And I will ask the Father, and he will give you another Helper, to be with you forever, even the Spirit of truth, whom the world cannot receive, because it neither sees him nor knows him. You know him, for he dwells with you and will be in you.

The Person Of God The Holy Spirit

This message is designed in such a way as to say: Let me introduce you to The Holy Spirit, Who has been called “the forgotten member of the Godhead,” and for good reason. We begin by turning in the Bible with our text verses aqbove. Initially we’re using these verses of Scripture to give us some solid background. The purpose of this work is to introduce you further to the person of the Holy Spirit, and we’ll look at some of the work, or things, that He does. The first thing we need to understand is that God the Holy Spirit is a Person, and not some kind of impersonal force, as for instance is taught by the Watchtower Bible and Tract Society, also known as the Jehovah’s Witnesses.

And they aren’t the only non-Christian cult to deny the Personhood of God the Holy Spirit either, as the Way International, the New Spirituality, the Mind Science cults such as the Unity School of Christianity and Christian Science, as well as the Cult of Liberal Theology, all have among them those who teach that the Holy Spirit is a “thing” and not a Person. It seems incredible that people who claim the Bible as their source of doctrine concerning God could come to this conclusion but it is a fact of life that you will run into as you begin to share your faith with others. For instance according to Victor Paul Wierwille, founder of the Way International, the term holy spirit refers to an impersonal force that is given by the Father to empower His believers.[1]

While the Jehovah’s Witnesses say virtually the same thing:

 But the holy spirit has no personal name. The reason for this is that the holy spirit is not an intelligent person. It is the impersonal, invisible active force that finds its source and reservoir in Jehovah God and that he uses to accomplish his will even at great distances, over light years of space.[2]

However, in our text it quickly becomes evident that the Holy Spirit is not an “impersonal, invisible active force”; but rather, is an actual Person. Granting that God is beyond anything that we can understand as “person.” Let’s look at verse 17 once more — the [Holy] Spirit of truth, whom the world cannot receive, because it neither sees Him nor knows Him; we clearly begin to sense a theme here. You know Him, for He dwells with you and will be in you. Note that as I emphasized the personal pronouns Him and He, which Jesus uses here in talking about the Holy Spirit, it becomes quite obvious the Master is talking about a Person; and notice also that Christ says — He dwells with you. A thing doesn’t have “life” in the first place so an “it” can’t live with you, these are aspects of a Person and not a “force.”

The Personal Work of God The Holy Spirit

Now let’s turn a few pages to the right and go to John chapter 16 verses 7-15. Here Jesus will be talking about the work of the Holy Spirit. Keep in mind here that the fact the Holy Spirit even has work to do is in itself further proof that He is a Person. In John 16:7 our Lord says — Nevertheless, I tell you the truth: it is to your advantage that I go away, for if I do not go away, the Helper will not come to you. But if I go, I will send him to you. Here Jesus calls the Holy Spirit the “Helper”; parakletos in the Greek. Noted translator and editor, Dr. Edwin Blum, points out “this word [parakletos] was used of legal assistants who pleaded a cause or presented a case.”

This pleading of a cause, and presenting of a defense, could hardly be done by a thing or a force; it would have to be done by a person. Romans 8:26-27 — Likewise the Spirit helps us in our weakness. For we do not know what to pray for as we ought, but the Spirit himself intercedes for us with groanings too deep for words. And he who searches hearts knows what is the mind of the Spirit, because the Spirit intercedes for the saints according to the will of God. Try getting a plant, or a shoe, to do this for you — the Spirit himself intercedes for us with groanings too deep for words. And he who searches hearts knows what is the mind of the Spirit, because the Spirit intercedes for the saints according to the will of God. Only a person can intercede; your pet goldfish certainly can’t.

Some of the things we will see in the Bible concerning the Person of the Holy Spirit and the work He performs will cross over. For instance, in both of these passages of John’s Gospel, Jesus refers to the Holy Spirit as the Counselor—the Helper—so we not only see Him as a Person, but as a Person Who does a work by acting as a counsel in a legal matter. Indeed we also understand that He intercedes for us, He helps us to pray as well; and as we have just seen, these are things that only a person could do. Now let’s go to the Book of Acts and I’ll show you a couple of other places that God the Holy Spirit is clearly shown to be a Person, and we’ll see a bit more of the works He is responsible for.

Acts chapter 5 and verse 3; some may already recognize this as the historical account of Ananias and Sapphira—a first century Real Estate team who wasn’t particularly successful. You may remember that they sold a piece of property, and then tried to sneak a kick-back past the Lord God Almighty of the universe; and God struck them dead. We will want to file this under “Really, Really Bad Ideas.” In itself this is an important lesson no doubt, but there are a couple of other things about the Holy Spirit that can be learned here as well–but oftentimes they are missed by the Christian. We read:

Then Peter said, “Ananias, how is it that Satan has so filled your heart that you have lied to the Holy Spirit and have kept for yourself some of the money you received for the land?” Didn’t it belong to you before it was sold? And after it was sold, wasn’t the money at your disposal? What made you think of doing such a thing? You have not lied to men but to God.” (Acts 5:3-4)

I draw your attention to the middle of verse 3 — you have lied to the Holy Spirit. You cannot lie to a table; you can’t lie to a force, you can only lie to a person. The other thing we learn here is in relation to these groups who try to deny the doctrine of the Holy Trinity that I mentioned earlier. Verse 3 again – you have lied to the Holy Spirit; and now the last part of verse 4 – You have not lied to men but to God. This is one of the clearest references in the Bible to the Deity of the Holy Spirit; verse 3 – you have lied to the Holy Spirit; and verse 4 – you have not lied to men but to God. Therefore the Holy Spirit is not an object or a “force,” He is a person and more than that, He is God.

The Direction Of God The Holy Spirit

We head to one more place here in the Book of Acts, chapter 13, where we’ll see the Personhood of the Holy Spirit and we get another glimpse of His work. Acts chapter 13 and verse 2 where the prophets and teachers in the church at Antioch were having a meeting:

While they were worshipping the Lord and fasting the Holy Spirit said, “Set apart for Me Barnabus and Saul for the work to which I called them.” (Acts 13:2)

Notice here; that the Holy Spirit spoke; and we also see that He made a decision to “call” Barnabus and Saul for work He wanted them to do. As Bible commentator Stanley Toussaint, has pointed out, “Frequently in Acts the Holy Spirit gave directives to God’s leaders (eg., 8:29; 10:19; 13:4).” And a force does not “speak”, or “direct” anyone who is going to work anywhere. Electricity is a powerful “force”, but it must be directed somewhere by a person, as it cannot speak or make decisions independently. To sum up this teaching on the Person, and work of the Holy Spirit; in the Bible the Holy Spirit is given all the attributes of a person, He can feel (Eph. 4:30), He wills (1 Cor. 12:11), and He has a mind (John 14:26; 1 Cor. 2:11).

Let’s turn to this last Scripture for a moment–Ephesians chapter 4 and verse 30; I want to point out something about the Holy Spirit that you may not have thought about, and that being that He loves you. And this can seen right here from Ephesians 4:30 — And do not grieve the Holy Spirit of God, with WHOM you were sealed for the day of redemption. You’ll notice in this verse that we are told not to grieve the Holy Spirit. If we look closely we can see a couple of things: 1) Only a person can grieve, as this expresses emotion, something a force is not capable of. This brings us to our second point: Only someone who loves you would “grieve” over you. While I don’t agree with everything he taught, A.W. Tozer did put it well when he said:

suppose your teenage son got tangled up with another young man, and this other kid enticed your son to do something against the law. One night you get a call that the two of them are in the local jail. Now you might feel some sympathy for the other boy, but your heart would break, you would grieve for your son—because you love him—He belongs to you.

