Author: Papa Giorgio

Mark 11:20-25 | With A Dash of Eschatological Angst

Published by Papa Giorgio

The below is based in part on my first “sermon” I gave at the Fireside Chat Room on Masters College campus (April 2010):

Mark 11:20-25, “Moving Mountains: Faith in Faith” (My First Sermon)

(I removed the very long intro to get to the point quicker.)

With that PapaG’ism in mind, do not forget that this verse is connected to Christ overturning tables for a second time on the Temple Mount and cursing the fig-tree as representative of Israel’s faithlessness, another seemingly insurmountable task.

As applicable and connective as I think these comments are, there is yet another often overlooked understanding which keeps Christ firmly in context, and not us.

Again, James Brooks mentions that Jesus may have been referencing “the Mount of Olives and the Dead Sea,” the “latter being seen from the summit of the former.”

William Lane expands on this in his commentary on Mark, mentioning likewise that the,

Dead Sea is visible from the Mount of Olives and it is appropriate to take the reference to “this mountain” quite literally. An allusion may be intended to Zech. 14:4. In the eschatological day described there the Mount of Olives is to be split in two, and when the Lord assumes his kingship “the whole land shall be turned into a plain” (Zech. 14:10). The prayer in question is then specifically a Passover prayer for God to establish his reign.

Evangelical scholar Walter Elwell likewise hits on this idea:

Jesus has acted out two parables of terrible impending judgment of unbelief—the withering of the fig tree and the cleansing of the temple; now, in response to Peter’s remark, he turns to the vital component in the eschatological drama that is inexorably coming to pass, namely, faith in God. This Israel does not have, but the disciples can and must have faith if they are to participate as victors in the coming destruction of the enemy-occupied land which will split at the Mount of Olives when the terrible day comes that precedes the kingly reign of the Lord over the whole earth (so Zech. 14:1–11). Jesus urges his disciples to pray with the faith expressed in Isaiah 65:24 and participate with him in the new exodus, and so avoid the coming destruction of Jerusalem and the faithless land. But they must humbly seek forgiveness and harbor no resentment (v. 25), as Israel has not done in the presence of Jesus the Son, if they are to stand in the Father’s righteousness through this cataclysmic time.

[See these and more commentaries in the Appendix]

So like the parable of the faithful and wise servant (Luke 12:35-48), we must watch over this great gift of faith and its awesome responsibility by prayer to the object of our faith… asking for these mountains of faithlessness, self-centeredness, and our unforgiving hearts to be cleared daily by God’s word and our union with Him… always saying like John did, “come Lord Jesus, come!”

Amen?

…Amen.

Bibliography

  • Boice, James Montgomery. Foundations of the Christian Faith. Downers Grove, Illinoise: Inter Varsity Press, 1986.
  • Bowman, Robert M. The Word-Faith Controversy: Understanding the Health and Wealth Gospel. Grand Rapids, Michigan: Baker Books, 2001.
  • Budziszewski, J. The Revenge of Conscience: Politics and the Fall of Man. Dallas, Texas: Spence Publishing, 2004.
  • Dewaay,Bob. The Emerging Church: Undefining Christianity. Saint Louise Park, Minnesota: Bob Dewaay, 2009.
  • Geisler, Norman, Thomas Howe. When Critics Ask: A Popular Handbook On Bible Difficulties. Wheaton, Illinoise: Victor Books, 1992.
  • Hall, David W., Peter A. Lillback, ed. A Theological Guide to Calvin’s Institutes: Essays and Analysis. Phillipsburg, New Jersey: P & R Publishing, 2008.
  • Hanegraaff, Hank. Christianity In Crisis: 21st Century. Nashville, Tennessee: Thomas Nelson, 2009.
  • Keener, Craig S. The IVP Bible Background Commentary: New Testament. Downers Grove, Illinoise: Inter Varsity Press, 1993.
  • Kelly, Douglas F. Systematic Theology: The God Who Is: The Holy Trinity. Vol. 1. Ross-Shire: Christian Focus Publications, 2008.
  • Kenyon, E.W. The Two Kinds of Faith: Faith’s Secret Revealed. Lynnwood, Washington: Kenyon’s Gospel Publishing Society, 1969.
  • Lane, William L. The Gospel According to Mark. Edited by F.F. Bruce. Vol. 2. Grand Rapids, Michigan: William B. Eerdman’s Publishing, 1974.
  • Lewis, C.S. The Problem of Pain. New York, New York: Simon and Schuster, 1996.
  • Lewis, Gordon R., Bruce A. Demarest. Integrative Theology. Grand Rapids, Michigan: Zondervan, 1996.
  • MacArthur, John. The MacArthur New Testament Commentary. Nashville, Tennessee: Thomas Nelson Publishers, 2007.
  • McConnell, D.R. A Different Gospel: Biblical and Historical Insights Into the Word of Faith Movement. Peabody, Massachusetts: Hendrickson Publishers, 1995.
  • Oden, Thomas C. Systematic Theology: The Living God. Vol. 1. Peabody, Massachusettes: Hendrickson Publishers, 2006.
  • Strong, A.H. Systematic Theology. New York, New York: A.C. Armstrong and Son, 1896.
  • Yungen, Ray. A Time of Departing. 2nd. ed. Silverton, Oregon: Lighthouse Trails Publishing, 2006.

