A Mormon television star stands in front of the Lincoln Memorial and calls American Christians to revival. He assembles some evangelical celebrities to give testimonies, and then preaches a God and country revivalism that leaves the evangelicals cheering that they’ve heard the gospel, right there in the nation’s capital.

The news media pronounces him the new leader of America’s Christian conservative movement, and a flock of America’s Christian conservatives have no problem with that.

If you’d told me that ten years ago, I would have assumed it was from the pages of an evangelical apocalyptic novel about the end-times. But it’s not. It’s from this week’s headlines. And it is a scandal.

Fox News commentator Glenn Beck, of course, is that Mormon at the center of all this. Beck isn’t the problem. He’s an entrepreneur, he’s brilliant, and, hats off to him, he knows his market. Latter-day Saints have every right to speak, with full religious liberty, in the public square. I’m quite willing to work with Mormons on various issues, as citizens working for the common good. What concerns me here is not what this says about Beck or the “Tea Party” or any other entertainment or political figure. What concerns me is about what this says about the Christian churches in the United States.

Continued here.

Question: God gives grace to humble people. How is this not grace given for the human merit (or work) of humility, which would be the very opposite of grace (unmerited favor)?

Answer: God works to will and to do of His own good pleasure, graciously bestowing upon His people all that He requires of them, even instilling humility in them, so that the humility He gives is not a work of merit undertaken by the recipient, but God's work of grace in the heart of His elect people, which He then crowns with the reward of more grace. - JS

Berkhof. Found on p. 264 of his Systematic Theology:

Ever seen that? Even a hint of it? No? Me neither. - JS

I share many of the same goals as Glenn. I speak as one born in England but now very much a U.S. citizen. All my children were born here in these United States and I live and pray for America to become in all reality, "one nation under God." I love America. I sincerely believe Glenn does too.

But I do have a problem - not a problem with him as a person in any way at all, but when he asks me to join him in praying for the very same things I wish for my country, I just cannot. I can pray for these things privately, and with fellow Christians, of course, and I do. I just cannot stand with Glenn in a public setting and be comfortable while I know he is praying to a false god. How could I ever say "Amen" at the end of his prayer that people would turn back to the god he serves? I just cannot do it. That is because Glenn Beck is a Mormon. The "god" he prays to is not in any way the same God as mine.

A dear fellow Christian, in coming to understand where I am on this issue wrote to me today saying, "I like Glenn Beck and appreciate his effort to bring America back to her godly roots. He is doing a great job in uniting government, church, and media. He does speak from a Mormon perspective but still has a heart of seeing America return to God even though he might not have the same theological view as we do."

I responded by saying, " I understand you - but I cannot agree that Mormonism is in any way "godly." According to the Bible, there is nothing at all godly about false religion. Godliness is not just about acts of service, honor, integrity, courage and the like, as wonderful as these things are, but it also includes worship of the One true God and the avoidance of all forms of idolatry. Mormonism is idolatrous worship and when Glenn Beck prays, despite his intentions, he prays to a false god who cannot help either Mr. Beck or America."

I can remember reading about the worshippers of the golden calf. They had high family values and were absolutely sincere in their worship. Now I may not be the sharpest tool in the drawer, but I do tend to get the distinct impression that God didn't like the worship - yeah, the ground opening up and swallowing the worshippers.. hmmm... it does lead me to believe that God was somehow ticked, wouldn't you say?

And then I wonder what God would feel about a "prophet" in the Old Testament asking Baal to bring Israel back to its godly roots. I think in such times, he would be stoned. In Deuteronomy 18:20 God says to His people, "But the prophet who presumes to speak a word in my name that I have not commanded him to speak, or who speaks in the name of other gods, that same prophet shall die."

God often tested His people by seeing if they would be true to Him even as false prophets tried to lure them away from Himself. God says, "If a prophet or a dreamer of dreams arises among you and gives you a sign or a wonder, and the sign or wonder that he tells you comes to pass, and if he says, ‘Let us go after other gods,’ which you have not known, ‘and let us serve them,’ you shall not listen to the words of that prophet or that dreamer of dreams. For the Lord your God is testing you, to know whether you love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul. You shall walk after the Lord your God and fear him and keep his commandments and obey his voice, and you shall serve him and hold fast to him. But that prophet or that dreamer of dreams shall be put to death, because he has taught rebellion against the Lord your God, who brought you out of the land of Egypt and redeemed you out of the house of slavery, to make you leave the way in which the Lord your God commanded you to walk. So you shall purge the evil from your midst" (Deuteronomy 13:1-5).