The Love of God the Holy Spirit

And so, before one can grieve, one must first love. It seems as if so many people are afraid of God the Holy Spirit, and treat Him like He is some eerie, weird, and strange entity. I even heard one Christian say: “Well, if you have a hard time God just gives you that Holy Spirit to fall back on.” However, we’ve now seen that the Holy Spirit is not a safety net, nor is He some strange and mystical force; no, He is a Person. And we see here in Ephesians 4:30 that He loves you–just the same as God the Father and God the Son do–because the Holy Spirit Himself is God. As the great theologian from Princeton Theological Seminary, the highly esteemed Dr. Charles Hodge, concludes in his classic Systematic Theology:

All the elements of personality, namely, intelligence, will and individual [awareness] in which [we human beings have as a part of] us…are all distinctly attributed to [God the Holy] Spirit…[He is said to know, to will, and to act…[logically; if] He can be loved, reverenced, and obeyed, or offended and sinned against, [the Holy Spirit] must be a Person.

As we now wrap up this teaching on the Person and work of the Holy Spirit, it was pointed out elsewhere that “[clearly] the Holy Spirit does things that only a person can do, such as teach, command (Acts 16:6), know and search (1 Cor. 2:11), and pray (Rom. 8:26)…[while] the work of the Holy Spirit can [basically] be placed in two broad categories: His work in Creation and His work in redemption.” And finally we quickly look at one of His acts of Creation that we will be eternally grateful for, and one we will certainly have to know very well as this apostasy continues its rapid growth—the Holy Bible.

The Bible Is A Creative Act Of God the Holy Spirit

We quickly turn to 2 Peter chapter 1 and verses 20 – knowing this first of all, that no prophecy of Scripture comes from someone’s own interpretation. In other words, we didn’t just make this stuff up, and write it down, and then try to pass it off as “our” view of God. The inspired Apostle Peter will now tell us how the Bible was written—verse 21 — For no prophecy was ever produced by the will of man, but men spoke from God as they were carried along by the Holy Spirit. The King James Version says — but holy men of God spake as they were moved by the Holy Ghost. In fact, in the Greek this phrase carried along/moved by has the idea of wind—the Holy Spirit—blowing into a ship’s sails and thus steering it in the desired direction.

This apostasy within evangelicalism continues to darken so this is an extremely important thing to remember; as here we categorically learn that God the Holy Spirit is the Author of the Bible, and this is why we refer to these sacred Scriptures as God’s Words—because that is exactly what they are! And awakening to the light of Scripture is what Apprising Ministries stands for because the attacks on the Bible, which are being marshaled by Satan as this Age comes to an end have already begun, and they are aimed right at the evangelical community. His main weapon being the emerging rebellion against the Bible referred to as the Emerging Church aka the Emergent Church—with its postmodern version of liberalism i.e. “big tent” Emergence Christianity.

________________________________________________________________________________
Endnotes:

[1] Victor Wierwille, Receiving the Holy Spirit Today [New Knoxville: American Christian Press, 1977], 1-5.

[2] Let Your Name Be Sanctified [NY: Watchtower Bible & Tract Society, 1961], 269, emphasis mine.

See also:

EMERGING CHURCH AND PROGRESSIVE CHRISTIAN THEOLOGY

THE EMERGING CHURCH AND EVOLUTIONARY CHRISTIANITY

THE EMERGING CHURCH AND SPIRITUAL EVOLUTION

WHAT’S NEW AT THE BUILD-A-GOD SHOP

THE IDOL OF EVANGELICALISM

GAY AWAKENING FOR MAINSTREAM EVANGELICALISM GROWS CLOSER

JOHN MACARTHUR ON SOLA SCRIPTURA

OPs include such EC luminaries as self-described “Queer Affirming” ELCA “pastor” Nadia Bolz-Weber, who was recently featured at the EC apostasia-palooza Christianity 21 put on by heretical EC “theologian” Tony Jones along with his equally heretical quasi-universalist “pastor” Doug Pagitt, and practicing lesbian “Christ-follower” Adele Sakler of the EC group Queermergent. Because the EC is pushing its gay-affirming agenda into evangelicalism it has now been more than happy to embrace Bakker and his OPs posse.

Bakker’s even become good friends with Jones and with leading EC guru Brian McLaren; in fact, Bakker told us earlier:

My latest sermon was on @BRIANMCLAREN What I really think of him! http://www.revolutionnyc.com/in-defense-of-brian-mclaren/ (Online source)

Then today not long ago Bakker tweeted:

I highly recommend @brianmclaren new book, a new kind of Christianity. This is a vary important books for the future of faith. (Online source)

But there may bad news for Bakker and the OPs though because we’re already seeing Dissention Growing Around The Emerging Church over McLaren’s new book and he appears to have commited a tactical blunder that’s likely to backfire even more. You see, Brian McLaren has made the choice to finally come straight out with his rejection of the verbal plenary inspiration of Scripture in favor of destructive higher criticism of the Bible as well as his belief in Open Theism/Process Theology, which we get a peek at in the following.

In Setting the Stage for the Biblical Narrative, chapter 5 in A New Kind of Christianity (ANKoC)—the title alone is revealing enough—McLaren tells us there was a time when he “began losing faith” in the way he once read the Bible. However, McLaren goes on to share that he was then fortunate to be able to learn “from Christian scholars” such as “Protestants” like Living Spiritual Teacher and Progessive Christian scholar “Marcus Borg” and Roman “Catholics” like “Richard Rohr,” a leading instructor of Contemplative Spirituality/Mysticism as well as another Living Spiritual Teacher.

On page 268 as footnote to the above chapter in ANKoC McLaren muses:

As we will see again when we read the story of Job in response to the authority question, it may help us here [in Elohim's “coming-of-age" story] to see “God” not simply as the real God, but as a character in a story, seen and described unapologetically from a human point of view. This character is thus rendered in starkly human terms, which excuses the character for displaying less emotional maturity that we might expect in an actual deity.

This character seems, if we’re honest, rather limited in foresight (threatening and then not imposing the death penalty with Adam and Eve, not anticipating Cain’s violence to Abel), and somewhat insecure and threatened by human potential, worrying first that humans “will become . . . like us” (Gen. 3:22) and later that “nothing will be impossible for them” (11:6). 

And it’s this type of liberal/progessive rubbish, highly recommended by Jay Bakker, that your youth have been fed for years now in your evangelical churches by EC dreamers with their mystical god of myth who’s little more than merely a bigger version of themselves.

See also:

MORE ON: GOD OF THE EMERGING CHURCH

THE EMERGENCE OF A NEW GOD

DOES “GAY AFFIRMING PASTOR” JAY BAKKER REALLY LOVE GAY PEOPLE?

BRIAN MCLAREN CONTINUES TO BLUNDER

DOUG PAGITT AND JOHN SHELBY SPONG

DID NADIA BOLZ-WEBER JUST CALL JESUS “A SCHMUCK”?

ADAM WALKER CLEAVELAND SAYS JESUS WAS WRONG

However, as we read this verse it immediately becomes evident that we are not dealing with a mere human being here. Clearly this child will be much more than that as He is called Mighty God and Everlasting Father. It should be noted that Everlasting Father could be better translated, “The Eternal Father,” as it is in Tanakh-The Holy Scriptures, which is published by the Jewish Publication Society, and “represents the collaboration of academic scholars with rabbis from the three largest branches of organized Jewish religious life in America” (Preface, xv).

In their classic work Jamieson, Fausset and Brown comment on the title Everlasting Father: “This marks [the Messiah]…lit. [as] ‘The Father of eternity’…” (Vol. 2, 594). Everlasting Father will also remind the serious Bible student of Psalm 90:2 — Before the mountains were born or You brought forth the earth and the world, from everlasting to everlasting You are God. When this verse is cross-referenced with John 1:3 and Colossians 1:16, we will see that we are indeed talking about the Deity of Jesus Christ.

Dr. John Martin of Dallas Theological Seminary further points out:

[The Messiah] is also the Mighty God (cf. 10:21). Some have suggested that this simply means “a god-like person” or hero. But in context it becomes clear Isaiah meant much more than that, for he had already spoken of the Messiah do-ing what no other person had been able to do (e.g., 9:2-5). Isaiah understood that the Messiah was to be God in some sense of the term” (The Bible Knowledge Commentary, OT, 1053).