Post Script

I wanted to point out just a couple of after thoughts. The first part of the verse we read from (v. 20), there is an interesting event that is mentioned.

Something I know the Jewish mind would have surely known considering how well the pharisees knew (at least memorized) Scripture. in verse 20 we read this:

  • “Now in the morning, as they passed by, they saw the fig tree dried up from the roots.”

Now let’s read from Hosea 9:16, and then from Job 18:16, respectively.

Ephraim is stricken;
their root is dried up ;
they shall bear no fruit.
Even though they give birth,
I will put their beloved children to death.

 

His roots dry up beneath,
and his branches wither above.

This miracle of Jesus cursing the fig-tree can be seen as one of the many instances Jesus showed Israel He was their Messiah through fulfilling of Old Testament prophecy.

Another quick thing I wish to point out is that many Bibles separate verse 25 from verses 20-24.

This shouldn’t be.

I think you can completely drop verse 26 and not include that at all, however, verses 20-25 should be looked at as a cohesive pericope.

Definition of Praxeology

Just so the reader knows how I understand this term: “right” theology into “right” action. The “Word Faith movement/theology,” “Liberation theology,” as well as “Emergent theology” distorts this interpretation. Here is a more in-depth definition:

PRAXIS AND ORTHOPRAXIS. `Praxis’ essentially means ‘action’. Traditionally, the concept refers to the application of theory or socially innovative human behaviour. Its long history begins with Aristotle but the concept achieved contemporary prominence through Marx, who used it in various ways but, most commonly, to mean revolutionary action through which the world Was changed. In theology it has gained currency through liberation theology.” Theology usually emphasizes orthodoxy, i.e., right belief or conceptual reflection on truth. Political theology balances this with an emphasis on action (praxis) and right action (orthopraxis). Gutierrez typically complains that ‘the church has for centuries devoted her attention to formulating truth and meanwhile did almost nothing to better the world’. It not only advocates action but questions whether knowledge can be detached; and it insists that truth can only be known through action. Knowing and doing are dialectically related, and right action becomes the criterion for truth. The danger is, as Miguez Bonino has observed, that theology is reduced to ethics, the vertical dimension equated with the horizontal and the concept built on Marxism. Positively, however, it can claim biblical roots. God communicates with his world, not through a conceptual frame of reference, but in creative activity; in John’s gospel knowing truth is contingent on doing it (Jn. 3:21).

Sinclair B. Ferguson, David F. Wright, J.I. Packer, eds., New Dictionary of Theology (Downers Grove, IL: InterVasity Press, 1988), 527. 

APPENDIX

(Commentaries on Mark 11:20-25)

There is good Scriptural connection that makes Mark 11:23-24 an eschatological verse. Of course rabbinical use of “moving mountains” was a phrase referring to seemingly impossible difficulties:

…But it also shows that we cannot pray in faith for anything that we like. In this matter, Jesus was “thinking God’s thoughts after him” and willing his father’s will. That sort of prayer, if asked in faith, will always be answered, for it is praying that God’s will may be done (as Jesus prayed in Gethsemane). We can only move the mountains that God wants removed, not those that we want moved. “Moving mountains” was a phrase used by the rabbis to describe overcoming seemingly impossible difficulties; we must not of course take it in the literal sense. If we pray in this way, we can give thanks for the result before we see it, for the answer is sure in the will and purpose of God.

There is one other condition for effectual prayer: we must freely forgive others, as God forgives us (25). If we do not, how could we pray “in Jesus’ name,” that is, in the way in which he would and did? This verse may indicate that Mark knew the Lord’s Prayer, though he does not record it in his gospel.

D.A. Carson, R.T. France, J.A. Motyer, and G.J. Wenham, New Bible Commentary: 21st Century Edition (Downers Grove, IL: InterVasity Press, 1997), 968.

Matthew Henry speaks to the miracle of faith, which rightfully understood, truly is one of the most miraculous of all:

Now this is to be applied, [1] To that faith of miracles which the apostles and first preachers of the gospel were endued with, which did wonders in things natural, healing the sick, raising the dead, casting out devils; these were, in effect, the removing of mountains. The apostles speak of a faith which would do that, and yet might be found where holy love was not, 1 Co. 13:2. [2] It may be applied to that miracle of faith, which all true Christians are endued with, which doeth wonders in things spiritual. It justifies us (Rom. 5:1), and so removes the mountains of guilt, and casts them into the depths of the sea, never to rise up in judgment against us, Mic. 7:19. It purifies the heart (Acts 15:9), and so removes mountains of corruption, and makes them plains before the grace of God, Zec. 4:7. It is by faith that the world is conquered, Satan’s fiery darts are quenched, a soul is crucified with Christ, and yet lives; by faith we set the Lord always before us, and see him that is invisible, and have him present to our minds; and this is effectual to remove mountains, for at the presence of the Lord, at the presence of the God of Jacob, the mountains were not only moved, but removed, Ps. 114:4-7.

