How do we guard ourselves against deconstruction? Progressive Christianity starts by rejecting Jesus and creating a new idea of who Jesus is. In this episode, Brody breaks down how new ideologies can creep into our minds and how we should combat them.
We need to commit to studying Scripture to remind ourselves of the essential doctrines we hold to. The Bible is authoritative. Let’s surround ourselves with a godly community and find hope in the Gospel daily.
Resources:
Please leave a review on Apple or Spotify to help improve No Sanity Required and help others grow in their faith.
Click here to get our Colossians Bible study.
How do we guard ourselves against deconstruction? Progressive Christianity starts by rejecting Jesus and creating a new idea of who Jesus is. In this episode, Brody breaks down how new ideologies can creep into our minds and how we should combat them.
We need to commit to studying Scripture to remind ourselves of the essential doctrines we hold to. The Bible is authoritative. Let’s surround ourselves with a godly community and find hope in the Gospel daily.
Resources:
Please leave a review on Apple or Spotify to help improve No Sanity Required and help others grow in their faith.
Click here to get our Colossians Bible study.
All right, everybody, welcome to no Sanity Required. I said last week I was going to give some missionary updates and what I want to do is share with you, sort of highlight, a missionary family, and that family is Steve and Lena Golf and their children. Lena's dad is on the Snowbird Wilderness Outfitters Board of Directors and both she and her brother served on summer staff here many years ago when they were in college. Her brother stayed pretty connected and so is Lena, and I'm really thankful for Lena and her testimony. In 2012, when my daughter Kilby was really feeling a draw she was 11, 12 years old it was about 4th turn 12. And wanted so badly to go to India. That was where she felt like the Lord was drawing her to become a missionary, which many of you now know she serves in East Africa. But we went and spent several days I think about two, a little over two weeks with Lena in Mumbai, india. That's where Lena was serving at the time. A lot of history there.
Speaker 1:I want to give you an update on the golf family, but I also want to share something with you that I think is very resourceful and encouraging, that Lena put together in a recent presentation she gave, and this is specifically it's about. It's sort of this idea of what I want to share is this idea of guarding against deconstruction or falling away into sort of a progressive brand of Christianity that abandons the Orthodox teachings of true Christianity in the gospel. Lena recently highlighted that as a problem that has occurred often among female missionaries. Very interesting take on this, and so I want to share some thoughts from Lena presentation she did. I also want to read two or three emails from people that have been very encouraging this week that I've gotten, and so thanks for coming along. Welcome to Know. Sanity Required.
Speaker 2:Welcome to Know Sanity Required from the Ministry of Snowbird Wilderness Outfitters. A podcast about the Bible, culture and stories from around the globe.
Speaker 1:Well, one of the things that we constantly are faced with and I think that we address a lot at Snowbird and we've done, you know, throughout the years we've done several episodes on this that is the issue of I don't even know how to call it an issue, but it's the topic of progressive Christianity and then what people are referring to as deconstruction of the Christian faith. First, let me let me say that progressive Christianity is just sort of a new term and a new packaging of an ancient problem, which is trying to over contextualize the gospel to the point that it's no longer the gospel. What I mean by over contextualize? Trying to make the gospel appealing to people who don't want to surrender or submit to the demands of the gospel, to make it friendly enough that social groups, secular groups, aren't offended by it. So, in other words, trying to change the gospel so that people won't be offended by it and that they might be more willing to accept it. That's what I mean and that's what that's what the objective of progressive Christianity is to me, that's what it seems like to me.
