy you a non-alcoholic beverage?
Do you believe in Divine appointment?
Now i know why Solomon had 700 wives... Because he never met you.
What?! Friends listen to Amazing Grace in the dark.
Hi, my name's Will...God's Will
What's your name and number so I can add you to my "prayer" list?
You put the "cute" back in persecution!
Hey.. i would work 7 years for your sister.. But I would work 7 more years for you.
How many times do I have to walk around you to make you fall for me?
How would you like to join my Purpose Driven Life?
I'm interested in full time ministry, and not only that... I also play the guitar.
So, my parents are home, you wanna come over?
You're totally depraved but I'd still like to go out with you...
Mark Driscoll takes up 35% of my ipod memory.
Me. You. Song of Songs: the remix.
I have familiarised myself with all 5 love languages, in fact, I invented 4 of them.

The heretic
I was walking across a bridge one day, and I saw a man standing on the edge, about to jump off. So I ran over and said, "Stop! Don't do it!" "Why shouldn't I?" he said. I said, "Well, there's so much to live for!" He said, "Like what?" I said, "Well, are you religious or atheist?" He said, "Religious." I said, "Me too! Are your Christian or Buddhist?" He said, "Christian." I said, "Me too! Are you Catholic or Protestant?" He said, "Protestant." I said, Me too! Are your Episcopalian or Baptist? He said, "Baptist!" I said, "Wow! Me too! Are your Baptist Church of God or Baptist Church of the Lord? He said, Baptist Church of God!" I said, "Me too! Are your Original Baptist Church of God or are you Reformed Baptist Church of God?" He said, "Reformed Baptist Church of God!" I said, "Me too! Are you Reformed Baptist Church of God, Reformation of 1879, or Reformed Baptist Church of God, Reformation of 1915?" He said, "Reformed Baptist Church of God, Reformation of 1915!" I said, "Die, heretic scum!" and pushed him off.

Church Sign Ideas:
"PRAY NOW! Avoid Christmas Rush!"
"Sign broken, some inside for message."
"This is a ch--ch. What's missing? U R!"
"Wal-Mart's not the only savings place."

A mother was preparing pancakes for her sons, Kevin, 5, Ryan, 3. The boys began to argue over who would get the first pancake. Their mother saw the opportunity for a moral lesson. “If Jesus were sitting here, He would say, ‘Let my brother have the first pancake. I can wait.’ Kevin turned to his younger brother and said, “Ryan, you be Jesus!”

How many people does it take to screw in a light bulb?
A Presbyterian Pastor responded, “None. If God wants the bulb screwed in he is sovereign and will do it himself without human effort.”
A Charismatic Pastor replied, “None. The bulb doesn’t need to be changed. We should pray that it be healed.”
A Pentecostal Pastor said, “None. We simply need to cast out from the bulb the demon of darkness.”
The Fundamentalist Pastor stated, “None. We shouldn’t even enter the room because we need to keep ourselves separate from all darkness.”
A Baptist Pastor responded, “None. If we allow physical contact between a person and the bulb it might lead to dancing.”
The Wesleyan Minister replied, “None. If we just show the bulb its need, it already possesses the power to screw itself in.”
A Non-Denominational Pastor said, “None. We don’t want to make the bulb feel unwanted or uncomfortable.”

Hymns of the Lukewarm church:
"I Surrender Some"
"Take My Life and Let Me Be"
"Where He Leads Me, I will Consider Following"
"Just as I Pretend to Be"
"Above Average is Thy Faithfulness"
"By Thou My Hobby"
"Praise God from Whom All Affirmations Flow"
"Self-Esteem to the World! The Lord is Come"

A Sunday School teacher asked her little children, as they were on the way to church service, "And why is it necessary to be quiet in church?"
One bright little girl replied, "Because people are sleeping."

A Way of Behaving

Love is not essentially a feeling or affection, but a way of behaving, and if it starts as a feeling, it must become more than a feeling if it is truly to be love. Love does something; it gives; that is how it establishes its identity. "By this we know love, that he [Jesus] laid down his life for us; and we ought to lay down our lives for the brethren. But if anyone has the world's goods and sees his brother in need, yet closes his heart against him, how does God's love abide in him? Little children, let us not love in word or speech but in deed and in truth" (1 John 3:16-18). Again: "Beloved, let us love one another; for love is of God... In this is love, not that we loved God but that he loved us and sent his Son to be the expiation for our sins. Beloved, if God so loves us, we also ought to love one another" (4:7, 10-11).

-J.I. Packer. Keep In Step With The Spirit. p 94.

Christ makes suffering purposeful

Behold, God is my helper;
the Lord is the upholder of my life. (Psalm 54:4)

I continue to be in a place where I NEED God daily. I can do little but depend upon Him through-out the ache of my heart and the confusion of my life. O, what a sweet place to find myself.

My heart is in anguish within me…
But I call to God,
and the Lord will save me.
Evening and morning and at noon
I utter my complaint and moan,
and he hears my voice…
Cast your burden on the Lord,
and we will sustain you;
he will never permit
the righteous to be moved. (Psalm 55:4, 16, 22)

Praise the Lord that anguish may lead to the Lord’s provision and that in this season I have the blessing of learning purposeful suffering.

Fear God - not man

Even as I sit in Oxford, Ohio I experience the weight of these dark and demonic words from India:

“[Christianity] is a problem and we will deal with it. We will get all Hindus together, the whole Hindu nation, and whoever stands against the rights of Hindu’s - we will finish them” – Hindu radical

“They want to eradicate the Christians of India. They want to turn this country into a Hindu nation. A goal that extreme Hindu leaders say is worth fighting for…. Hindus have fought for this nation and for their religious rights. India has always been, is, and forever will be a Hindu nation.”

“Conversions and Christianity missionaries are a threat to India” – Hindu radical

Even as I shake, God does not. He knows these men.

Their feet are swift to shed blood;

in their path are ruin and misery,

and the way of peace they have not know.

There is no fear of God before their eyes. (Romans 3:15-18)

I am hungrily amazed as our brothers and sisters in Christ who suffer this extreme persecution respond in Gospel-centered perseverance. God, in His grace, preserves them… resulting in praise and glory and honor today and at the revelation of Jesus Christ. They have not seen Him, yet they love Him. “We may have lost everything, but we will never turn our backs on Christ.” They do not now see Him, yet they believe in Him and rejoice with joy that is inexpressible and filled with glory. “I still have joy and I’m thanking God despite my circumstances.”

These brothers and sisters have joined with Esther in saying, “If I perish, I perish.” (Esther 4:16)

They have joined with Paul, who said, “To live is Christ, and to die is gain.” (Philippians 1:21)

So let us say with our Indian brothers and sisters “If we live, we’ll live for Christ. If we die, we’ll die for Christ. Whatever happens, we worship the Lord.” That is their cry, and they are our brothers and sisters. Let us join with them in joyful mourning and fervent prayer as we ask the Lord if we need to do more.