Matthew Henry, Matthew Henry’s Commentary on the Whole Bible: Complete and Unabridged in One Volume (Peabody: Hendrickson, 1996), Mk 11:12.

Whenever I read Henry I have to say “Amen.” This faith is not only miraculously accomplished, but is imported to us through the work of the Holy Spirit, as Augustine rightly notes this continuous miracle:

Whether they are going to speak before a congregation or any other body, or to dictate something to be spoken before a congregation or read by others who are able and willing to do so, speakers must pray that God will place a good sermon on their lips. If Queen Esther, when about to plead before the king for the temporal salvation of her people, prayed that God would place a suitable speech on her lips [Esther 4:16], how much more important is it for those who work for people’s eternal salvation “by teaching God’s word” [1 Tim. 5:17] to pray to receive such a gift?

Douglas F. Kelley, Systematic Theology, Volume One: The God Who Is: The Holy Trinity (Ross-shire, Scotland: Christian Focus Publications, 2008), 54.

Many of these early thinkers referenced Isaiah 7:9 which basically says this: “If you don’t take your stand in faith, you won’t have a leg to stand on.” So here we are, mentioning some good interpretations of these verses, I believe that in context with the fig tree and some of Jesus’ other teachings, we can almost see that these verses tend to speak to the end-times, one of my favorite commentaries points this out:

The Dead Sea is visible from the Mount of Olives and it is appropriate to take the reference to “this mountain” quite literally. An allusion may be intended to Zech. 14:4. In the eschatological day described there the Mount of Olives is to be split in two, and when the Lord assumes his kingship “the whole land shall be turned into a plain” (Zech. 14:10). The prayer in question is then specifically a Passover prayer for God to establish his reign. What is affirmed is God’s absolute readiness to respond to the resolute faith that prays (cf. Isa. 65:24). What distin­guishes the faith for which Jesus calls from that self-intoxication which reduces a man and his work to a fiasco is the discipline of prayer through faith. When prayer is the source of faith’s power and the means of its strength, God’s sovereignty is its only restriction. The assertion in verse 24 reiterates this assurance in more comprehensive and general terms. The man who bows his head before the hidden glory of God in the fulness of faith does so in the certainty that God can deal with every situation and any difficulty and that with him nothing is impossible (10:27).

William L. Lane, The Gospel According to Mark (New International Commentary on the New Testament (Grand Rapids, MI: Eerdmans, 1974), 410.

Evangelical scholar Walter Elwell likewise hits on this idea:

Jesus has acted out two parables of terrible impending judgment of unbelief—the withering of the fig tree and the cleansing of the temple; now, in response to Peter’s remark, he turns to the vital component in the eschatological drama that is inexorably coming to pass, namely, faith in God. This Israel does not have, but the disciples can and must have faith if they are to participate as victors in the coming destruction of the enemy-occupied land which will split at the Mount of Olives when the terrible day comes that precedes the kingly reign of the Lord over the whole earth (so Zech. 14:1–11). Jesus urges his disciples to pray with the faith expressed in Isaiah 65:24 and participate with him in the new exodus, and so avoid the coming destruction of Jerusalem and the faithless land. But they must humbly seek forgiveness and harbor no resentment (v. 25), as Israel has not done in the presence of Jesus the Son, if they are to stand in the Father’s righteousness through this cataclysmic time.

Walter A. Elwell, Evangelical Commentary on the Bible (electronic ed.; Grand Rapids: Baker Book House, 1996), Mk 11:20.

Another commentator mentions this eschatological allusion:

…Jesus was speaking generally, but there may be some allusion to the Mount of Olives (11:1) and the Dead Sea. On a clear day the latter can be seen from the summit of the former. Alternately, the allusion may be to the temple mount, in which case faith in God makes the temple system obsolete (cf. John 4:19–24).

James A. Brooks, vol. 23, Mark (electronic ed.; Logos Library System; The New American Commentary Nashville: Broadman & Holman Publishers, 2001), 183.

And this great working through the verses by a favored theologian of mine:

11:21 The Fig Tree Which You Cursed Has Withered

  • ADMONITION FOR THOSE PREPARING TO BE BAPTIZED. CYRIL OF JERUSALEM: You are now being joined with the holy vine.’ If, then, you abide in the vine, you grow into a fruitful branch, but if you do not so abide, you will be burnt in the fire. Let us therefore bring forth worthy fruit. For let it not come about that it should happen to us what happened to the barren fig tree in the Gospel.’ Let not Jesus come in these days and utter the same curse upon the fruitless. But instead may all of you say, “I am like a green olive tree in the house of God.”

