If You are Right, Then You are Religious

Posted on December 13, 2020December 13, 2020 by markwchristy

By Mark W. Christy, PhD In this contemporary age of relativism, many argue that truth either does not exist or is at least unknowable. With this philosophical stance being firmly established, these relativists boldly spurn exclusive notions of truth in general and religious declarations of the preeminence of exclusive truth in particular (especially those espoused by Christians who are deriving their truths directly from Scripture). In such an age of freedom from the constraints of religious...

Do Christians Have to Follow the Old Testament?

Posted on December 9, 2020December 9, 2020 by markwchristy

By Mark W. Christy, PhD, Pastor of MBC in Channelview, TX Often times, people will ask about the application of the Old Testament to the life of the Christian today? Typically, they are speaking about the Mosaic Law in general and the Ten Commandments in particular. Before the time of Moses, no codified law was given after the initial fall of Adam and Eve who were given a specific command not to eat of the fruit of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil (Gen 2:17). After Adam and Eve ...

Philippians 2:1-4 – Unity

Posted on December 9, 2020December 9, 2020 by markwchristy

By Mark W. Christy, PhD, Pastor of MBC in Channelview, TX One of enemy’s preferred strategies to undermine the gospel ministry is to attack the Word of God. This includes our reliance on it. A second strategy is to lead the church away from its first love. A third strategy would be to lead God’s people into willful sin. A fourth strategy is to attack the unity of God’s people. Paul had this fear when addressing the Corinthians: “For I am afraid that when I come I may not find you as I want y...

Proclaiming Truth in a Time When Only Hope is Wanted

Posted on November 30, 2020November 30, 2020 by markwchristy

By Mark W. Christy, PhD Jer 26: 11 – “Then the priests and the prophets spoke to the officials and to all the people, saying, “A death sentence for this man! For he has prophesied against this city as you have heard in your hearing.”[i] Today, many people want words of hope and positivity. When they come to church, they want their batteries recharged. They want to depart from their time of worship with an emotional high and heart filled with an upbeat word. In this context, preachers, who...

An Unqualified Defense: A Review of Stephen Furtick’s (Un)Qualified

Posted on November 28, 2020November 29, 2020 by markwchristy

By Mark W. Christy, PhD Furtick, Stephen. (Un)Qualified: How God Uses Broken People to Do Big Things. Multnomah: 2016. In a Q&A Session at the 2012 Shepherd’s Conference, John Macarthur was asked about his view of Stephen Furtick, the pastor of Elevation Church in Charlotte, NC. In response, Macarthur offered a one-word response, “unqualified”.[i] Given that this conference was focused on the pastoral ministry, it should be clear that Macarthur is offering his assessment of Furtick’s ...

A Warning from Hebrews to Those Who Call Themselves Christians

Posted on November 24, 2020November 24, 2020 by markwchristy

Hebrews 10:22-27 “let us draw near with a sincere heart in full assurance of faith, having our hearts sprinkled clean from an evil conscience and our bodies washed with pure water. 23 Let us hold fast the confession of our hope without wavering, for He who promised is faithful; 24 and let us consider how to stimulate one another to love and good deeds, 25 not forsaking our own assembling together, as is the habit of some, but encouraging one another; and all the more as you see the day drawing ...

Satan’s Hermeneutic: A Lesson from How the Devil Used the Bible to Tempt Jesus

Posted on November 24, 2020November 24, 2020 by markwchristy

In a recent article series, the belief statement from a Prosperity Gospel was carefully studied and ultimately determined to be misguided (see https://battlehardenedbeliever.com/?p=859). In a nutshell, their statement employed Scripture that in general discussed God’s temporal blessings of the faithful and declared them to be certain in a believer’s life. While these verses did most certainly support the belief that God delights in blessing His people even during their earthly existence, these ...

Should Believers Expect Blessings in Regard to Finances, Health, and Success? (Part 5 of Interaction with the Belief Statement of a Prosperity Gospel Church)

Posted on November 24, 2020November 24, 2020 by markwchristy

While giving a sermon at a local SBC church in Shreveport, the pastor mentioned his joyful willingness to partner a local church called the Word of God Ministries. Honestly, the name alone drew my attention as it suggests affiliation with the Word of Faith and Prosperity Gospel movements. Given this concern, it made sense to tour their website (See link in 1st endnote) and determine whether or not grounds existed to support my suspicion. On their website, I accessed their belief statement which...

Should Believers Expect Blessings in Regard to Finances, Health, and Success? (Part 4 of Interaction with the Belief Statement of a Prosperity Gospel Church)

Posted on November 24, 2020November 24, 2020 by markwchristy

Preaching: The Call to Excellence Rather Than Success

Posted on November 23, 2020November 23, 2020 by markwchristy

2 Timothy, written around A.D. 66, was Paul’s last epistle (cf. 4:6). At that time, Paul was imprisoned and treated like a criminal (2 Tim 1:16; 2:9). He was abandoned by all except one of the Christian brothers, Onesiphorus.[1] In this letter, he addresses Timothy who was serving in Ephesus. From both epistles to Timothy, it is clear that the Ephesians were still struggling with doctrinal issues which is somewhat surprising since Paul had ministered there for three years in the past. Sadly,...