Speaker 1:So you take a teaching like, for instance, the exclusivity of Jesus. Jesus says in John 14, six I'm the way, the truth and the life. No one comes to the father except through me. You take that teaching that says unless you're coming through Jesus, there's no way to salvation, there's no way to heaven. And the way that you come through Jesus is by Romans 10, nine. Confess with your mouth that Jesus is Lord, believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead so that Jesus is Lord, he's God, he's he's. He's the Yahweh figure in the Old Testament, he's the one who created all things and holds all things together Hebrews one, colossians one. He's the second person of the Trinity. And that that not only is he those things, but that he conquered the grave in his own resurrection and then now he's exalted to his rightful position where, where people worship him, where everyone will eventually worship him. So with that, with that picture, understanding of who Jesus is, what progressive Christianity will do is it will abandon that and say well, jesus. It might say Jesus is one of many gods. So it might change the exclusivity of Christ in terms of who he is, not the one true God, not the way, the truth, the life. But Christianity might say he's one of many. I mean progressive Christianity might say he's one of many gods. Another thing that progressive Christianity might do is reject the exclusivity of Christ in terms of his authoritative teaching. So might take something that the Bible says and change it. Most often in this era, this day and age, what will be changed is the biblical teaching on sexuality, on relationships, on marriage, on gender, on homosexuality. So progressive Christians love to almost almost all. Progressive Christianity is tied to the LGBTQ plus movement.
Speaker 1:So in modern, in the modern deconstruction of Christians quote unquote deconstruction of quote unquote Christians people are turning away from the faith because they don't like what the Bible teaches about homosexuality or transgenderism or something like that, and so they reject it. But what they, instead of just saying I reject Jesus, I reject the Bible, I reject Christianity. Often it's a, it's a drifting away, and so it's been called deconstruction because it starts by rejecting one aspect of Jesus and who he is or who he says he was, and then it could end with a come. So it ends in one of two ways People completely abandon and walk away from the faith and reject Jesus, or they deconstruct, deconstruct down to a certain level and then recreate a new idea of who they want Jesus to be, where they make Jesus and the word of God fit into their ideology, their ideas. Hopefully, I just explained that in a way that it makes sense, but but it's being all of that is being called deconstruction. Progressive Christianity is at the at the heart of it, at the center of it, and it's deconstruction, it's we're deconstructing. Now we've talked about this a lot on on on no Sanity required podcast, and so I don't want to completely go through.
Speaker 1:You know what, like the Bible calls deconstruction apostasy. It's a turning away. Sometimes the Bible will use the phrase drift away, sometimes it'll use the phrase turn away, sometimes it'll use the phrase walk away, but ultimately it's the biblical idea of apostasy, it's an abandoning of the faith. And so I was recently in a conversation in some communication I think it was through email originally with Lena Pendergrass or, I'm sorry, lena golf Pendergrass was her maiden name. She brought up something that it really struck a chord with me, because I've seen this to be true. It seems like a lot of women who go to the mission field struggle with this idea of deconstruction and as a, as a dad to a woman who is on the mission field with, that really resonated with me. You know, it struck a chord with me and then I began to think of all the different people that I've known who have struggled to maintain, you know, faithfulness to the gospel, the true gospel, when they get on the mission field, and so this kind of a niche category here of people that have maybe had an epidemic of deconstruction and turning away. But I think there's some principles that Lena brought out that I want to share with you that I think could guard you against deconstruction, that could guard us against deconstruction or apostasy or turning away or drifting away.
Speaker 1:I remember back during COVID and George Floyd and BLM and defund, the police and the LGBTQ movement of 2020. I remember getting raked over the coals a few times by former female, for the most part snowbird staff members. Now I do remember there was a. There was one particular male, a young man I don't know if he's a young man now, probably 30 year old dude, maybe 35. I don't know which is still a young man to me but who had some negative things to say about us. But it was predominantly women, young ladies, who were mad that we didn't get on the bandwagon of social justice advocacy. And that's another part of that's another conversation for another day, because what snowbird is about is we're about the gospel. We're about equipping churches through discipleship.
Speaker 1:We don't. We tend to steer our teaching, preaching, writing and promotions, you know, away from those types of issues and just straight towards helping people grow in their walk with Jesus. But there are times where we need to speak to what might be considered social issues. But for us, when we speak to those issues is when they are disrupting what God is teaching in his word about a particular topic. So when we, you know, when we get on here me and John Riloh and we talk about the sexual revolution and the attack on God's design for sexuality and how the main target of that attack is young men and young women, we're that's not a social issue. That's an issue of theology and apologetics and Christianity and an attack on God's design, the authority of scripture. So we don't tend to chase social justice topics and so we took some heat, got some ugly emails. People were mad that we didn't, you know, get on the bandwagon in 2020, but we'll never get on those types of bandwagons.
