COMMITTED to train men and women
to have minds for the Lord Jesus,
hearts for the truth, and
hands that are skilled to the task.

Sermons on 2 Timothy

UNDERSTANDING THE CONFLICT

Stanley Ellison in his book “Three Worlds in Conflict” writes:
“Back to the future is no longer an oxymoron; it’s a fact of life. It’s where we live. We all have a bit of the prophet in us as tomorrow keeps crowding in on our agendas.
History is passe and we often neglect its lessons. Our focus is more on the ecstatic hype and hope of tomorrow. This game of trying to beat the odds of the future is one we all play, and for any entrepreneur bent on getting a “leg up” on the competition, it is almost essential. In business, medicine, sports and entertainment, success very often depends on one’s ability to outguess the future. Like it or not, tomorrow with its fears occupies much of our thinking today.”
Michael Horton in his book “Christless Christianity” writes:
“What would things look like if Satan really took control of a city? Over a half century ago, Presbyterian minister Donald Grey Barnhouse offered his own scenario in his weekly sermon that was also broadcast nationwide on CBS radio. Barnhouse speculated that if Satan took over Philadelphia, all the bars would be closed, pornography banished, and pristine streets would be filled with tidy pedestrians who smiled at each other. There would be no swearing. The children would say: “Yes, sir” and “No, ma’am”, and the churches would be full every Sunday………WHERE CHRIST IS NOT PREACHED.”
Robert Schuller’s book: SELF-ESTEEM – THE NEW REFORMATION
“A Church can afford to think in a God’ centered fashion, but a mission must put humans at the center.
It was appropriate for Calvin and Luther to think theocentrically, but now the scales must tip the other way toward a human needs approach. In fact, classical theology has erred in its insistence that theology be God-centered, not man-centered.
Sin is defined as any act of thought that robs myself or another human being of his or her self-esteem….
And what is hell? It is the loss of pride that naturally follows separation from God – the ultimate and unfailing source of our soul’s sense of self-respect.
A person is in hell when he has lost his self-esteem. The cross sanctifies the ego trip.”
One more quote from Stanley Ellisen’s book: “Three Worlds in Conflict”
“Contrary to many naïve notions, the devil is not a green monster with a pitchfork. He is often a do-gooder. His goal in life is not to produce gangsters and drunkards, but to counterfeit the works of God. This has been his ambition ever since he went into business for himself, saying I his preamble: “I will make myself like the Most High” (Isaiah 14:14). The effect of this ply is that he more closely imitates God’s models in his people, the less likely they are to be inclined to seek God or pursue His will. He is a master imitator of God.
Why then does God allow this counterfeit operation to continue? A part of the answer is to intensify man’s spiritual choice and remove it from the arena of mere morality to aesthetics. False religions often have strict morals and beautiful rituals that don’t necessarily make them authentic. TRUE FAITH RESPONDS TO GOD’S WORD, not to attractions of religious niceties. The net effect is that Satan’s kingdom serves as a giant magnet to attract the superficial.”