11:23 Whoever Does Not Doubt in His Heart but Believes

  • THE POWER OF PRAYER. CHRYSOSTOM: Prayer is an all-efficient panoply, a treasure undiminished, a mine never exhausted, a sky unobstructed by clouds, a haven unruffled by storm. It is the root, the fountain, and the mother of a thousand blessings. It exceeds a monarch’s power…. I speak not of the prayer which is cold and feeble and devoid of zeal. I speak of that which proceeds from a mind outstretched, the child of a contrite spirit,’ the offspring of a soul converted—this is the prayer which mounts to heaven…. The power of prayer has subdued the strength of fire, bridled the rage of lions, silenced anarchy, extinguished wars, appeased the elements, expelled demons, burst the chains of death, enlarged the gates of heaven, relieved diseases, averted frauds, rescued cities from destruction, stayed the sun in its course, and arrested the progress of the thunderbolt. In sum prayer has power to destroy whatever is at enmity with the good. I speak not of the prayer of the lips, but of the prayer that ascends from the inmost recesses of the heart.

11:24 Believe That. You Will Receive It and You Will

  • FULL CONFIDENCE. JOHN CASSIAN: While we are praying, there should be no hesitation that would intervene or break down the confidence of our petition by any shadow of despair. We know that by pouring forth our prayer we are obtaining already what we are asking for. We have no doubt that our prayers have effectually reached God.’ For to that degree that one believes that he is regarded by God, and that God can grant it, just so far will one be heard and obtain an answer

11:23 It Will Be Done for Him

  • DIVINE GIVING AND HUMAN WILLING. AUGUSTINE: Note that Jesus said “for him,” not “for me,” and not “for the Father.” Yet it is certain that no human being does such a thing without God’s gift and workings. Mark well that even if no actual instances of perfect righteousness may be found among humans, that does not rule out perfect righteousness as if it were formally impossible. For it might have been realized if only sufficient responsive willing had been applied, enough to suffice for so great a deed.

Thomas C. Oden and Christopher A. Hall, eds., Ancient Christian Commentary on Scripture: New Testament II, Mark (Downers Grove, IL: InterVasity Press,1998), 162-163.

ILA Union Monopoly and Security Risks

Published by Papa Giorgio

It is a danger to American national security and is a monopoly and can be broken up.

Armstrong and Getty cover the strike. The strike is merely postponed till January 15th… but most likely with the agreement to sweeten their wage offer from about 50% over six years to 62%, rather than the 77% demanded — that is probably the winning number. Maybe. If not, just in time for January 20th.

Did Biden know about his mafia ties?

The Justice Department, which has reportedly lost two cases against Mr Daggett, has accused him of being an “associate” of the Genovese crime family — one of the infamous “Five Families” of the US Mafia.

Charged with racketeering in 2005, Mr Daggett, took the witness stand and portrayed himself as a mob target, despite evidence against him from a turncoat Mafia enforcer saying he was under the mob’s control, the New York Times reported.

During that trial, one of Mr Daggett’s co-defendants, a renowned mobster named Lawrence Ricci, disappeared. His decomposing body was found in the trunk of a car outside a New Jersey diner several weeks later, with the killing still unsolved.

Despite his union serving as a historic symbol of the grip of organised crime on union members, as depicted in the 1954 film “On the Waterfront”, Mr Daggett was acquitted in both cases.

The union leader has previously criticised the Waterfront Commission, set up to combat Mafia control of the port, calling the allegations of mob influence “total bulls—”, and a “dark, ugly attack on Italian Americans”.

“It’s a damn tragedy for the Waterfront Commission to enjoy free rein and target Italian Americans as part of their historic anti-worker campaign. Let’s be real here. The Waterfront Commission has, for decades, claimed good jobs went to only those with so-called ‘mob ties,’” he said in 2022.

As industry goes to automation and technology from fast food the manufacturing… Daggett refuses that at our container ports…“Plus, we want absolute airtight language that there will be no automation or semi-automation, and we are demanding all Container Royalty monies go to the ILA.”

Via FOUNDERS CODE

See also NATIONAL FILE — Daggett’s Mafia-Tied RICO and Racketeering Co-Defendant Disappeared and was found murdered in his car.

Of Course FEMA Funds Were Used for Migrants and Ukraine

Published by Papa Giorgio

A buddy sent this in a group text… pic is linked to Twi-X:

So I did some digging on the matter.

… In April 2024, the Department of Homeland Security, through FEMA and U.S. Customs and Border Protection, provided $300 million in grants to communities to resettle immigrants.

On Wednesday, Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas told reporters that FEMA is running out of money for hurricane season.

“We are meeting the immediate needs with the money that we have. We are expecting another hurricane hitting,” Mayorkas said. “FEMA does not have the funds to make it through the season.” ….

(WASHINGTON EXAMINER) 

In a HERITAGE FOUNDATION article from 2023, they highlight the issue:

  1. The White house is now trying to push through a $40 billion “supplemental” funding bill that holds bailout money for FEMA hostage.
  2. DHS asked for $800 million—$650 million more than last year—“for communities to support migrants who have been released from DHS custody.”
  3. Tying a FEMA top-up to Ukraine aid shows that the Biden administration will maintain open borders at any price.

More:

Federal spending is hard enough to keep track of at the best of times, but the Biden administration is highly adept at hiding how they fund their open-borders agenda. In a cynical budget negotiation tactic, the White house is now trying to push through a $40 billion “supplemental” funding bill that holds bailout money for FEMA hostage to sending billions more to Ukraine with insufficient accountability.