Speaker 1:What we will do is we'll try to help people see that deconstruction or apostasy always leads to destruction, the destruction of your soul. You know, you can, you can try to try to figure out how to make Christianity work with world systems of thought and philosophy. But man, at the end of the day, the gospel, it's polarizing, it demand. You know. Bonhoeffer said when Christ calls a man, he bids him come and die. Jesus said no one who's put his hand of the plow and looked back is fit for the kingdom of God. If you're going to walk with Christ, if you're going to put your hand to the plow, if you're going to fix your eyes on Jesus, then just brace for the fact that you're going to. You're going to go through some water that is so choppy and tumultuous because you cannot win the approval of the world.
Speaker 1:I was watching a fallen, disgraced pastor who was a pastor of a mega church, the Hillsong church in New York. I forget the guy's name, but he was a kind of a hipster looking guy, very trendy, cool looking dude. I'm not saying that's bad, just trying to describe. You might know who he is. And this guy had fallen from from his position of leadership in that church because he had had an adulterous relationship and adulterous affair and in that affair he had told the woman he was with that he was. I forget what he told her, but not that he was a pastor and not that he was married. He had made a lie about his identity, who he was, and she wasn't a Christian, so she didn't know him from his Christian circles. So he was living this double life, you know, in this adulterous relationship with this woman. So I saw a clip where he had been on that show, the View, and he goes on the View and they asked him they're asking him about.
Speaker 1:You know exclusive beliefs Orthodox Christianity holds and one is that you know belief of the sanctity of life, that abortion is murder, that abortion, regardless of if you've had an abortion or paid for an abortion, like I'm not not judging or condemning, but just recognizing as a believer. I've talked to a lot of Christians who had abortions or their girlfriends or wives had abortions and then, you know, later the Lord brings them to a place where they recognize that for what it is and then there's there's grace and forgiveness there. So we're not being condemnatory to say that abortion is murder, but it's just. That's the reality is that abortion is murder. And so they ask this guy that you know he hauls around and won't answer the question and he's very, very not controversial, he capitulates, he's just wishy-washy because he doesn't want to say something that would ostracize him or make him seem feel be less appealing to these women. Which, lord help. Why in the world do you want any of them, crazy women on that show to view to? Like you, like I? That's the last four humans on earth that I'm going to try to appease, you know like. But this dude gets caught up in the moment and he won't just say it, he won't just say yeah, man, it's wrong to kill a child. It's wrong Every, every Old Testament nation and every historic dynastic government that rose to power Babylonians, the Greeks, the Romans, the Persians, the Ottomans, even I think you could even argue the Brits, the British Empire every major world power that controlled and dominated the world stage.
Speaker 1:When they, when they collapsed, it was always in the final stages of that empire. There was always a moral decay and sexuality and an attack on their children. And we are in a nation where we're under a moral decay in terms of sexuality and are and we're fighting for the lives of children. And and you know, there's there's no denying, as a Christian, that that we believe that that abortion is murder. It just is. It breaks my heart because people very close to me have have had had abortions, but they've also found the grace that the Lord extends and the forgiveness that he gives and you can trust in that and lean into that. I'm grateful for that. But what I'm getting out I'm kind of rambling here but what I'm getting at is you can never appease the. If you try to appease the secular world with Christian ideology, you'll have to compromise at some point to the point that you abandon what the gospel demands and teaches. So you just don't even try to do it.
Speaker 1:So this conversation with Lena she shared with me her presentation that she gave at a missionary retreat among missionary wives and women, and she talked about the reason that she thinks great commission workers that's another word for missionaries, great commission workers that's a missionary are vulnerable and there's three main reasons that she gives. And I think this is helpful not only for missionaries, but particularly missionaries, but then also generally. I think it's really helpful for there's some principle in here that if you're struggling with, you're wrestling with your faith and you're drifting towards deconstruction or apostasy, think about these things and look for some identifying characteristics. The first one she says there's a desire to maximize influence and that causes concessions towards other world views or over contextualizations, concessions that are untruthful or cunning, and you cannot give a better hearing for the truth on life. So what she's saying is deconstruction can also begin, can often begin when we desire so much to influence other people that we begin to try to contextualize the gospel, make it fit the secular world view. We do that, we try so hard, we begin to make concessions. Or well, okay, well, we can say that God didn't really say homosexuality is a sin. God didn't really say one man, one woman. The word for homosexuality in the New Testament was he started to make concessions. Well, this is what the serpent did in the garden. He said did God really say, remember that? Did God really say God didn't really say, and he began to manipulate God's truth. So I think a lot of people are vulnerable to deconstruction because they want to try to make friends with the world in such a way that they'll make concessions to Orthodox Christian teaching.