This is confirmed by what Isaiah had previously written in Is. 7:14 — Therefore the Lord [adonai in the Hebrew] Himself will give you a sign: The virgin will be with child and will give birth to a son, and will call him Immanuel (NIV). When this verse is thwn cross-checked with Matthew 1:22-23 we find the name Immanuel means, “God with us,” and that this passage of Holy Scripture is speaking of Christ Jesus of Nazareth.

The WBS does concede here that Isaiah 9:6 is fulfilled in the man Jesus of Nazareth, and that He is the Messiah. However, they then argue that Christ Jesus is Mighty God, but that He is not Jehovah—the Almighty God—because the text of Isaiah doesn’t have “the” in it. The truth remains though, that the Bible itself knows nothing of an Almighty God, as opposed to some lesser “Mighty” God.

In fact, the distinguishing religious characteristic of the nation of Israel in Old Testament times was their monotheism (i.e. belief in one God). In stark contrast to all other cultures around them at the time who were polytheistic (i.e. belief in many gods), the Jews worshipped the one true LORD God Almighty of the Bible.

The absolute truth remains that no amount of fanciful eisegesis can ever get around the incontrovertible fact that the Old Testament teaches monotheism. Hear, O Israel, the LORD our God, the LORD is one (Deuteronomy 6:4, literal Hebrew). And even the New World Translation (NWT), published by the WBTS agrees — Listen, O Israel: Jehovah our God is one Jehovah.

Norman Geisler and Ron Rhodes now point out the WBS error when they say:

The folly of the Watchtower position is at once evident in the fact that Jehovah himself is called a “Mighty God” in the very next chapter of Isaiah (10:21). That both Jehovah and Jesus are called “Mighty God” in the same book within the same section demonstrates their equality.

A good cross-reference is Isaiah 40:3, where Jesus is prophetically called both “Mighty God” (Elohim) and Jehovah (Yahweh): “A voice is calling, ‘Clear the way for the LORD [Yahweh] in the wilderness; Make smooth in the desert a highway for our God [Elohim]’” (NASB; cf. John 1:23). Clearly Jesus is not a lesser God than the Father (When Cultists Ask, 78, 79).

As far as “the” not being in the text of Is. 9:6, “Mighty God” translates the Hebrew El Gibbor, which literally means, “God of Might.” This term is applied to Jehovah in Isaiah 10:21, also without “the” in the original text — A remnant will return, a remnant of Jacob will return to [the] Mighty God. The NWT itself reads — A mere remnant will return, the remnant of Jacob, to the Mighty God. In both of these verses, Isaiah 9:6 and 10:21, the construction of the Hebrew is exactly the same — El Gibbor, “God of Might.”

We know from Holy Scripture that “the LORD” — Jehovah — is the God of Jacob. And he [Jehovah] went on to say: “I am the God of your father, the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac and the God of Jacob (Exodus 3:6, NWT). And then, in Isaiah 45:21-22 the LORD is clear and emphatic that there is only one God period, and that He is the only Savior. Is it not I, Jehovah, besides whom there is no other God; a righteous God and a Savior, there being none excepting me? Turn to me and be saved, all YOU [at the] ends of the earth; for I am God, and there is no one else (NWT).

One of the most important rules when we attempt to interpret the Bible is to let the text speak in its plainest sense. In other words, as we read Is. 45:21-22, what is Isaiah attempting to explain to us? When he writes that besides Jehovah there is no other God, it becomes clear that he means to tell us that there is only one God by nature. Jehovah Himself reiterates this in verse 22 when He announces I am God, and there is no one else. Apart from further indoctrination, no one would ever come to the conclusion that there is more than one God from reading Is. 9:6, 10:21 and/or 45:21-22.

Dr. Walter Martin (1928-1989), author of The Kingdom of the Cults is quite correct when he wrote:

Isaiah 9:6 in the Hebrew Bible is one of the most powerful verses in the Old Testament in proving the deity of Christ, for it incontestably declares that Jehovah himself planned to appear in human form. The verse clearly states that all government will rest upon the “child born” and the “son given,” whose identity is revealed in the very terms used to describe his attributes.

Isaiah, under the inspiration of the Holy Spirit, describes Christ as “Wonderful Counselor, the Mighty God, The Everlasting Father, The Prince of Peace” — all attributes of God alone. The term “Mighty God” is itself indicative of Jehovah, since not only is He the only God (Isaiah 43:10-11), but the term mighty is applied to Him alone
in relation to His deity (107, 108).

In conclusion—the Christian always need be mindful that Christ died for His children who may be Jehohah’s Witnesses trapped within the WBTS. And it’s also helpful to remember that the characteristics of all non-Christian cults includes a denial of the full Deity of our Lord Jesus Christ, as well as some type of a teaching system designed to indoctrinate its followers into their peculiar set of beliefs.

The most important issue is this: The JW has been deceived by the WBTS (see—2 Corinthians 11:13-15) into believing in a different Jesus (see—2 Corinthians 11:4) and in a different gospel (see—Galatians 1:6-9). And as such, they are desperately in need of a saving relationship with the true Jesus of the historic revelation found in the Bible.

It’s our job as ambassadors of Christ to faithfully proclaim to all men everywhere that Jehovah God has said — Furthermore, there is no salvation in anyone else, for there is not another name under heaven that has been given among men by which we must get saved (Acts 4:12, NWT). The wise man is going to ask — “What is that name under heaven that has been given among men by which we must get saved?”

And the all-important answer is found just two verses before in verse 10 — it is by the name of Jesus Christ the Nazareth.

What The Scripture Says

The intent of this work at Apprising Ministries is drawn from an adage by one of the greatest illustrative Bible teachers the Church has ever known, Dr. Donald Grey Barnhouse, who said a — “The goal of the good Bible teacher is to get the hay down out of the loft onto the barn floor where the cows can get at it.”

And while I could certainly make this much more complex, I have chosen to make this information as accessible as possible. This way, if you are interested in teaching someone who is a member of the Watchtower about Who Jesus Christ of Nazareth really is, or if perhaps you are Jehovah’s Witness who is seeking this information for yourself, then you will find this look at Philippians 2:5-6 to be of value.

As a matter of fact, on pg. 33 in the Watchtower book Knowledge That Leads to Everlasting Life we read: “Our knowledge [about Jesus] must be free of any distortions as to his nature and as his role in God’s arrangement.” And here we will all agree; if one does not know Who Jesus really is, then he does not have the “knowledge that leads to everlasting life.” That said, let’s zero in on verse 6 of the text above — Who, being in very nature God, did not consider equality with God something to be grasped.

This is a critical verse to really become familiar with, as you begin to share your faith in Christ in this postmodern culture. More and more people around us today truly have no concept of the actual Person and nature of our Lord. You first need to understand that there is a plethora of wrong views about Jesus that are currently being taught in our society, as there is no shortage of misinformed people running around claiming to speak words from God.

How Can We Know For Sure What Is True?

The important question that we need to ask, and to encourage others to ask as well is: How do we know if what these people say about God is really true or not? Well, the prophet Isaiah tells us when he explains that people who claim to speak for God must teach what agrees with the Law — [Holy Scripture] — and [with] the testimony — [previous doctrines or teachings that have already been developed from the Bible].

God the Holy Spirit further tells us in the Scriptures – If they do not speak according to this Word, they have no light (Isaiah 8:20). The fact is that there are so many today who are speaking from darkness and then go on to claim that it’s from God. But the Lord plainly warns us — Do not listen to what the prophets are prophesying to you; they fill you with false hopes. They speak visions from their own minds, not from the mouth of the Lord (Jeremiah 23:16).

In this postmodern era we do have to be very careful just who we listen to. For as the old saying goes — “this is not a drill.” And the Bible tells us emphatically to a — Test everything. Hold on to what is good (1 Thessalonians 5:21). The wise man then is going to ask: Well, what do we Test everything by? The answer to this vital question is found right in Acts 17:11, which is Dr. Luke’s book about the early history of the ancient Church — Now the Bereans were of more noble character than the Thessalonians, for they received the message with great eagerness and examined the Scriptures every day to see if what Paul said was true.

We can certainly see from this God thinks it is noble, good, and righteous to, Test everything you are taught about Him by His Word in the Bible. And that’s why a true minister of Jesus Christ will always encourage you to look up in the Holy Scriptures, for yourself, the things they teach you. They will want you to be of more noble character then those who don’t. Can you see that? And it’s also for their own protection as well.