It gets worse. If the White House tactic works, and Congress coughs up enough aid to Ukraine that rescue money for FEMA can get through, hundreds of millions of that funding won’t go to disaster-afflicted Americans, but to providing housing, food, health care and transportation for illegal immigrants through grants to activist NGOs and “sanctuary” cities.

That’s right. Even though FEMA grants are meant to help taxpaying Americans prepare for and cope with hurricanes, fires and floods, the Biden administration has used these same funds to pay activist NGOs to settle migrants illegally in the United States. FEMA’s major disaster relief and flood insurance programs are already in debt and need to be refilled each year. The White House’s supplemental request uses that as a smokescreen to slip in grant money for their open-border operation. ….

(READ IT ALL)

 

 

MSM’s Biggest Lies Backfire | Chamath Palihapitiya

Published by Papa Giorgio

RUBIN REPORT’s partial description…. see WHOLE show HERE:

  • Dave Rubin of “The Rubin Report” talks to “Impact Theory’s” Tom Bilyeu and former CIA officer Mike Baker about Joe Rogan explaining to the “All-In Podcast’s” Chamath Palihapitiya how Democrat-run mainstream media’s biggest lies about Donald Trump are beginning to blow up in their faces….

As a side-note…. I have had luck showing people some of these biggest lies. They believe major instances by the mainstream media (MSM) and continue on as if it were true. It makes my job easier when I come up and have a meaningful discussion and show that Trump didn’t mock a disability of a reporter, or the facts on rapes and assaults on women who are making their way to the U.S. border. Or that Trump said the opposite of the “’Fine People’ trope [calling Nazis ‘fine people’]”, or that racists are voting for Trump en masse. Etc., Etc. Once people see how the media lied and tricked them, they start to be more open to policy discussion.

FOR MORE, SEE:

RPT: Snopes Facts Checks Trump’s “Good Nazis” | 7-Years Later

RPT: Trump Should Denouncing the KKK, White Supremacists, and the Like

RPT: Some Trump Sized Mantras

The Radical Kamala Harris | Conversations That Matter

Published by Papa Giorgio

Wow… great stuff! I had no idea on some of it. Also, I ALWAYS noted the Black Panthers were a black nationalist cult. NO MORE. They are strictly a Maoist movement/cult.

Trevor Loudon joins the podcast to talk about Kamala Harris’s Marxist roots, how she ascended to the vice-presidency, and what she plans to do to America.

Kamala’s “holistic” Sit Down w/Stephanie Ruhle

Published by Papa Giorgio

(Some of the best commentary on the “holistic thing”)

Kamala Harris sat down with MSNBC’s Stephanie Ruhle—for what might be the most favorable, comfortable possible conditions for the Democrat presidential nominee to speak with a “reporter.”

It did NOT go well.

Connect with Larry:

There But for The Grace Of God, Go I (Al Mohler on Dr. Lawson)

Published by Papa Giorgio

(See my post on Dr. Lawson) Dr. Mohler addresses chapel and gives his thoughts on Dr. Lawson’s fall from grace. The video is via Clint Pressley’s X. The music is below.

This is an excerpt from Jon Harris’ article on the matter. One can also catch his full podcast on YouTube.

BUT FOR THE GRACE OF GOD

One of the helpful things to remember first, and a warning I’ve noticed coming from wiser men, is to consider the deception of sin. As a child, I remember the familiar teaching: a lie becomes bigger the longer you tell it. All sin is like this. James 1:14-15 says: But each one is tempted when he is carried away and enticed by his own lust. Then when lust has conceived, it gives birth to sin; and when sin is accomplished, it brings forth death.

Sin doesn’t begin with the most egregious violations of God’s moral order; it often starts with small, gradual steps away from His clear teachings. It is quite literally “to miss the mark.” The arrow may only be an inch off the first time. Solomon presented sexual temptation in Proverbs 7 as cunning, persuasive, and flattering. It does not consider the potential consequences until it is too late.

For Steve Lawson, it is too late to avoid some serious consequences, but that doesn’t mean it’s too late for you if you’re struggling with similar temptations. The potential for grievous sin is always close to a heart that thinks too highly of itself. We must remember the tools God has provided to help us gain victory over temptation—no matter what form it takes. Steve Lawson was surrounded by theology, adored by fans of expository preaching, and stood at the pinnacle of Reformed evangelicalism. Yet, in the end, his battle was the same every common person faces, between his own flesh and His God.

Another Man Of God Stunted By Sin

Published by Papa Giorgio

God is good. Remind yourself daily of His redemptive plan in your life.

At a Saturday meetup with some guys at Starbucks, the discussion of Steven J. Lawson has come up a couple of times in the past month. He has been preaching down in the valley from us at Grace Community Church and one of the guys in the group is going over a book from Dr. Lawson. So he has been on my radar in a positive way.