Speaker 1:Second one is sensitivity to poverty is exploited by political opportunists, in other words, caring for the poor. So caring for the poor is a good and biblical concern, but are we prioritizing financial poverty over spiritual poverty and humanistically positioning ourselves as savior? Are we being exploited by humanistic political activism that poses like Christianity. That's what she's saying is we should be sensitive to the poor and the needy, like right now.
Speaker 1:There's a horrible famine, I believe, in Somalia, and many watch the videos and you look at the pictures and images coming out of there and your heart breaks and as Christians we should do something about it. We should try to feed those people that are suffering. We should put boots on the ground with Christian missionary workers. Those of us that aren't going to go should send resources. But more than physical poverty, christians are driven by the need that is created by spiritual poverty. People need a savior, and to need a savior you have to recognize that you're spiritually broken and poor. And when we begin to, I think deconstruction can start. When we begin to think more about the physical poverty or the physical hunger than we do spiritual poverty. So then we begin to work for causes other than spiritual investment. That comes from sharing the gospel with people planting churches, making disciples, the Great Commission.
Speaker 1:Third one church hurt and coworker hurt creates fast isolation. Church hurt and coworker hurt creates fast isolation. So you get hurt by someone in the church, you get hurt by a co labor or someone. You feel abandoned or like somebody turned their back on you. So you isolate yourself, so you isolate yourself. This goes back to the talk that I've done often and I've included it here in the episode a few couple years back on drifting, don't drift. And one of the things that will cause drifting to accelerate is when we isolate ourselves. We're built for community. God made us for community.
Speaker 1:So Lena moves on to the essential doctrines that we have to hold to. So what are you going to anchor yourself to? You know, what are you going to hold to grab a hold of hang on to so that you don't drift? And she makes the. She makes the point that there are. She kind of pairs this down to number one the doctrine that hell is real and it is just. Hell is real and it is just. So.
Speaker 1:A lot of people will deconstruct over this idea that that God would condemn people to hell. But the scripture teaches us about hell and from a human perspective it feels on fire, but heaven is on fire. So the truth is about heaven and hell go together. I love that Lena points this out. If hell feels on fire, so does heaven. You know we get. We get glory and sinlessness and perfection for eternity, even though we are sinful beings. So heaven is also on fire, just in the other direction it's it's so. Hell is real because the Bible teaches that it's real and we need to proclaim that hell is real and teach people that there is salvation in Christ alone. That will rescue them from that, you know.
Speaker 1:Second thing she says we need to hold on to in terms of doctrinal integrity is that Christ is the only way. We mentioned that earlier. We mentioned John 14, 6, also mentions acts 14, 12,. I mean acts 4, 12, like that, there's no other name under heaven given among men whereby we might be saved, but the name of Jesus Christ is the only way to salvation. The Bible is the inerrant and authoritative word of God. You do a deep dive there. It's God's word, it's, it's authoritative, it's sufficient. So we hold to a high view of Scripture that is critical, critical. And then, in holding to that high view of Scripture, we hold fast to what God's called us to in these days.
Speaker 1:Jude 17 through 23 says but you must remember, beloved, the predictions of the apostles of our Lord Jesus Christ. They said to you in the last time there will be scoffers Following their own ungodly passions. It is these who cause divisions, worldly, people devoid of the spirit. But you, beloved, beloved, building yourselves up in your most holy faith and praying in the Holy Spirit, keep yourselves in the love of God, waiting for the mercy of our Lord Jesus Christ that leads to eternal life, and have mercy on those who doubt. Save others by Snatching them out of the fire to others. Show mercy with fear, hating even the garment stained by the flesh. And the prescription she gives I love this.
