Valley of Vision...

When You lead me to the valley of vision

I can see You in the heights

And though my humbling wouldn’t be my decision

It’s here Your glory shines so bright

So let me learn that the cross precedes the crown

To be low is to be high

That the valley’s where

You make me more like

Christ Let me find Your grace in the valley

Let me find Your life in my death

Let me find Your joy in my sorrow

Your wealth in my need

That You’re near with every breath

In the valley

In the daytime there are stars in the heavens
But they only shine at night

And the deeper that I go into darkness The more I see their radiant light

So let me learn that my losses are my gain To be broken is to healed
That the valley’s where Your power is revealed

This is a song by Sovereign Grace Ministries entitled, "In The Valley". This is what life is all about isn't it. I can't imagine that I can go through life without going a time or two in the valley. But the valley is about God, not me. It's about seeing His Glory and allowing Him to shape and mold me into what He wants me to be. So many times, I get wrapped around the axle and wonder what it is that God is doing. The answer to those times in my life is this..."God is glorifying Himself in my life, what else do you expect Him to do?" It doesn't mean that the valley hurts or is any less scary...but what it does mean is that the valley has a purpose that goes beyond me and my feelings. It means that the valley fits into the purpose of life which is glorifying God.

I got John Piper's message yesterday entitled "What I said at my Granddaughter's funeral". He is amazingly consistent with what he says and the direction that he points to. I would encourage anyone reading this to click on the link and read it. Talk about a valley that he had to go through and he makes it look like nothing at all. His valley's would be huge for me if I had to go through them, yet he makes them look like a cakewalk. I feel as if my valley's are really daily divots for him. And then I am reminded that God will not allow me to go through anything that is beyond what I can handle through His power (1 Corinthians 10:13). My prayer is that I will not waste the valley's that God places me in through wishing that I was somewhere else, by getting mad and vengeful, or any other way that I can waste it. Rather, I want the valley's to be the moments when God reveals more of who He is to me, where he further shapes me into the image of Christ as He has promised to do, where He strips away those things that I have come to rely on instead of Him, where He makes His glory shine so bright that I cannot help but see Him for who He is and what He is doing. The words of the song above are the cry of my heart right now. Soli Deo Gloria.

The Truth of the Cross (Book Review)

I just finished reading "The Truth of the Cross" and highly recommend to anyone who wants a clear picture of God's reason for the cross. I have been a part of many different discussions throughout my life where people asked the question, "Why the cross?". Sproul, in usual 'Scproulian' terms, does not shy away from this question, yet with the carefulness of a skilled surgeon opens up each area relating to the atonement and explains it in logical, consistent, and most importantly biblical terms that anyone can follow and understand.

The Substitutionary Atonement of Jesus Christ for a believer is explained in such a way that believers from a multitude of diverse theological backgrounds could understand, and in many cases agree. And since the title of this blog is "Consistent Christianity", this book is a perfect fit. There is one quote from Sproul that I love in which he says, "I believe it's possible for a person to believe four points [of Calvinism] without believing the fifth, although I don't think it's possible to do it consistently or logically." (Pg. 142) Logic, consistency, and truth are all vitally important, especially in a time period where illogical, incoherent, babblings of man are lifted up and called good, noble, and right.

If you would like to order this book, click on the book at the top of this blog and you will be taken to ligonier's website.

Soli Deo Gloria!

AHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!!!!!!!

Okay so here's the deal. When someone sins against you, that does NOT give you the right to sin and handle the rest of your life the way that you want to. I think that is pretty clear from the life of Christ and the rest of Scripture. Romans 8:28 clearly says that God causes all things to work together for good to those who love Him and are called according to His purpose. Joseph understood that. His brothers pretty much took a big dump on his head when they threw him into a hole and then sold him into slavery. Potiphar's wife took a shot when she accused him of trying to rape her. The baker and cupbearer hosed him over when they forgot about him in prison. If anyone had a reason to utterly destroy those who had hurt him, it was Joseph. BUT what was his reply when his brothers were standing before him? "As for you, you meant evil against me, but God meant it for good in order to bring about this present result, to preserve many people alive." Can you imagine if Joseph would have said, "You guys suck! You threw me in a hole and all of this horrible stuff happened to me. Now you're gonna pay!" God would not have been given any glory.

God is Sovereign! He is in control and holds lives together (Colossians 1:17). There is not one single atom that is outside of His control. He had a plan for the world and everyone in the world before the world began. God is not reactionary. He doesn't take a look at what is going on and then figure out what to do. NO! He has a plan and is seeing that plan through to the end, which is His glory. If there is one pet peeve that really gets me going, it when people belittle God by acting like He is sitting back doing little if nothing at all with the situation that they are complaining about.

Life is so much more than me and what is happening to me, yet that is what I get all of the time. As a matter of fact, last night I got a call from someone who is still dealing with the idea that life is all about him. We are vessels in the hands of God and He can and will do with us what He wants. What an honor and privilege to be a vessel used by God for His glory. Don't forget that! When you forget, life starts to be one big pile of dog poo. Your focus starts to go inward and your attitude becomes a "poor me" attitude. As Christians we have been chosen and set aside to do something that is utterly amazing...Bring Glory To God. God will glorify Himself through us in a whole host of different circumstances. There are Christians in the Middle East who will have the honor of glorifying God by losing their lives for Him at the hands of some Islamic worshipper. There are Christians in China who will glorify God by being jailed for life because they will have decided that worshiping God is more important than following the Chinese government. And there will be people in the United States who get the chance to glorify God by being married to an unfaithful spouse for their entire lives. There will be teens who will get the chance to glorify God by being obedient to parents who are ungodly and irrational. We are all put in different spots in life by God for a reason that has eternity attached to it..."The Glory of God". The problem is that people seem to like the martyrdom of Christianity over the lifelong devotion to an unbelieving spouse. There seems to be more glory for the martyr than the faithful spouse, and there is the problem...the glory is going to the wrong person. What a bunch of garbage. The faithful wife who prays for her disobedient husband gives God just as much glory as the Christian woman who is blown to pieces by a suicide bomber, if not more.