Thank God for grace!!! (we don't stone false prophets now) but I believe God's feelings about false worship have not changed. As Glenn Beck calls this nation to pray for some very valuable, important and even vital things, I ask now, is God testing us in the same way today? Perhaps God has raised Glenn Beck up for this very purpose, to test our hearts. Just a thought!

As for me and my house, we will serve the Lord, the one and only God of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob, the eternal One, Yahweh, the great I AM, the Alpha and Omega, who is from everlasting to everlasting.

So, though I really like you Glenn, thanks for the invite, but I cannot join you.

When King David published this psalm, his people must have derived immense comfort from it: how confident was their leader that God would hear his pleas for salvation, and deliver him from all his enemies! His life was pure, his faith was great, and he knew by long experience the wondrous steadfast love that would preserve all those who sought refuge in God the Savior, as the very apple of his eye. But this further consideration must have been particularly pleasing to all the people, that of old God was accustomed to deal with a nation in large part upon the basis of its king. Whenever a king walked uprightly and found favor with God, the whole nation would prosper; but “when a wicked one rules, the people groan” (Prov. 29:2). How the nation must have rejoiced, knowing that God loved their king, and their king represented them to God.

There is no doubt that Evangelicalism today is in a state of perplexity and unsettlement. In such matters as the practice of evangelism, the teaching of holiness, the building up of local church life, the pastor’s dealing with souls and the exercise of discipline, there is evidence of widespread dissatisfaction with things as they are and of equally widespread uncertainty as to the road ahead. This is a complex phenomenon, to which many factors have contributed; but, if we go to the root of the matter, we shall find that these perplexities are all ultimately due to our having lost our grip on the biblical gospel. Without realising it, we have during the past century bartered that gospel for a substitute product which, though it looks similar enough in points of detail, is as a whole a decidedly different thing. Hence our troubles; for the substitute product does not answer the ends for which the authentic gospel has in past days proved itself so mighty. The new gospel conspicuously fails to produce deep reverence, deep repentance, deep humility, a spirit of worship, a concern for the church. Why?

From this change of interest has sprung a change of content, for the new gospel has in effect reformulated the biblical message in the supposed interests of “helpfulness.” Accordingly, the themes of man’s natural inability to believe, of God’s free election being the ultimate cause of salvation, and of Christ dying specifically for His sheep, are not preached. These doctrines, it would be said, are not “helpful”; they would drive sinners to despair, by suggesting to them that it is not in their own power to be saved through Christ. (The possibility that such despair might be salutary is not considered; it is taken for granted that it cannot be, because it is so shattering to our self-esteem.) However this may be (and we shall say more about it later), the result of these omissions is that part of the biblical gospel is now preached as if it were the whole of that gospel; and a half-truth masquerading as the whole truth becomes a complete untruth. Thus, we appeal to men as if they all had the ability to receive Christ at any time; we speak of His redeeming work as if He had done no more by dying than make it possible for us to save ourselves by believing; we speak of God’s love as if it were no more than a general willingness to receive any who will turn and trust; and we depict the Father and the Son, not as sovereignly active in drawing sinners to themselves, but as waiting in quiet impotence “at the door of our hearts” for us to let them in. It is undeniable that this is how we preach; perhaps this is what we really believe. But it needs to be said with emphasis that this set of twisted half-truths is something other than the biblical gospel. The Bible is against us when we preach in this way; and the fact that such preaching has become almost standard practice among us only shows how urgent it is that we should review this matter. To recover the old, authentic, biblical gospel, and to bring our preaching and practice back into line with it, is perhaps our most pressing present need.

As the Apostle Paul wrote to the Corinthian Church there were many issues that were of concern to him, one of which he outlines in this passage, namely division in the Church. He wished to see harmony and unity and was alarmed to hear reports that there were four factions amongst the Church members. The King James Bible states the problem this way, “Now this I say, that every one of you saith, I am of Paul; and I of Apollos; and I of Cephas; and I of Christ.” In considering the four groups a few things come to mind.

The second group were followers of Apollos. We are told that he was a very eloquent speaker, mighty in the Scriptures (Acts 18:24). It is easy to see why certain members of the Church might gravitate towards him and enjoy his ministry. There is nothing wrong with enjoying a ministry. The problem comes when we can only hear one minister. Christ did not give just one ministry gift to the Body of Christ (Eph 4:8-12) and no one sees the complete picture by themselves. Proverbs 11:14 tells us, "There is safety in the multitude of counsellers," and likewise, there is safety when the people are exposed to more than one ministry gift.