Christ Is The Very Essence of God

Let’s go back to our text in Philippians 2:6. It’s clear from the preceding verse that we are talking about Christ Jesus here. Who, being in very nature God, did not consider equality with God something to be grasped. Now we’re going to spend a bit of time just on the A part, or the first part, of this verse — Who, being in very nature God. In the footnotes to the NIV Study Bible, Dr. Richard Gaffin, Jr. correctly points out that in very nature God is “affirming” that Jesus is fully God.” And further, the word “nature” here (morphe in the Greek) is “the sum of those qualities that make God specifically God” (1985 ed., 1805).

Ontologically, what we are saying is, that in this verse of Holy Scripture the Bible is unmistakably teaching that Jesus of Nazareth by being in very nature God is literally made of the same essence that makes God Who He is. And you will come to see this very clearly before we are through. Let me illustrate. Now, you and I are human beings in our nature. Are we not? And as such we are made up of all of the stuff (essence) that comprises a human being.

Here in Philippians 2:6 the Apostle Paul is telling us that Jesus is made of the same essence—Deity—that God is made of. Does this begin to make sense? In other words, the Babe we think of each Christmas season lying in that manger, Who then grew up as the earthly Son of Mary and Joseph, is God Himself also living as a human man in a real body. Paul is telling us that the Man—Christ Jesus of Nazareth—is fully God, in addition to being fully Man. So, therefore, Jesus is both the Son of Man and the Son of God.

You must understand that the historic orthodox Christian Church didn’t just make this up. And by the way, when you see the word “Catholic” in the ancient creeds of the Church, the Greek word katholikos, which was used there. means “universal”; and does not at all refer to the “Roman” Catholic Church. No; the universal Church-the Body of Christ has always proclaimed that Jesus of Nazareth is our Creator—the LORD God Almighty Himself—come into His own creation because this is what is all over the pages of the Bible. And, this is what the cardinal doctrine of the Messiah (Mashiach—in Hebrew), better known to us as the Christ (Christos—in the Greek) truly reveals to the world.

The Bible teaches that right after mankind fell into sin in Genesis 3, God announces that He was going to come into His world as the Savior of our fallen race. For the LORD God said to Satan — And I will put enmity — [hate] — between you and the woman, and between your offspring and hers — [and then God hints at the crucifixion of Jesus and His triumph over the Devil as the LORD God—Jehovah Elohim—further says] — He will crush your head and you will strike His heel (Genesis 3:15).

Christ Was Already Living Before He Lived On Earth

Now let’s look at the first part of Philippians 2:6 again. Who — [Christ Jesus] — being in very nature God. We’ve already seen that this verse teaches our Lord is made up of the nature—or stuff—of God, namely Deity. But H.C. Hewlett tells us that this phrase being in very nature God uses the “participle hyparchon” in the original Greek. And the way this sentence is constructed it “indicates that [Christ] was already in existence” (New International Bible Commentary, 1444, emphasis mine). The word hyparchon carries the meaning of “existing”—“which always involves a preexistent state” (Vine’s Complete Expository Dictionary, 60, emphasis mine).

So, reading this in the original language you’d get the plain meaning — “Who, was already existing in the very ‘form’—nature—or essence of God.” What God the Holy Spirit is telling us here about Jesus Christ of Nazareth is that He is a Being Who was already in existence before He became that Babe in the manger, and He never stopped being God. No; what Christ did was simply to add another nature—this one human—to the nature of God, which He already had!

The Deity of Christ Is Not A Human Invention

The Bible clearly does teach that Jesus has always been God; and when He was born of the Virgin Mary, He then became Man. Now, whether someone wants to believe this or not, is entirely between them and God. However, if they choose not to believe what God’s Word says, then they should at least be honest enough to stop telling people that the Church “made up” this doctrine. Yet, this is precisely what skeptics, the Mind Science cults—like Christian Science and the Unity School of Christianity—are telling people around us.

Others who say that supposedly dishonest clergy “invented” the Deity of Christ are those in the non-Christian cult of Liberal Theology and people involved in the New Age Movement. And then there are others who don’t believe that the one true eternally existing God Himself became man, like the Jehovah’s Witnesses, the Mormon Church, and The Way International, who continue to insist that the Bible “doesn’t teach this.”

While it is certainly true that everyone has the right to their own views, they are clearly wrong when they say that the full Deity of Jesus Christ is nowhere to be found in the Bible. Our text here in Philippians 2:6 alone refutes that argument. And especially now that we more fully understand the original Greek language in which Paul wrote the words of our initial text concerning—Christ Jesus— “Who, was already existing in the nature—essence—the very stuff that makes God Who He is.”

What The Bible Tells Us About The Historic Person Jesus Of Nazareth

Now if this was just one obscure passage of Scripture by just one human author, then maybe these folks might possibly have a case. Although by definition, to say “Scripture” is to say that God wrote the passage (see—2 Timothy 3:16; 2 Peter 1:20-21). This aside, we go to John 1:1; a verse which is so very important for us to have a good grasp on as we try and witness in these crazy times that we are currently living in.

John 1:1 — In the beginning was the Word and the Word was with God and the Word was God. Here it is again broken down in the original Greek. En arche. In the beginning — before anything originated and began to exist. En ho Logos — was the Word. The Word already was existing. Do you see how this agrees with what Paul wrote in Philippians 2:6? Now John himself is also telling us the Word—Christ Jesus—was already existing.

Then the Apostle whom Jesus loved goes on to instruct us and the Word was with God and — Theos en ho Logos — the Word was God. What God was made of—the Word was also made of. Which is to say, the morphe—essence—form—or the very nature of Deity. As you should now be able to see, all of this really is quite clear in the original text.

Let me quickly point out 2 other verses that are also clear indications of our Lord’s Deity. The first is Colossians 2:9. Here the Apostle Paul tells us — For in Christ pleroma tes Theotes somotikos — in the Greek. This means — “everything that makes God Who He is” lives in the Man Jesus of Nazareth. The full Deity of Christ just couldn’t be written in any stronger language than Paul is using here!

The second verse I’d like to point out is Hebrews 1:3 where God the Holy Spirit tells us — The Son [Jesus] is the radiance of God’s glory and the exact representation of His — [the Father’s] — being. Charakter hautou hupostasis — in the original. The substance—or essence—of God’s exact nature—Deity. Once again we learn here that the Father and the Son are identical in their nature, which is what makes them Who they are—and that is Deity—God. And so Christ Jesus really could say — “He who has seen Me has seen the Father” (John 14:9). Because the Bible categorically teaches that Jesus Christ of Nazareth is the exact representation of [God’s very] being. I know it’s all a bit technical, but this is how easily these subtle, twisted, and eternally dangerous lies of the Devil will ensnare unsuspecting prey.

And this brings us nicely around to Philippians 2:6 once again. As you should be able to see by now, if someone really wants to break down a verse of the Bible, there is certainly a whole lot that you can find. The a part of verse 6 once again — Who, being in very nature God. What I want to do now is to reinforce our newly acquired knowledge about the phrase in very nature God, which is that word morphe—in the Greek—that I’ve mentioned a couple of times now.

As Dr. Robert Lightner informs us:

The term translated nature morphe in verses 6 and 7 is a critical term in this passage. This word (trans. form in the KJV and NASB) stresses the inner essence or reality of that with which it is associated (cf. Mark 16:12). Christ Jesus, Paul said, is of the very essence (morphe) of God, and in His incarnation He embraced perfect humanity. His complete and absolute deity is here stressed by the apostle
(The Bible Knowledge Commentary, NT, 653,654).

You will remember that I just showed you from John 1:1 that the Apostle John taught the exact same thing, as did the writer of the Book of Hebrews. Namely, that Jesus of Nazareth was not only a Man, but He was also made of what God is made of—Spirit-Deity. It is critical for you to understand that the Bible is quite emphatic that Jesus never stopped being God, as I said before, He just added humanity to His already Divine nature. Dr. Lightner further points out — “The Savior’s claim to deity infuriated the Jewish leaders (John 5:18) and caused them to accuse Him of blasphemy (John 10:33)” (ibid.). Which you will recall, is the very crime for which Jesus Christ of Nazareth was crucified.