Speaker 1:Lena, in her presentation, gives a prescription for endurance. She begins with regular meditation on the Scripture. Read the Bible. Accept the premise that is authoritative and without error. Determine that the word of God will shape my thinking, shape me as a person. Study it a whole book at a time.
Speaker 1:Don't just bounce around with devotional thoughts, but but commit to read and study the Scripture. When I'm in the study of Scripture, I'm reading, and this is critical for me personally. I know in my daily Bible reading hit the mute button on other social media influences. If you're struggling with doubt, bring it to the light with someone else who loves you and will pray with you, and who loves the Bible and know that there's no shame in dealing with doubt. Find I like this one. Find someone who is both gentle and truthful to come alongside you so I'll speak the truth to you, but they'll do it gently and lovingly. Pray with thanksgiving as you wait for, wait for with and wait with hope for the Lord.
Speaker 1:Seek out resources that view the Bible as an error and authoritative. Be careful with self help, self help books. Be careful with new age pseudo science that is marketed for mental health. Choose, choose biblical and empirical sources for mental health care. Recognize there is a totality of worldview that wants to undermine the gospel. Often it toggles with definitions that have to do with our understanding of love, woman, man, gender, sex, marriage and justice. If you have a friend or someone you care about that's Drifting in that direction, pray for them and ask them why they think what they're thinking. I like. Try to go to them. The Bible tells us in James to go after a brother sister that's turning away. We need to be compassionate and gracious, but we need to be straightforward. So I appreciate all that and one thing that that Lena pointed out, that I think was Her presentation is 41 pages, 41 slides long, so I just shared some thoughts from five or six of those Really good presentation. I didn't hear it, but she, she sent me the, she sent me just the presentation itself and I read through it. I'm so helpful. And she talked about One of the things that I thought was so insightful with women who deconstruct and I think it's true with men too, but Definitely see this with women is the the heavy, heavy-handed influence of social media.
Speaker 1:When you feel you know you get isolated into social media, you begin to just sort of Immerse yourself in this influence of something that's other than the scripture and then you feel this pressure. So I'm just give them, put that away now and just give some thoughts on this. I Think there's this pressure to make the gospel fit World views that are opposed to the gospel and say that again. There's this pressure that people feel I've got to make the gospel fit into this worldview that is opposed to and hates the gospel. How am I going to make the gospel fit where it's unwanted and unwelcome but when we when we allow the influence of social media and secularization of Christianity to like, when I'm more concerned with what the Psycho women on the view.
Speaker 1:Those women are crazy, man. They need Jesus. They need to repent and turn to Jesus. They're crazy. When you listen to what. I don't know their names, but when you're listening those ladies talk about Christianity Because I went down a deep kind of a deep rabbit hole and different things that that they're saying about Christianity. You're like they don't believe the gospel. So why would I try to make the gospel appeal to them? Just say it for what it is.
Speaker 1:Jesus Christ died to safe sinners. The word of God has authority for our lives. Christ calls us to repent. Jesus would over and over and over again say repent, for the kingdom of heaven is at hand. Repent and be forgiven. Repent and be washed for the forgiveness of your sins, jesus.
Speaker 1:Yet Jesus met the social needs of people and the physical needs of people. He fed hungry people. We watched that episode of the chosen the other night with our kids where we had just gone. We're going through the book of Mark at our church and we've just talked through the miracles of Jesus in winter sloe and so one of the miracles that we've talked through and that my kids have heard a few sermons on the kids that are still at home that is, um, is the miracle of the feeding of the 5 000 men and their wives and kids, so the feeding of the multitude. And then, uh, it was then taught in church a couple Sundays ago. So it was cool. We went and found that episode of the chosen, watched it and I loved it was cool. The way they did the man, the way they portrayed the baskets filling up with fish and bread and the way Jesus performed that miracle is really cool.