The third group were followers of Cephas (or Peter). Peter was, like Paul, an obvious leader amongst the Apostles and was a leader amongst leaders. He is prominent not merely in the Gospels, but preached the opening sermon on the Day of Pentecost when 3,000 people came to Christ. Very little needs to be said about why believers would feel safe following Peter’s lead.

The fourth group is intriguing though – the “followers of Christ.” Isn’t that exactly what Paul was longing to produce - followers of Christ?

Well, yes, and no. Yes, Paul would want people to be followers of Christ and nothing would please him more to see this, but it would seem from the context that in the division that was taking place in the church at Corinth it would be fair to say that these “followers of Christ” had just as much a divisive spirit as the others. They are listed as one of the four splinter groups in the Church.

Perhaps they would only listen to Christ’s words, and not listen to any Apostle of Christ. Perhaps they would not submit to any human leader, and this too would be wrong. All Christians are called to the safety and nourishment of the local Church body where pastors (elders) are given oversight in order that they might nourish and care for their spiritual wellbeing. This is the way of Christ for us all. Hebrews 13:17 says, "Obey your leaders and submit to them, for they are keeping watch over your souls, as those who will have to give an account. Let them do this with joy and not with groaning, for that would be of no advantage to you."

I have met Christians who have this "I am of Christ" mindset in our day. They say they love Jesus but have no time for Paul. In a recent conversation I had, one lady said Paul was wrong (concerning the issue under discussion) and she felt much more comfortable with Jesus. Of course, I was immediately alarmed by this and sought to point out that although no human being except Christ was ever perfect, when Paul wrote Scripture, he wrote under the inspiration of the Holy Spirit. More than that, to be an apostle of Christ is to be one sent forth by Christ with the full authority of Christ. If someone rejects an apostle of Christ, they also reject the One who sent him. Jesus made this principle clear even as He sent out the 72, “The one who hears you hears me, and the one who rejects you rejects me, and the one who rejects me rejects him who sent me” (Luke 10:16) . Sadly, the exchange I had with the lady did not go well. She refused to listen. I pray God will open this dear lady’s eyes as to her folly and the seriousness of her error. Her issue is not merely with the Apostle Paul, but with the Lord Jesus Christ who sent him.

As I consider the factions in Corinth from the super-spiritual “I am of Christ” group, even to the followers of Paul, Peter and Apollos, I think we can all take note of the error of putting any one man on a spiritual pedestal. Instead, as we serve Christ in His body the Church, let us enjoy and submit to the many gifts God has placed there for our edification. Not even Paul sought followers of Paul, and each of us as ministers of Christ should never seek to make people dependent on us. We can promote the right thing always by pointing away from ourselves and to the Christ who not only saves, but nourishes and tenderly cares for His sheep as the masterful Shepherd. As Paul wrote later to the Corinthians, “For what we proclaim is not ourselves, but Jesus Christ as Lord, with ourselves as your servants for Jesus' sake.” (2 Cor 4:5)

Please pray for ABN (www.abnsat.com), a satellite television outreach ministry to the Arabic and Muslim world. To give you a taste and sense of this ministry, the video below is a sample TV program entitled, "Jesus, 100% God, 100% Man":

Christians proclaim that Jesus is fully God and fully man. How is this possible? Does the Bible actually teach this? Join special guests, Dr. James White and Sam Shamoun as they discuss this vital question on the Answering Islam TV show (below):

and here is a second program with Dr. James White showing the essential differences between Islam and Christianity concerning the crucifixion of Christ:

Everywhere in the Psalms, as we have often seen before, David speaks not primarily with regard to himself alone, as a mere individual; but rather, being the anointed King and representative of the people, he comes before God in their behalf as a type of Christ, the true King and Messiah and Mediator of the people, and pleads blessings for them from God. But in a few places, David's office as a type and shadow of Christ is overwhelmed, as it were, by the brightness of the glory of the One prefigured, so that his own voice is all but lost, and the radiance of the glory of God is seen so clearly that it is as if the very Son of God were speaking alone and unmediated.

A portion of the talk may be disturbing to some as it includes an Islamic "alter call" as we hear people becoming Muslims as they are guided through the necessary confession in Arabic - and it is certainly uncanny to notice the similarities between this and much that takes place in Christian services today. As I say, the session on Islam is the 5th talk in the list found here. I recommend it very highly. - JS