The Deity of Christ Is A Crucial Issue

We need to remember that the Bible tells us to have no fellowship with the unfruitful works of darkness, but rather expose them (Ephesians 5:11). We also must understand that the Deity of Christ is Satan’s prime target of attack. And here’s why. In the Gospel of John 8:24 our Lord says something that cuts to the very heart of all that we have been talking about. Jesus of Nazareth, the Lord of Glory, and the only Savior of this lost world is quoted by the Apostle John who is an eyewitness to this event.

Let’s look at John 8:24 — I told you — [ says our Lord and God] — I told you that you would die in your sins; if you do not believe that I Am. We must stop right here. If you are reading the NIV, you will notice little brackets after the words I Am. And then you will see the words — “the One I claim to be.” Both the King James and the New American Standard versions have the word “He” in italics, while the New World Translation used by Jehovah’s Witnesses has word “he“ in lower case letters, and in brackets. The reason for that is the translators have added those words to the text in an attempt to “clarify” what Jesus meant. The words “the One I claim to be” and “He” are not in the original Greek text.

What Jesus is actually quoted by John as saying is — I told you that you would die in your sins; if you do not believe that I Am, you will indeed die in your sins. And you may recall that this is the Divine Name of God as found in Exodus 3:14 when the Lord spoke to Moses through the burning bush. So, what is Jesus trying to tell us here? The Master has just said, that He is the great I Am—the LORD God Almighty—Creator of the universe—and the very Person Who spoke to Moses from that burning bush!

The point our Lord is making here is this: Unless a person comes to Him and acknowledges that it is their own Creator—God Himself—Who is their Savior, then that person will die in their sins, and will have condemned themselves to Hell. And this is exactly what the Apostle Paul is also confirming in our text in Philippians 2:6. The great Reformers of the Church had an important phrase that they used Soli Deo Gloria, which means “to God alone be the glory.”

Can you see now why it’s so harmful to the fate of mankind as the contemporary church “world” (a more apt word than many know) continues this horrific drift away from a true understanding of the all-surpassing greatness of Jehovah Elohim. For you see, because the Church of our Lord has been failing to magnify God to His proper place, people now have a false view of their Creator as simply a slightly more powerful version of man. And in this paralyzing process a vital truth which relates directly to our subject of the full Deity of Jesus Christ has now become obscured. The one true and living LORD God Almighty would never share His glory with another; that glory which is due to Him alone!

Open your eyes and you will see that this long promised Messiah has to be God Himself, and this itself was not unknown to Jewish scholars. As a matter of fact, in the Jewish New Testament Commentary, Dr. David Stern, himself a messianic Jew living in Jerusalem, tells us: “The pre-existence of the Messiah was a familiar concept in rabbinic Judaism… [However, more] problematical for Judaism is the Messiah’s equality with God;…(596, emphasis added). And this is, in fact, what the orthodox Jewish faith is rejecting even now.

But What Does The Watchtower Say To Jehovah’s Witnesses?

And the sad thing is, there are so many more people who are also dying in their sins because they are denying the full Deity of Christ. At this point we turn attention specifically to the Watchtower Bible and Tract Society (WBS), also known as the Jehovah’s Witnesses. In their book The Greatest Man Who Ever Lived—published by the WBS—we’re informed:

Jesus never claimed to be God, but he acknowledged that he was the promised Messiah… He was a very special person because he was created by God before all other things (3,4, emphasis mine).

In the official Watchtower publication Should You Believe In The Trinity we read:

Jesus had an existence in heaven before coming to the earth…the Bible plainly states that in his prehuman existence, Jesus was a created spirit being, just as the angels were spirit beings created by God… Jesus, in his prehuman existence, was “The first-[one]-born of all creation” (12, emphasis mine).

Then in their book Let God Be True the WBS says:

This One [Jesus of Nazareth] was not Jehovah God, but was “existing in God’s form.” How so? He was a spirit person, just as “God is a Spirit”; he was a mighty one, although not almighty as Jehovah God is; also he was there before all others of God’s creatures, for he was the first son that Jehovah God brought forth. Hence he is called “the only begotten Son” of God, for God had no other partner in bringing forth his first-begotten Son. He was the first of Jehovah God’s creations… Thus he is ranked with God’s creation, being first among them…after God had created him as his firstborn Son, then God used him as his working Partner in creating all the rest of creation (32,33).

The justice of God would not permit that Jesus, as a ransom, be more than a perfect man; and certainly not [to] be the supreme God Almighty in the flesh” (106, 1952 ed., emphasis added).

At the current official website of the WBS we see:

Since all created things had a beginning, there was a time when God was alone. Countless ages ago, however, God became a Creator. Who was his first creation? The last book of the Bible identifies Jesus as “the beginning of the creation by God.” (Revelation 3:14) Jesus is “the firstborn of all creation.” That is so “because by means of him all other things were created in the heavens and upon the earth, the things visible and the things invisible.” (Colossians 1:15, 16) Yes, Jesus was the only one directly created by God himself. (Online source)

Then in The Kingdom Is At Hand Jehovah’s supposed mouthpiece—His alleged “faithful and discreet slave”—tells us — “In other words, [Jesus of Nazareth] was the first and direct creation of Jehovah God.” (46,47,49, as cited in Passantino, Answers To The Cultist At Your Door, 1981, ed., 69, emphasis added)

Finally Dr. Walter Martin (1928-1989) gives us the benefit of his wisdom in this critical area of the classic historic orthodox Christian faith. From his classic text book The Kingdom of the Cults we read:

No treatment of the deity of Christ would be complete without mentioning the greatest single testimony recorded in the Scriptures. John 20:28 presents that testimony… Following through the sequence of events in verses 26 and 27, we learn that the Lord appeared to Thomas together with the other disciples and presented His body bearing the wounds of Calvary to Thomas for his inspection.

This was no spirit or phantom, no “form” assumed for the occasion, as Jehovah’s Witnesses maintain. This was the very body of Christ that bore the horrible imprints of excruciating torture and the pangs of an ignominious death. Here before the eyes of the unbelieving disciple was the evidence that compelled him by the sheer power of its existence to adore the One who manifested the essence of Deity. “Thomas answered and said unto him, My lord and my God.” This was the only answer Thomas could honestly give; Christ had proved His identity; He was truly “the Lord God.” Let us substantiate this beyond doubt…

The picture is clear. Thomas adored Christ as the risen incarnation of the Deity (Jehovah); John declared that Deity was His from all eternity (John 1:1); and Christ affirmed it irrefutably: “If ye believe not that I am he [Jehovah], ye shall die in your sins.” (John 8:24, cf. Exodus 3:14, bracketed mine). All of the pseudo-scholastic and elusive tactics ever utilized can ever change the plain declarations of God’s Word. Jesus Christ is Lord of all; and like it or not, Jehovah’s Witnesses will never destroy or remove that truth. Regardless of what is done to God’s Word on earth, it remains eternal in the glory, as it is written, “For ever, O LORD, thy word is settled in heaven” (Psalm 119:89).

So, Who Are You Going To Believe?

The problem we run into immediately is that none of this agrees with the historic record of the actual Person of Jesus Christ of Nazareth, which we read about in the Bible—the true history of our Lord and Savior—Christ Jesus. This would mean then, according to Holy Scripture, that all people who believe the things that we just read, and who deny His full Deity remain condemned to Hell (see—John 3:36).

You’ll recall that the Apostle John, in his eyewitness deposition we call the Gospel of John, records the real Jesus as saying — “I told you that you would die in your sins; if you do not believe that I Am — [the eternal God Himself come in human flesh] — you will indeed die in your sins.” And so, clearly, we are not dealing with some minor issue here. But rather, this is the heart of the very Gospel of Jesus Christ itself!