Speaker 1:But then what you, what you'll see, is yet Jesus will meet those types of needs, but then he'll call people to repent and to receive the gift of salvation that he offers and to turn. Repenting means to turn from your old life in your old way. Turn away from it, turn and don't become what the world demands of you. So this morning I'm recording this in the morning. This morning I'm not sitting here thinking I need to put out an episode that will keep people from deconstructing, uh, or that will people who are deconstructing are going to listen to this and turn back. Maybe that'll happen. That'd be awesome if the Lord does that, but more, I think, for believers.
Speaker 1:We have to guard against the fact that we're not just going to be a believer. We have to guard against this in our own lives. Don't let social media and Entertainment drown out the voice of scripture in your life. Live in the light and don't don't be ashamed that the gospel Is not going to be accepted like. Don't be ashamed of the gospel. And I think when you're ashamed of it, the first, one of the first steps of that shame is to try to make it More palatable to the secular world, in the secular mind, and you can't do that.
Speaker 1:Jesus Christ came to to to save sinners and he died for those sinners. And if he did that, then who were we to try to undo that, to make it not necessary. When you, when we try to make the gospel, when we try to soften the gospel and make it acceptable to the world, what we end up doing is removing the need for Jesus to die. Because we believe Jesus. Death was necessary for our forgiveness. He died in our place, in our place, condemned. He died on the, on the rugged, crooked, nasty, gnarly cross of Calvary so that he would, under under the weight of sin, bear the wrath of God for our sin, die in our place so that we could be set free from the dominion of that sin. Jesus goes to the cross to defeat sin and death and hell in the grave and to satisfy the wrath of God toward that sin, because he alone could bear it, and if we accept that, we're set free from it.
Speaker 1:Well, if we try to take that and make it not, that that's the most. That is the most Disrespectful, defiant thing we could ever do towards Jesus. To say his death wasn't necessary, you know, or to try to package it where it sounds nice when we say something like well, jesus died because in that it was a sacrificial death, to just show us that you can love your enemies, those people that killed him. He said, father, forgive them. And so the the real thing, the real message in Jesus death, is that we should love our enemies. And it's crazy, man. Jesus died to save us from sin. And when we accept that gift of salvation, we need to understand we become new creations and the world is never gonna be okay with that, world will never be okay with that. So so stay in the fight and stay in the light and stay in the word of God and don't abandon it, don't walk away from it. Don't turn away from it. God's scripture, god's word, is Is what we need for life and godliness.
Speaker 1:I want to take just a quick break here and tell you about a Bible study that we put together here at swoe on the book of Colossians. Most simple thing we can do as A Christian is to read the Bible, and if you've followed the NSR podcast for long, or if you've been to any event at swoe, if you've drilled into our mission statement or core values, you know that we're passionate about faithful study and delivery, exposition and application of scripture from the stage. But we're also passionate about Students and attendees of adult conferences and events here learning how to study God's word on their own, becoming students of the word. So this study on Colossians that we put together is called the preeminence of Christ and it's broken into 12 daily or weekly sections. Each section focuses on a particular passage, it provides context, it gives insight into the meaning of the text, and then there are questions to guide you for the sake of personal application. This is an awesome tool for learning how to study the scripture on your own, but it's also a great resource for small groups. So click the link in the description for this episode and you can download a free, free PDF of the Colossians Study, or you can have it sent straight to your email. Click the link and get your copy. All right back to today's episode.
Speaker 1:Okay, I want to. I want to share a couple of emails here that I got. I got I think I've got three. First, I wanted to share a Testimony from a lady that listens and actually comes to a lot of stuff at swoe and thankful for this testimony that that kind of is. It touches on the idea of walking away. Not I don't, I don't say deconstruction, it's more just like rebellion and Turning away from the Lord and rebellion. This is a portion of her testimony in the email she sent.
Speaker 1:My foundation and Christ was established even before my birth. Through my parents, salvation and pursuit of the Lord. Growing up under their authority and example, I came to trust in the Lord at the tender age of seven. They are my twin pillars in the faith. My love for the Lord is cultivated, encouraged and nourished and challenged in my home Sunday School of Juana's, vbs youth group, christian summer camp, short term missions, just to name a few. Had you asked me or those around me throughout my entire adolescent life, there was never a future. I'd envision the possibility of turning away from the Lord. And yet that's exactly what happened.
