Did the Devil Make Me Do It?

I just sinned. Did the Devil make me do it?

The authors of the New Testament almost never speak about a Christian's sin in terms of demonic influence. Paul refers to false teachers who have been captured by the Devil to do his will (2 Tim. 2:26) and ill-qualified elders in a church who are in danger of falling into a snare of the Devil (1 Tim. 3: 6-7). But when he speaks to believers about their sin it's usually in direct terms. So, for example, in Ephesians 4:25-32 Paul instructs us:

Therefore, having put away falsehood, let each one of you speak the truth with his neighbor, for we are members one of another. Be angry and do not sin; do not let the sun go down on your anger, and give no opportunity to the devil. Let the thief no longer steal, but rather let him labor, doing honest work with his own hands, so that he may have something to share with anyone in need. Let no corrupting talk come out of your mouths, but only such as is good for building up, as fits the occasion, that it may give grace to those who hear. And do not grieve the Holy Spirit of God, by whom you were sealed for the day of redemption. Let all bitterness and wrath and anger and clamor and slander be put away from you, along with all malice. Be kind to one another, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, as God in Christ forgave you.

Paul does indeed mention the Devil in this passage, telling us not to give him an opportunity to tempt us by clinging to anger and rage. But while our sin might give Satan an opportunity to advance his agenda through us, Paul doesn't understand our sin to be fundamentally caused by the Devil and his demons.   Continue at Mike McKinley

Are You Really a Christian?

Are you really a Christian?

Goodness, that's a tough question to pose to someone who professes to be a believer. And handing them Mike McKinley's book Am I Really a Christian? can amount to that very thing.

I would not encourage you to knock on the door of every nominal believer you know and hand them this book, but can you think of one person who might be ready to RE-consider that question? Here's an encouraging story I received this weekend from a pastor:

Last night we had the privilege of baptizing Anne. Anne grew up in a legalistic church. In college, she was a diligent student but got caught up in the college scene and, having never truly trusted in Christ, fell into immorality.
  However, during the summer of 2011, she came to DC to do a summer internship on the Hill. While there, she lived with her brother and attended your church. She was struck by how many people she saw worshipping Christ, loving the gospel, and truly living for their faith. It was the first time she heard the gospel faithfully taught and applied.
  Here's where 9Marks comes in: when she left at the end of the summer, her brother gave her a copy of Am I Really a Christian? by Mike McKinley. Initially, Anne was frustrated with her brother, because she assumed she was a Christian, and she refused to give the book a look. But over Christmas break her mind changed. Intent upon proving him wrong, she read the book and realized she wasn't truly following Christ. 
  For some time she wrestled with the reality that she had no desire for Christ. But after much prayer and pleading from her brother and his wife, Anne ended up coming to our little church plant that her brother had found on the 9Marks Church Search map.  After a few weeks of attending our church, Anne emailed me to get together to talk about "the process of true conversion and repentance."

I know you see the gospel change people's hearts regularly, but if you're like me, your heart breaks for those who hear the good news of Jesus Christ and walk away seemingly unchanged. I just wanted to let you know how God used your church, 9Marks, and Mike McKinley's book to lead one home that may have appeared to get away. 

Can you think of just one friend who would benefit from Am I Really a Christian? 

HT:  Jonathan Leeman

How to Conduct an Effective Membership Interview

At the outset, it may be helpful to acknowledge that there are no specific verses in Scripture that require a church to conduct an interview before recognizing someone as a member of its congregation. In the days of the New Testament, the process for becoming a member of the church seems to have been fairly brief and organic. A new member professed faith in Christ, was baptized, and was added to the church (cf. Acts 2:41).  

But for good reason many churches have found it helpful to set aside a time to talk with a membership candidate before he or she joins the church. In my experience, these interview sessions represent an extremely valuable pastoral opportunity. It's a chance to ask questions, provide pastoral care, and shape the candidates' understanding of their role in the church.

The purpose of this article is to provide some practical guidance on how to make the most of these interviews for the benefit of the member and the health of the church. And while there's no one set way to conduct a membership interview, I've found it helpful to try to achieve three things in the course of a one-hour meeting:

1. Get to know the candidate for membership.
2. Help the candidate understand the church.
3. Begin pastoral care for the candidate.    Continue at  Mike McKinley

Those Who Fall Away

Chapter 5 of Am I Really a Christian? deals with perseverance in the faith as an evidence of genuine faith. Answering the question of why people appear to fall away, McKinley turns to Mark 4:3–9, The Parable of the Sower.

“Listen to this! Behold, the sower went out to sow; as he was sowing, some seed fell beside the road, and the birds came and ate it up. Other seed fell on the rocky ground where it did not have much soil; and immediately it sprang up because it had no depth of soil. And after the sun had risen, it was scorched; and because it had no root, it withered away. Other seed fell among the thorns, and the thorns came up and choked it, and it yielded no crop. Other seeds fell into the good soil, and as they grew up and increased, they yielded a crop and produced thirty, sixty, and a hundredfold.” And He was saying, “He who has ears to hear, let him hear.”   Keep Reading...

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