We should now be able to see that many who would claim to be Christian really have little idea about what the Bible actually says concerning our great God and Savior Jesus Christ (see—Roman 9:5; Titus 2:13). And they also have no idea just how important it is to tell others where the Bible clearly teaches Who Jesus Christ of Nazareth actually is. Not Who He was, but Who the Master even now is. For He is alive! Jesus of Nazareth rose from the dead. So we who truly are Christians need to be able to prove from the Scriptures that it was indeed the very Creator of this universe Who hung on that cross.

The Bible tells us that Jesus went to that grisly death for the joy set before Him (Hebrews 12:2). And what was that joy set before Him? His unfathomable love for —you. Do you see it? God doesn’t just talk about His love for us. No; the Bible says God demonstrates His own love for us in this: While we were yet sinners, Christ died for us (Romans 5:8).

And no matter when you accept this free gift from the LORD God Almighty it’s still the best present you could ever receive. If you haven’t, won’t you give yourself to Jesus? The truth is your Creator loved you enough to take your place and received the punishment that you deserve. If you hear God calling you, then listen closely and you will hear Him speak to your heart, and you’ll just know that what I say from the Bible is true.

It Was God Upon That Cross

And now we arrive back at Philippians 2:6 — [Jesus the Christ] — Who, being in very nature — God. The question we must ask ourselves is: Who died for the sins of mankind? The answer is—God. And Who has mankind sinned against? God. Therefore, Who is the only Person Who could have forgiven our sins? God. You see, it really is that simple to understand the Gospel of Jesus Christ. However, it’s Satan, the ruler of the kingdom of darkness, who attempts to complicate this glorious truth and tries to hide God’s free gift away in his Kingdom of the Cults.

Philippians 2:6 — [Christ Jesus—the glorious Lord of all lords and the King of all kings] — Who, being in very nature God — was already in existence—in the essence and nature of Deity prior to His coming to earth. Hence, the Word—Who became flesh—the Man Jesus of Nazareth—must be Jehovah God in human form because our Lord has always possessed all the very attributes of Deity. And this is exactly what the Apostle Paul is teaching us here in this passage of Philippians chapter 2.

And in summing all of this up; we have clearly seen that the Bible undeniably teaches that Christ was already existing as God before He added a human nature. God the Son—second Person of the Holy Trinity—then took on flesh when He was born of the Virgin Mary as the precious Babe, Who was wrapped in swaddling clothes in that dark and smelly animal manger. Thus, we have the origin of the cardinal doctrine of the historic orthodox Christian Church known as the Deity of Jesus Christ of Nazareth. However, whether someone accepts this or not is another matter entirely at this point.

As has been asked elsewhere: Do you realize that when the very Creator of the universe came into His world there was no room in His world for Him? So, the next time you look at a nativity scene, just think about it. God became man, born as a tiny, helpless, infant making Himself vulnerable to His rebellious creatures. Why? So that He might demonstrate to us what He had said all along in Holy Scripture — the LORD your God goes with you; He will never leave you nor forsake you (Deuteronomy 31:6).

Can you see it now? For it is written: God demonstrates His own love for us in this: While we were yet sinners, Christ died for us. However, in the Book of Isaiah, written some 700 years before Jesus was even born, Yahweh—or Jehovah if you prefer—the LORD God Almighty says — See, I have engraved you on the palms of My hands (Is. 49:16)…then all mankind will know that I — [Yahweh] — the LORD — [Jehovah] — am your Savior, [and] your Redeemer (Isaiah 49:26). Holy Scripture clearly teaches that the LORD—Jehovah God Himself—would become man to save and redeem us from, our sins against Him and to deliver us from the flames of Hell.

And Now The Rest Is Up To You

And as I said previously, whether a person will believe this or not is between them, and their Creator—Christ Jesus. But in the end, they will not be able to avoid the cold, hard Truth: Jesus Christ of Nazareth is Yahweh—Jehovah God Himself—come in human flesh to pay the price for our sins against Him. This is also exactly what the Old Testament teaches the Christ would be. It is exactly what our Lord claimed while He was here on earth. And it is exactly what the New Testament teaches about Who the Savior—the historic Person Jesus of Nazareth—the Christ of God really is.

But before you do, you need to listen to these former leaders of the Jehovah’s Witnesses at their headquarters in Brooklyn, New York. So what about the content of the Watchtower magazines? And why is this such a dangerous cult? These links to video clips from The John Ankerberg Show will prove helpful:

                         Part One     Part Two     Part Three

See also:

JEHOVAH’S WITNESSES AND ISAIAH 9:6

THE WATCHTOWER, THE DEITY OF CHRIST & PHIL. 2:5-6

Your own personal Jesus
Someone to hear your prayers
Someone who cares
Your own personal Jesus
Someone to hear your prayers
Someone who’s there
I will deliver
You know I’m a forgiver

Having been graciously extended the privilege of reading an advance copy of the book Putting Jesus in His Place: The Case for the Deity of Christ by Rob Bowman and Ed Komoszewski Apprising Ministries is pleased to commend to your attention this fresh and much needed look at Who Jesus of Nazareth really is. And I say is because Christ Jesus is literally still alive.

As one who deals in exposing the neo-Gnosticism of the new cult of liberal theology which is the Emergent Church I see immediately that Bowman and Komoszewski have complete grasp of the various issues we face here in this so-called postmodern emerging culture. They begin exactly where we need to in dispelling the myths of the personal Jesus, the “Jesus” of the culture du jour:

There’s no denying it: Jesus is one of a kind. He is the central figure of the world’s largest religion (Christianity) and viewed as a major prophet in the world’s second largest religion (Islam). Most people, in fact, regard Jesus as one of the greatest human beings who ever lived. But this remarkable consensus begs the question: Why are there so many conflicting interpretations of Jesus?

Interpretations of Jesus are fraught with bias. He’s a powerful figure whom people want on their sides—and they’re willing to re-create him in their image to enlist his support. Animal-rights activists imagine a vegetarian Jesus. New Agers make him an example of finding the god within. And radical feminists strip him of divinity so that Christianity doesn’t appear sexist. “Frankly, it’s hard to escape the feeling that our culture has taken Jesus’ question ‘Who do you say that I am?’ and changed it to ‘Who do you want me to be?’”

You can find out all about Putting Jesus in His Place: The Case for the Deity of Christ by Rob Bowman and Ed Komoszewski right here.

Attention To Prayer And The Ministry Of The Word

Let me say right at the outset that if you are not interested in the critcal work that I am doing here at Apprising Ministries for the Body of Christ right now at this critical time in history then save yourself some frustration and just skip right on over this piece. My advice to you is don’t even bother to read it because I guarantee that it will only make you angry because what follows is nothing at all like the squalid pap passing for the Christian faith you would be used to hearing from too many apologists today.

“From the days of John the Baptist until now, the Kingdom of Heaven has been forcefully advancing, and forceful men lay hold of it.” (Matthew 11:12)

In the Book of Acts we see those same Twelve men (aka the Apostles) as in the opening text–minus Judas Iscariot and replaced by Matthias–being confronted by a difficult problem. This particular situation, however important the need, was interfering with the calling and desire which God had placed in their hearts that they preach the Word of God and for them to teach the Lord’s people. As it is written: Delight thyself also in the LORD; and He shall give thee the desires of thine heart (Psalm 37:4, KJV).

So now here’s the historic text of canonical Scripture as to how God wanted the situation handled:

In those days when the number of disciples was increasing, the Grecian Jews among them complained against the Hebraic Jews because their widows were being overlooked in the daily distribution of food. So the Twelve gathered all the disciples together and said, “It would not be right for us to neglect the ministry of the Word of God in order to wait on tables.”

“Brothers, choose seven men from among you who are known to be full of the Spirit and wisdom. We will turn this responsibility over to them and will give our attention to prayer and the ministry of the Word.” (Acts 6:1-4)

Well after delighting myself in the Lord, my calling and the desire of my heart is to do the same as the men above. And not only that but Christ has given me a local church of but five people to pastor, the personal website of AM, and as well as another in Slice of Laodicea to help oversee. So as you should be able to see it isn’t as if I don’t have the forums to preach and teach the Word of God already. Not only that but I have long ago demonstrated my ability to rightly divide the Word of Truth. Yet amazingly, because I receive virtually no funding, now the bulk of my time each day is spent in the “tutoring center” (special education) of the local secular high school with kids who have no interest whatsoever in learning.