Speaker 1:Through a series of circumstances and quiet internal defeats, I lost my identity Apart from Christ. I was discontent, depraved, foolish, lethargic, insincere, hateful, corrupt, too faced and so much more. And stepping outside of a life, of a life abandoned to Christ. I found myself isolated by my own pursuits. Seeking to create a life rooted in worldly wisdom and ambition, this very quickly spiraled into a steady stream of deconstruction and pain.
Speaker 1:In scripture it speaks of the Lord giving people over to the lusts of their hearts, to degrading passions and to a depraved mind. Romans 1, 24 through 28 these heartbreaking verses Defined this period of my life when I lived in conscious rebellion towards the Lord. I had claimed to be wise but was proven foolish. My heart, yearning for selfish validation, caused my thinking to lack all reason. My eyes became blind as I purpose purposefully limited my exposure to truth. Conviction had become a distant whisper rather than a commanding beacon. Like the Israelites, I refused to submit to the Lord, and the seed of discontentment grew deep and strong inside me Instead of rooting out my sin, running towards accountability, seeking truth in God's word. I pursued my own agenda and solution to the eternal dilemma I was facing.
Speaker 1:But God, who is near to the brokenhearted, slow to anger, wise, gentle, loving, kind, rich and mercy, abounding in grace, all knowing, forgiven, tender, jealous, righteous and holy, he never left me. He saw me, ran towards me, covered me, called me his own. He called me by my name. He called me back to himself. His love for me was not broken by my rebellion. His love held fast After seasons of deep rebellion. My mind and heart still bear wounds and scars of that sin. There are consequences I cannot outrun, but those wounds and scars are being healed by the power of Jesus. It is by his wounds, not my own, that I am defined. It is by his wounds that I am healed. That's beautiful.
Speaker 1:She goes on and talks Further about her relationship with the Lord is now one where she confesses sin, studies God's word, memorizes scripture, participates in biblical community, seeks out opportunities to serve, sits under teaching, engages in accountability, puts on the armor of God, takes my thoughts captive. I love it. Flee from sin. These are the habits that act as safeguards in my relationship with the Lord. I love it so much. This she's what she's talking about.
Speaker 1:This is sort of like Lena's presentation is sort of a A clinical approach. I don't want like to use the word clinical, because that that is not Lena's heart, it's an organized presentation. And then here, here is a life that has been lived that reflects that same exact. It's just two angles at the same thing. Heard Lena and her presentation say live in the light of the word, meditate on scripture, saturate your mind and in the scripture.
Speaker 1:And then here, this testimony is like this is what happens when you do that every day. At least that's the goal. I make the decision to die to myself so that I can find life, abundant life in Christ. Hmm, I'm on a shame to the gospel of Christ. I know who I am in Christ because I know him. My testimony is simple. It's the same as everyone else's. I was dead, now I'm alive. I was a rebel, now I'm a child of God. That go much good man. Whoo, they're gonna be fired up. I love it, I love it, I love it. Let me read you another one here, okay. So let me stop right there. I want to close with a couple that are a little bit different Token, different page. So the Lord is so faithful, so good, and I'm I'm grateful and appreciative of that testimony.
Speaker 1:And, man, my heart is burdened for people turning away, but I believe, in the season of apostasy and deep deconstruction, that those voices are going to start getting drowned out. I remember this happening about 20 to 25 years ago. Some of you guys might remember, some of the older folks might remember, the rise of what was called the emergent church. Remember that, and that emergent church is basically was like 1.0 of what we're seeing happen right now with deconstruction. And the big players in that emergent church movement were Ryan McLaren Don was a guy's name Don Miller, donald Miller, ron McLaren what's the love wins guy? Rob Bale you know people like that and those people are still around and if you pay attention they're right, smack dab in the middle of progressive Christianity. So progressive, progressive Christianity is like a resurgence of the emergent church movement.
Speaker 1:The emergent church movement was in the late nineties, was in the nineties and into the the 2000s and then it kind of collapsed. But now it's, it's just back, just repackaged and just know this the gospel will prevail. It ain't going nowhere, it's not. The gospel is not going to wither and die and lose out to a progressive movement.