Dr. Lawson has written many a book, BTW. Here is his Amazon bio:

  • Steven J. Lawson is founder and president of OnePassion Ministries, a ministry designed to bring about a new reformation in the church. He is a teaching fellow for Ligonier Ministries, director of the Doctor of Ministry program at The Master’s Seminary, and a visiting professor in the Doctor of Ministry program at the Ligonier Academy of Biblical and Theological Studies. He has written two dozen books, including The Passionate Preaching of Martyn Lloyd-Jones, The Evangelistic Zeal of George Whitefield, and John Knox: Fearless Faith.

Here is the reason for this post. A friend of this Saturday group, who now resides in another state, sent this to me 1:30 AM this morning — 3:30 his time. He had no idea that Dr. Lawson was part of conversation in the group.

This is NOT to point an accusing finger at Dr. Lawson in a spiteful or mean way, but as a call for men to watch their six, in all aspects of their lives.

A Dallas pastor has been removed indefinitely from the church he has served at since 2018 due to him having an “inappropriate relationship” with a woman, according to the church’s leadership.

Trinity Bible Church announced the removal of Steven J. Lawson on its website after its elders became aware of his relationship “several days ago.” The church did not detail the nature of the relationship or identify the woman.

“The elders have met with Steve and will continue to come alongside him and pray for him with the ultimate goal of his personal repentance,” the church said. “Steve will no longer be compensated by Trinity Bible Church of Dallas.”

Lawson, 73, has served as a pastor for over 40 years in Arkansas and Alabama before he became the lead preacher at Trinity Bible Church of Dallas, according to his profile on OnePassion Ministries, a ministry he founded and is president of.

“In light of this, may we be reminded that we are ALL sinners, and Jesus Christ came into the world to save sinners – and Christ remains Head of His Church, which is bigger than any fallen man,” according to Trinity Bible Church. “In fact, Jesus Christ will continue to lead His Church, including Trinity Bible Church here in Dallas, just like He has from the start of this work on Jan. 5, 2018.” …

(USA TODAY)

Even though I am a bibliophile, I was not too aware of Dr. Lawson.

Someone I WAS intimately knowledgeable of and have read most of his works was Ravi Zacharias, who fell…

  • A more egregious fall, so to speak, probably not redeemed in any meaningful way under those whom he should have placed himself [– but probably did not –] under, for accountability and guidance.

But even though Dr. Lawson may be redeemed in his walk and marriage, which is what I pray for, he has ruined a career that could have grown in influencing generations to come, in a more meaningful way. He has – I assume, if the allegations are true, removed himself from the pulpit for the remainder of his career.

Not only that, but he has also stained the blouse of the larger body politic of the Church.

Instead, he stunted God’s larger plans for his life influencing generations to come.

Obviously, God deals with us in a corporate sense as a “Church Universal,” but also on an individual plane. So, God’s plans of redemption are still in full affect in Dr. Lawson’s life. Which in an individual sense is, coming to the foot of Calvary when we fail.

And, in this way his voluminous writings can still help guide us in learning about God, as Ravi’s resources can still do, but the *asterisk exists in the bio of these men that the world can use in a Satanic [accusatory] way against the Church Universal.

Dr. Lawson is reminded once again that he need a Savior and that pride damages that daily realization and bold walk in our faith as we seek ways to rout God and replace Him with desire.

Which has me thinking about the last two Monday men’s groups at my church, and, as I see it, the two issues that have been at the center of this men’s Bible study sessions.

SEXUAL SIN AND UNCONTROLLED ~ SINFUL ~ ANGER.

Mind you, righteous anger in a stand against evil; and harm to innocence is needed. Psalm 97:10 starts with, “O you who love the Lord, hate evil!”, but here we are talking about anger being part of the problem. Not a Godly solution.

Dennis Prager, a radio personality I have listened to for over two decades, notes often that in the battle against self, men’s two main pillars to fight in their lives are anger and lust. These are typically the two biggies in a man’s life. I was more on the anger spectrum than the lust, but I have a few friends from the “olden days” who are on the “lust” spectrum of the scale.

Last Monday our church group of guys studied a bit of Samson’s life. And I saw a connection between two verses that are so miniscule, in that they are literally two sentences spanning 20-years, that I shared it with my table.

(Table Eleven Rules!)

And wrote a text to my sons to help them benefit from the Biblical warnings to us via the real lives of those who have struggled in their walk. So, we don’t have to. Or that is the plan…

Hopefully and prayerfully.

If you have children, you see that ideal rejected often. FYI, we are God’s children, and He sees this same thing in His relationship with us, His adoptive son’s and daughter’s lives.

Here is that note to them [my sons] to encourage learning from those who are giants in our faith. That these two sentences may open a meaningful study of God’s Word and the impact of two sentences often glossed over:

Added to just a tad for this post

A note to my boys:

We studied the life of Samson in Judges at our last men’s group at church. And I noticed something… 2 sentences. Chapter 15:20, and 16:1. No one at my table had seen it either. But in a group of men – a few of us with long marriages, and one married 10 years, and one getting married in a week – it led to great discussion and is an example of the simplicity of Scripture guiding men in their walk.

  • Judges 15:20 — Samson judged Israel for twenty years in the days of the Philistines.