In addition because of tons of money-grubbing charlatans which are regularly paraded before us on TBN, and the many so well-conditioned by seeker sensitive Christianity-Lite, there are lots of people who will quickly say, “O but if it’s God’s will for you to be in the ministry fulltime then He’ll make the way through His people.” Really? What planet have you just arrived from? Obviously the Lord works through His people, but let me ask a question of the smug self-satisfied “Christian” who feels this way. What do you suppose happens to men like me when God’s people are disobedient, and/or self-centered, and/or in a spiritual coma concerning the very real danger that emerging Hollow Men like Emergent Guru Brian McLaren present to His entire Church?

Free Will And Disobedience

So wait a miniute now because you can’t have it both ways. Right now we have the hugely Arminian bent within the Body of Christ which is currently holding sway and pushing hard for us to see that mankind has a “free will.” The Christian then, they also tell us, can then use this free will to choose to obey God or not to obey Him. Well, for now I’m not arguing with you here about whether this is true or not, but rather my point should become crystal clear. When the Lord’s Christian people of the New Testament begin acting just as the nation of Israel did in the Old Testament–and they are–selfishly keeping His blessings to themselves, then guess who it is who is going to go without funding? And after all, we all know that God is not going to force anyone to do something against their will.

However, it is also written of the Body of Christ:

So we, being many, are one body in Christ, and every one members one of another. Having then gifts differing according to the grace that is given to us, whether prophecy, let us prophesy according to the proportion of faith; Or ministry, let us wait on our ministering: or he that teacheth, on teaching; Or he that exhorteth, on exhortation: he that giveth, let him do it with simplicity; he that ruleth, with diligence; he that showeth mercy, with cheerfulness. (Romans 12:5-8, KJV)

So what do you think happens during a time such as this one of rampant apostasy and self-centeredness in the Church when those whose gift is he that giveth decide it’s more important that he goes on a vacation because God “understands that I need time to rest.” He does? While people are dying and going to Hell as the Church sleeps on, are you sure the Lord is ok with you taking time off for yourself? What have you done for His cause lately? Where exactly do we find Jesus headed out for a two-thousand dollar “Christian” pleasure cruise? The Church of Jesus Christ is being attacked by savage Emergent wolves in sheep’s clothing and men like me are diligently working the equivalent of three fulltime jobs with little to no real support from my brethren and you say you need rest?

One quick example of what ministries like mine, and other brothers who are without forums such as this and who also pastor small congregations who cannot even come close to supporting them, go through. In faithfulness I am also speaking for these noble shepherds in little out of the way churches as well. Y’know maybe an overpaid megachurch pastor or two ought to think about what it’s like for those like me who are neglected missionaries to our own people. And yes, I do pray this will cut you to your heart. A brother writes to me on his own a while back all excited about finding that someone is “boldly standing for the Truth.” He’s even from my own fading denomination and he tells me that he’s going to commit to a certain amount of financial support every month. Many words of encouragement and a commitment to stand with us monetarily.

Not only that but he says I’m also going to recruit ten people to commit to supporting AM as well. Well, this encouragement was quite short-lived. Here’s what actually happened; he sent but one check himself, we’ve seen none of the ten and he has never given again without any explanation as to why. O but the hypocrites will publicly and loudly stand on their street corners to cry, “God, we don’t have pastors willing to stay true to the Bible and not sell out.” Again really; now maybe you can guess why that is. I’m not excusing these men who sell out, and more importantly God Himself most certainly isn’t pleased with them, but I can personally tell you why many of these “ministers” do take the broad road of compromise. I talk further about this in You Wanna Be A Soldier Of Christ Jesus? But as far as I’m concerned it’s to the end.

Stand Along With Those Of Us Already Sacrificing Ourselves

Somenone needs to have the guts to say it. The absolute truth is that right now the average Christian would rather whine about the “hirelings” in the pulpit and decry the lack of uncompromising men like myself than to reach in their pocketbooks and do something about it. Yet amazingly there are those who still accuse me of doing what I do for the money! Frankly they need to have their spiritual heads examined. It’s true though, and I even have one detractor, a self-styled “teacher of the Law” who gives every impression of being obsessed with me. This fool has even all but outrightly accused me of fabricating letters from readers in order to drum up support.

Right; I’m supposedly “bilking” people out of their money as I use a few pebbles and a slingshot in defending our Lord’s true Gospel from men like Warren and McLaren and Osteen who can literally buy and sell me. If I were in this for the money then I would also pull up alongside those following despicable deceiving spirits and their world-pleasing doctrines of demons. Men like Rick Warren and Brian McLaren and Rob Bell and Joel Osteen. Yeah, tell the people what they want to hear boys and watch the money roll in. Well, not me. As long as the Lord gives me breath I will go right on unashamedly preaching my message of love, funding or no funding.

“What,” some ask, “Love! I don’t think it’s possible for you to show more hatred in what you write!” Borrowing from the Apostle Paul, “You foolish Galatians! Who has bewitched you?” (Galatians 3:1) My message is of love for my Master Who took a useless pile of human flesh, regenerated him and gave him the unspeakable privilege to be among those God wants as pastor-teachers at such a critical time in the Body of Christ. If my Lord chooses to sustain me you’ll not find me among the man-pleasing rabble currently infesting the pulpits of this land. Know the time in which you live or be swept into myriad deceptions which will only grow.

Let this be known as well; I want you to take up your Bibles and test me (Acts 17:11; 1 Thessalonians 5:21). In fact, as my little flock can attest I welcome it because when you are done I’ll still be standing. For it is also written: For am I now seeking the favor of men, or of God? Or am I striving to please men? If I were still trying to please men, I would not be a bond-servant of Christ. My appeal is only that you – “Stop judging by mere appearances, and make a right judgment” (John 7:24). The fruit of my labor in Christ is right in line with men like Edwards and Whitefield and Spurgeon and Tozer and Martin. And this is the type of theology the popular new evangelicalism stands against.

And if you wish to support a real work of God then I ask you to make a commitment and begin to do so right now–today. You can do make donations HERE. For example if the support had been there I would have been able to go to Canada and teach willing pastors associated with the Atlantic Baptist Mission what Brian McLaren , the guest speaker at their upcoming convention, is actually all about. The time has come for the Body of Christ to begin to sacrifice along with those of us called into service to them and who labor as a spiritual military to protect them. Yes, if you are a genuine believer in Christ, you serve the King of kings, but your King is at war. And if you don’t wish to enter the fighting yourself then at least financially support those of us who are up to our necks in it.

Finally, a quick example of what could happen if someone really wanted to help in those of us laying down our lives in what Dr. John MacArthur calls “The Truth War.” Maybe instead of going out to eat one weekend a month you commit that money to a work such as this. I am hardly the only ministry going without as spiritually obtuse Christians are financially supporting wolves in sheep’s clothing. And as you sacrifice that one night of pleasure, thereby joining those of us do so every day, then why not also make the commitment to set aside that time to specifically pray for men like me who in the strength of the Lord would rather die than compromise no matter what it costs.

But let me tell you this because I am not too proud to say…it costs…

Hereby perceive we the love of God, because he laid down his life for us: and we ought to lay down our lives for the brethren. But whoso hath this world’s good, and seeth his brother have need, and shutteth up his bowels of compassion from him, how dwelleth the love of God in him? My little children, let us not love in word, neither in tongue; but in deed and in truth. (1 John 3:16-18, KJV)

In the short broadcast we also talked about the challenges of taking a stand for truth in a world where taking stands of any kind isn’ well received. I pray that it will be a blessing for you. You can listen to the Slicecast right here.

A Recap Of God’s Faithfulness

Well, in digging out from our forced relocation, also known as a move, albeit elsewhere in Claremont, NH, it has given me time to reflect on an interesting first year for Apprising Ministries. AM began on June 1, 2005 a fully integrated non-profit auxiliary of Connecticut River Baptist Church when the leadership there thought it’d be a good way for me to do some counter-cult evangelism and apologetics work among some of the other local churches in the immediate area. It would seem the Lord had other plans. Much of this information is available on the Site in various forms, but I cover some of it again for the benefit the new people among our growing readership.