Speaker 1:The testimonies like the one we just read, and the truth being taught, like the truth that Lena is teaching, that's going to prevail. It's going to prevail, so we need to take hope in that and don't be discouraged. If you're, if you know someone that's turning away, then go to them. I think that's so important. It can be such an encouragement to you to take part actively and but go to them, like like Lena said, graciously and tenderly and compassionately, but with firmness, and speak the truth and love. All right, I'm going to read a very encouraging email here. Hi, my name. This is. This is a got a theological question in it, and so I'll read it to you and then read my answer. Hi, my name is I'm not going to say the name of this person because I didn't get permission to read this.
Speaker 1:I'm a long time follower of SWO from, and she states where she's from. I first visited snowboard as a camper many, many years ago, I think 2005. It changed the way I viewed scripture and my daily walk, or the Lord changed it all through the ministry, rather. I'm very thankful for that and we'll always love you guys. Since then, I've attended more summers as a camper and my husband I have attended the last three marriage conference as well as he and his friends the men's conference. The biscuits and sausage gravy taste exactly the same and it is nostalgia at its finest. Amen to that.
Speaker 1:We also love the podcast so much. The parenting and family episodes are really something we crave. I think for the first time as a husband, adult spouse and parent, my husband and I are truly digging into scripture like never before. It has become something we just can't put down and ache to know more. One big thing that we've learned within the last year is is the elect and Calvinistic view of scripture. We love John MacArthur.
Speaker 1:I was raised in the Southern Baptist Church and never heard about any of this ever. My grandfather and great uncle both great men of God who were my father's, who were my father figures and mentors never mentioned it. I know it's not a popular or comfortable topic to preach to the masses. I feel the tension, but we would love your opinion or stance on the elect. Oh man, I get asked that a lot. It's such a huge conversation, but anyway, I appreciate that the question is being asked here.
Speaker 1:Thank you so much for your time. Thank you for so much for your faithfulness to the ministry. Well, thank you. And I replied to this young lady and said thank you so much for your kind words and encouragement. Thank you for the testimony of the Lord's faithfulness and impact in your life through the ministry of swo. To say that we have helped to point you to scripture and shape your view of the word of God in the gospel is the highest compliment you could give us. Even thinking about our adult conferences and retreats, your story is one that reminds me of why we do these events. We started doing adult conferences so that, as students aged out of youth ministry events, there would be more resources for them as they entered into adulthood, marriage and parenting. So it really is a blessing and an encouragement to hear of the impact, of the impact this ministry has had on y'all's lives.
Speaker 1:To answer your question, if you're studying John MacArthur, then our view of election would line up very close to what he teaches and writes. I like to tell people that we quote lean towards the reformed position, end quote. I'm grateful for John MacArthur and his ministry as it has been a huge help in my own spiritual growth and formation. I'm hesitant to use titles like quote Calvinist unquote. However, I believe the scriptural teaching on the doctrine of election is clear and I trust and hold to a high view of the sovereignty of God. Just keep digging into the word and seeking truth with an open heart and mind and the Lord will continue to encourage and enlighten. Thanks again, brody. So I appreciate that that email and hopefully that response will be an encouragement to this young lady and her husband and and to y'all.
Speaker 1:Thank you for listening this week. Thank you for listening. Every week means a lot. I've been on the road like crazy. I've seen a lot of you in the last month Been to Minnesota, wisconsin, virginia, several places in North Carolina college campuses at App State, north Carolina State, jacksonville, florida, been in Athens, georgia. It's been a whirlwind and I've been so encouraged by how many people have said that they listen to NSR. So thank y'all. Means a lot and keep bringing it as Lord is is allowing. So pray for us as we ramp up for this upcoming crazy season of ministry. We got a lot on the on on the table right now. I'm excited for what's coming up. It's going to be a fun year. So keep praying and come see us. Thanks again.
Speaker 2:Thanks for listening to. No sanity required. Please take a moment to subscribe and leave a rating. It really helps. Visit us at SW outfitterscom to see all of our programming and resources, and we'll see you next week on. No sanity required.