Samson was not a good guy. He has an*asterisk in his bio… a few of them. Yes, he is in the Heroes Hall of Faith in Hebrews 11, but he is included as a wretched man who pushed God’s plans away most of his life.

Everyone is redeemable.

That is the point.

But in this simple one sentence, it seems the Bible is hinting that he got his act together to be a judge over Israel. For 20 years, he built a reputation. 20 years.

And much like Reagan warned, “Freedom is never more than one generation away from extinction.” The same goes for our actions…

  • Judges 16:1 — One day, Samson went to Gaza and saw a prostitute there. He went in to spend the night with her.

Our life’s goals and aspirations in our walk in the Lord can be overthrown by one egregious action, or, habitual chipping away at what God wants for us.

[I know this well, as, I am a 54 year old man just entering the “Dave Ramsey” portion of life.]

Marriage is the most fundamental covenant God wants us to be enjoined in. And keeping your and my reputation intact — put God in front of your plans. No matter how small or large. Rebuff desire for fruitfulness.

Love you boys.

After texting with a few guys on the topic, one of them sent some additional information to push the idea of of how important it is to treat our walk with the Lord in our actions towards one’s we love – trustworthy. A discussion of “trust in marriage being treated like fine china” is excerpted below from a book by Paul Tripp, Marriage: 6 Gospel Commitments Every Couple Needs to Make. My friend noted that trust could mean the same as “reputation” in my text to my son’s.

“We will work together to build a sturdy bond of trust. Trusting and entrusting, we will build a strong foundation. We simply cannot have a healthy, God-honoring, mutually satisfying marriage without trust.

In a fallen world, trust is the fine china of a relationship. It is beautiful when it is there, but it is surely delicate and breakable. When trust is broken, it can be very hard to repair. It is trust that allows a husband and wife to face all the internal and external threats to their unity, love, and understanding. It is trust that allows couples to weather the differences and discouragements that every marriage faces. It is trust that allows couples to talk with honesty and hope about the most personal and difficult things.

There are two sides to trust. First, you must do everything you can to prove yourself trustworthy. Second, you must make the decision to entrust yourself into your spouse’s care. What does it look like to engender a marriage where trust thrives? What does it look like to rebuild trust when it has been shattered? What are the characteristics of a relationship where trust is the glue?”

(Wheaton, IL: Crossway, April 2021), 71-72

Good stuff. Another commentary was noted as well in that conversation before church this morning. It comes by way of Don Green via his FACEBOOK. (See more at Pastor Don’s TRUTH COMMUNITY CHURCH on YOUTUBE):

My (lengthy) thoughts on Steve Lawson.

To the best of my memory, I have never spoken with Steve Lawson nor had my picture taken with him.   I very rarely was in an audience when he was the speaker.  It has been several years, even, since I consulted any of his work in the course of my ministry.

So yesterday’s news about his dismissal from Trinity Bible Church of Dallas due to “an inappropriate relationship” with a woman did not hit me personally in the way that it did many of you. 

I briefly debated whether to make this post, but since I think it may help the people of God process the news, I now proceed. 

The primary question for which I want to give some perspective is:  “How does a prominent Bible teacher DO that?  How could he preach the Word, by outward appearances with power, in the midst of such sin and compromise?”

It is a difficult question and one that is not easy to answer to the satisfaction of those who feel betrayed and hurt. 

Without much expansion, let me offer you five principles to consider. 

1.  Exercising a Spiritual Gift is Not the Same as Growing in Sanctification

I’ll stipulate, for the purpose of this discussion anyway, that SL has been a gifted Bible teacher.  He wouldn’t have reached the prominence in so many Christian teaching ministries otherwise.  But my dear friends, Scripture plainly teaches us not to confuse gifting with sanctification from sin. 

You need look no further than the church of Corinth in 1 Corinthians 12-14.  They had spiritual gifts, including speaking gifts, but Paul had to correct them for the carnal and ungodly way that they exercised them. 

2.  Exercising a Spiritual Gift Is Not the Same as Fearing God

Yes, this one hurts.  But in my opinion the fear of God is largely lost on the modern church with devastating consequences.  Scripture plainly says: 

“By the fear of the LORD one keeps away from evil.”  (Proverbs 16:6)

Do you see a man—any man—who is walking in sin?  No matter the outward appearance, somewhere in his life he has forsaken the fear of the Lord. 

3.  You Can Fool All of the People Some of the Time

This worldly maxim has a biblical counterpart.  Judas was a traitor and a thief in the inner circle of Jesus, but none of the eleven suspected him.  When Jesus said, “One of you will betray me,” they didn’t all look at Judas as the culprit.  With broken hearts they entertained the possibility, “Lord, is it I? 

Only in retrospect did they see Judas for who he was.  He had fooled them all. 

So I do not fault those who were close to Steve Lawson for not seeing this sooner. Their trust was broken.  Rather, I commend them for taking public action when it became known to them. 