For those who have wondered and written to ask let me give you an idea of just what it can cost someone to stand for the purity of God’s Gospel and His inerrant and infallible Word in Holy Scripture today. As an ordained Southern Baptist minister myself (for now) it has now become quite apparent that my position concerning Rick Warren, the Emergent Church and other seeker sensitive issues is becoming known even to some at the National level of the SBC. Locally it has meant literally that I have not been asked to come speak in any capacity whatsoever at any churches in this local area! Not even one church of any denomination in this entire seeker friendly area for the whole year after sending information to them concerning this work which also handles general apologetics, pulpit supply, non-Christian cults, etc.

Truthfully I have had very little interaction with local SBC or Regional or National ministers. Despite this possibly you are able to see how the Lord has actually bypassed them and in this first year AM has existed we praise God that He has actually opened doors for my writings to reach around the world. For example Brannon Howse offering me the chance to be a columnist for Christian Worldview Network. You have absolutely no idea how much I hate it when I feel led of the Lord to write like this and to ask for help. Yet He shows me He is with me and it is my prayer that by “personalizing” this ministry a bit with you it might give you a deeper appreciation for the boldness which Christ gives me to His glory. I will say it again, as I so often do in answering voluminous email, my life verse is 1 Corinthians 15:10, and I never forget that apart from God’s grace I would be those I am trying to reach with the actual Gospel of Jesus Christ.

The Great Shepherd’s Leading

As I have pointed out before CRBC had gone through a nasty split before they called me to pastor about 2 years ago and since the 80’s it had dwindled from some 100+ down to a Sunday morning coffee social gathering of about 13 by then. When I came in we would then lose another 6 through God’s weeding process as He turned us into a church while I preached what the Bible actually says and through my standing against the things that I am now writing about at AM. Again, for our newer readers I provide the link to my first Cross Talk appearance with radio host Ingrid Schlueter, who in addition has the VCY America blog Slice of Laodicea where I am now also a contributor. I remain thankful she asked me to appear on her program where we would discuss some of this further and you can listen to it right here.

It is interesting that AM’s had just gone online only a couple of days prior to that appearance August 31 of 2005 and this exposure was such a blessing to this new ministry. As a matter of fact this Site originally grew out of the now offline Christian Unplugged website of Chris Carmichael. We do praise the Lord he continues to produce a fine Site called The Sacred Sandwich. What some of you may not know is that our local church is too small to support us, nor can they supply Donna and I with a parsonage etc., things taken for granted by many. Yet the Lord is faithful because even though I am not being called upon for chances to minister locally, and I receive zero funding from any agency or any other churches, well, to quote Martin Luther: “Here I stand, I can do no other; God help me.”

We do covet your prayers and something we are specifically praying for is that God would place it upon the hearts of a few churches and individuals to pick up AM this year as a mission work to help support. If that happens then I’ll be able to more quickly follow the call of the Lord and transition into this ministry on a fulltime basis. This would also afford me the opportunity to begin accepting speaking engagements nationally that have already been offered and should God see fit there would be a few more radio interviews which would also help get the word out about this work in some different markets as well. AM is actually a bit similar to the type of ministry done by Dr. Walter Martin (1928-1989) only in an updated fashion to handle contemplative spirituality, postmodern issues and the seeker sensitive movement as well.

I must tell you that the deceptions within the Body of Christ and the incoming emails concerning them are growing so rapidly while at the same time God is placing so much in my heart that I literally cannot write fast enough to cover it all. Here is a random sampling of what I have been receiving from all over the country, and now overseas:

Pastor Silva, I thought I would write and let you know that I have read many of your articles and have enjoyed the insight that you have provided. As for some time now I personnally have been seeing the flaws in the Healthy, Wealthy, what can God do for me philosophies. Is “Eternal Life” not enough? Is this not what the Christian should be striving for? To live for Jesus Christ and not for themself?

Do you have any articles planned addressing the “Contemporary Worship Service” with the overuse of the giant video screens with the “all of creation screen savers” playing in the background to the words displayed on the screens? Anyway keep up the excellent work and may God bless you for your efforts.

Here’s someone unable to find a good local church:

Thanks Pastor Ken;

I really appreciate your remembering and contacting me. Spiritually God is also blessing me. I have continual heat from an adversary that never seems to stop, but I try and praise God in the midst and he comforts me. I am not attending a conventional church at the moment, however I attend “cyber” services on sermonaudio.com.

This one is from a brother minister of the Gospel…

I am founder and pastor of a church west of
Minneapolis/St. Paul, Minnesota. We have been called of the Lord to preach and teach the Message of the Cross amidst the spiritual famine in this great land. We rely heavily upon research into much of
the heretical activity in the church of today.

I appreciate what you are doing for the sake of the Gospel and want to sincerely thank you for the great wealth of
information you provide. I can only imagine the amount of work you have committed yourself to doing. I support you (in prayer) – wishing I were able to lend some financial help, but please continue what you are doing and God bless you, Brother Silva, as you labor for Him!

From another internet writer:

I just stumbled into your web site and am stunned by its accuracy and clarity! Thank you for exposing error and spreading truth!

Parents watching their local church beginning to embrace contemplative spirituality:

I appreciate your acknowlegement of my emailing you. Thank you! I JUST discovered a horrible thing in my church of 4000 here in Winston Salem (SBC) My husband sees this also CONTEMPLATIVE seeping into the church. The youth choir director states his favorite book is one called, “RED MOON RISING” by a fellow named, PETE GREIG.

It is totally Contemplative, bizarre and truly a different spirituality!!!! On top of this, I have heard that a couple in my Sunday School class, are doing Richard Foster’s book (probably Disciplines..) and that the assoc. Pastor who is world famous, has gone to their home to “Bless the house” and it is named, “The House of Prayer.” My heart breaks and I appreciate your commentaries so much.

And finally this from Western Australia:

Bless you..shall read your stuff with great interest as I have only just discovered your site. The Lord will refresh you in His Word as well. Keep blowing that trumpet and sounding that alarm He has given you Ken and IF He sees fit He will send you to minister in other places, I’m sure you know that…

A Holy Boldness Pleasing To God

Beloved of God, I have nothing to offer the Body of Christ but my unashamed commitment to my Lord and Master Jesus Christ, and even this is a gift from Him. Those who know me here are my witnesses, as are my dear friends in those ministries listed on the front page of AM, that what I write is my heart for God. If this work has been a blessing to you then I appeal to you please commit to pray for us daily as without the faithful prayers of the saints I wouldn’t last the day in bringing these kinds of incendiary messages right into the Devil’s various camps. And you may believe me when I tell you that through the Lord’s direction these writings are now beginning to find their way into the very hands of those I write about.

And in my determination to do what my Master commands I can tell you I couldn’t care less what they or anyone else thinks of this small labor in Christ; the fact is that if the hour is as late as people so often say it is, and I’m inclined to think it is, then God really is looking for people who will unabashedly do what He has said in His Word. With this in mind, we remain thankful for the few faithful supporters who’ve helped us thus far, and please pray that the Lord will awaken others in the Body of Christ with the Romans 12:8 gift of generosity who will then be obedient to the principles laid forth e.g. in 2 Corinthians 8. I have no items to sell nor a radio or TV forum. The Lord bless those who do but I exhort you to take up the Bible and judge for yourself whether this is a worthy work of God. And I encourage you to do so because there the Lord can speak to you about His plans for AM, which frankly I would probably not believe were He to fully reveal them at this time.

So if you feel led to stand with us in support of Apprising Ministries you can read further about what I believe God has planned for us, and if you are one of those we’ve been praying for to help AM financially you can do so here. In any event you are welcome to contact us and Lord willing I’ll be here to help answer your questions. But men and women, we simply do not have any more time to waste in this critical battle for God’s absolute Truth. O how blessed we are that our Lord is rallying a number of ministries like this one to help combat this growing apostasy and if you don’t feel led to support AM then please at least be willing to help one of them out. However, those who are following this particular work will recognize one who stands ready to burn out for the Creator-Who is forever praised. Amen.

And this no matter what…to the end!