4.  Scripture Must Be Joined with Faith and Obedience

Now I turn from Steve Lawson to the outwardly professing church of God.  Rather than speculate about how a man could do this, the biblical perspective is to turn humbly to self-examination:

12 Take care, brethren, that there not be in any one of you an evil, unbelieving heart that falls away from the living God.
13 But encourage one another day after day, as long as it is still called “Today,” so that none of you will be hardened by the deceitfulness of sin.  (Hebrews 3:12-13)

Satan, sin, and even our very selves are deceptive and subject to deception.  A man thinks he will never fall, or that he will not be exposed when he does, or that the thrill is worth it.  Whatever.  Lies, every one of them.

It’s not without reason that Scripture says:

For this reason we must pay much closer attention to what we have heard, so that we do not drift away from it. (Hebrews 2:1)

Do you see a fallen leader?  Okay.  Next question.  What unconfessed sin is in your life?  There’s your focus going forward. 

5.  Let the Mockers Be Warned

The usual suspects will chortle over the news.  Sinners will be emboldened to dismiss the gospel; others are already smearing other prominent Christians by their association with Steve Lawson.  Such is inevitable, but still I must warn them:  let you enemies of the truth hold your tongues: 

17 Do not rejoice when your enemy falls, And do not let your heart be glad when he stumbles;
18 Or the LORD will see it and be displeased, and turn His anger away from him. (Proverbs 24:17). 

It is a true wretch who can gloat over this news when it greatly hurts and hinders so many lives, families, churches, and institutions.  Indeed, I’m not unmindful that the mud splashes onto all biblical pastors by casting unfounded suspicion on them.

The Lord sees it all, and it kindles His wrath when you boast over a fallen one. 

Conclusion

This is a time of chastening for the church, but not a time for despair.  Christ, the Head of the Church, still reigns and will never forsake us.   His Word tells us enough to have perspective to go forward in the battle.

I am sad, frustrated, and even angry at this news. Many innocent people are harmed and betrayed.  The dear gospel of Christ is exposed to ridicule due to the sin of one who was supposedly one of its champions.

That’s not okay. 

But as for me and my house, our faith and hope are in Christ, and were never in any man—certainly not this man.  So I plan to keep walking forward with confidence in the risen Lord and make my path to the celestial city to come.

I invite you to do the same.

Amen. Well put and another example of iron sharpening iron.

The Narnia Code (2009) | BBC

Published by Papa Giorgio

This was a video I played as part of an adult Sunday school class when the leader went on a missions journey to India. It is a documentary examining claims that CS Lewis’s Narnia Chronicles contain a hidden meaning.

CS Lewis wrote the Narnia Chronicles over 50 years ago, yet they are more popular today than ever. When they were first published, many critics thought them little more than childish scribblings, replete with random characters and unexplained events. Even Lewis’s good friend JRR Tolkien thought them confused and misconceived.

Other scholars were sure there was something more, something hidden beneath the stories. Although many tried, none could find this secret key of Narnia – until now. Dr Michael Ward, a young academic and expert in all things Lewisian, claims he has found the answer at last: he has discovered the Narnia Code.

Using dramatisations of Lewis’s early life and career, the programme travels the world, from the Mid-West of modern America to the battlefields of the First World War, meeting experts, testing evidence and uncovering surprising questions and ideas that still challenge readers today.

Louder w/Crowder Reacts to IDF’s “Pager Bombs”

Published by Papa Giorgio

As the news of the “pager bombs” was breaking, Louder w/Crowder went to the story on CNN. Funny real time reaction to the breaking story. ORIGINAL VIDEO HERE (today, 9/17/2024):

NEW YORK POST has this:

The Israeli spy agency Mossad allegedly intercepted Hezbollah’s shipment of new pagers months ago and rigged them with high explosives — resulting in the stunning attack on the Lebanese terror group Tuesday, according to a new report.

Mossad agents reportedly placed Pentaerythritol tetranitrate (PETN), a highly explosive material, inside the batteries of the pagers, sources told Sky News Arabia, according to a translation from the Times of Israel.

The devices were then detonated by an external signal that caused the batteries inside to overheat, the sources added.

AP has this:

  • … The pagers that blew up had apparently been acquired by Hezbollah after the group’s leader ordered members in February to stop using cellphones, warning they could be tracked by Israeli intelligence. A Hezbollah official told The Associated Press the pagers that were a new brand but declined to say how long they had been in use. …

MORE:

  • HOT AIR: Paging Hezbollah: War About to Erupt for Northern Israel; UPDATE: 9 Dead, 2800 Injured
  • HOT AIR: Hezbollah: We Bought Pagers from Some New Outfit
  • PJ-MEDIA: 9 Hezbollah Operatives Dead, Thousands Injured When Pagers Explode at Nearly the Same Time
  • GATEWAY PUNDIT: BREAKING UPDATE: 9 Killed, 3,000 Wounded, Mostly Hezbollah Terrorists, as New Pagers They Used to Communicate Explode Across the Country
  • RED STATE: REPORT: Mossad Intercepted Hezbollah Pager Shipment, Loaded Them With Explosives
  • RIGHT SCOOP: BREAKING REPORT: Israel planted explosives in Hezbollah pagers ordered from Taiwan
  • TOWNHALL: Thousands of Hezbollah Terrorists Blown Up in Wild Sneak Attack