I am fired up! Let God be Sovereign and decide who will go through what. Be a faithful Joseph and live life according to God's Word despite the situation. "Though he slay me, yet I will hope in Him." (Job 13:15) "If it be so, our God whom we serve is able to deliver us from the furnace of blazing fire; and He will deliver us out of your hand, O king. But if He does not, let it be known to you, O King, that we are not going to serve your gods or worship the golden image that you have set up." (Daniel 3:17&18) SOLI DEO GLORIA!

I'm Tired....

Ahab told Jezebel all that Elijah had done, and how he had killed all the prophets with the sword. Then Jezebel sent a messenger to Elijah, saying, “So may the gods do to me and more also, if I do not make your life as the life of one of them by this time tomorrow.” Then he was afraid, and he arose and ran for his life and came to Beersheba, which belongs to Judah, and left his servant there. - 1 Kings 19:1-3

So this week has been my Elijah week. Just in case you aren't familiar with Elijah's story and/or don't go to the Bible for the context of the Scripture above here is the background. Elijah had just finished killing off the prophets of Baal that he had put to a challenge. Elijah had given them all kinds of opportunities to prove that Baal was real. After he mocked them and they cut themselves...he put an end to their worship, worshiped the real God, and then had them killed for their false worship. Well this didn't sit well with Jezebel and she wanted to have him killed. When Elijah heard this, all of what God had done...the consuming fire and everything...went right out the window and he took off running like a scared little child. I feel like I have done that this week...I am tired from battling, I am tired of running, I am tired of trying to be the diplomat making sure I get my point across yet now offend anyone.

My battle...the inerrancy of Scripture. The statement made, "Our faith isn't in Scripture...It's in the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ." The problem...Romans 10:17, "Faith comes by hearing and hearing by the Word." The attack this week came in the area of the trustworthiness of Scripture. Throughout history, Scripture has been seen as inerrant, infallible, and inspired. It wasn't until the 1970's that this historical belief was challenged and people started to make statements like, "The Bible is only true [inerrant and infallible] in the areas of faith and practice." While this might not seem like a big deal, it is a huge deal. If the Bible is not error free in some areas, then how do we know for sure if it is error free in the areas relating to faith and practice. Now I am not an idiot and I know that there are some apparent discrepancies [which can be explained in a logical rational way], but those apparent discrepancies in no way mean that Bible has errors in it, as was stated by my opponent.

I know that I am called to be faithful man who the Word has been entrusted to, but I get tired. If you are reading this blog, pray that I will fight the good fight (when I need to) and keep my mouth shut when I need to. I am still young and need to temper what I say with the Word of God...but sometimes it seems as if the attacks come from the side that you least expect (your own). Soli Scriptura!

Depression and the Christian

Since consistency is a huge thing with me and the title of this blog is "Consistent Christianity" I thought I would share my thoughts and those who call themselves Christians yet lack joy....i.e. are depressed. Now I know that science in America says that depression is a chemical imbalance resulting from messed up levels of either Norepinephrine, Serotonin, or Dopamine, but until they can prove it...depression will remain in my mind, "A lack of joy in one's life." So can a person who claims all of the following really lack being joyful:

• Being saved from eternal damnation
• Having a relationship with their creator
• Having their creator's sinlessness being given to them
• Having power over sin
• Knowing that the battle has been won
• Being able to bring glory to the One who deserves it
• Knowing that God is Sovereign
• Understanding that death is just another way to bring glory to God

There are so many more truths about a Christians relationship with God that I could go on and on. The truth of the matter is that for those who were once slaves to sin and dead to God, joy should be the only emotion pouring out of us. And to that, actions related to joy should be the only actions committed by us. Yet the reality is that anti-depressants are the most widely prescribed drugs in America today. There is no difference in percentages between Christians and non-Christians when it comes to divorce. In other words...Christians are just as miserable as the rest of the world...why?

The only answer that I can come to is that Christians have traded the fountain of living water for the broken cisterns of this world. If I put my joy in the fact that my home has $100,000 in equity and then the housing market does something like it is currently doing...then it only follows that I will start to become depressed. If I put my joy in having a great relationship with my wife and kids and then our relationships start to deteriorate...it only follows that I will start to loose my joy. Am I making sense? The only constant unchanging rock that we as Christians can stand on is Jesus Christ. He is the same yesterday, today, and tomorrow. We don't have to worry about what He is going to say or do. It is the same. My joy can be complete because of who he is. So once again, worship is at the heart of my blog. What you worship will decide whether or not you have joy. God is the source of all joy...anything short of God will bring about depression.

Broken Cisterns

“For My people have committed two evils:
They have forsaken Me,
The fountain of living waters,
To hew for themselves cisterns,
Broken cisterns
That can hold no water."

Today is more of a continuation from yesterday yet a little different. The quote from above is found in Jeremiah 2:13. The whole first part of Jeremiah 2 is God reminding the Israelites of just what He had done for them. Then, starting in verse 5, God starts asking some really good questions of the Israelite people. He says, "What did I do wrong that caused your fathers to go far from me?" A few verses down, God makes the statement that those who handled the Law didn't know Him. My first instinct/response to this passage is, "How could you go from God's chosen people to this?" But if I stop and think about it, this seems to be the case of God's people throughout the span of time. God blesses and blesses and blesses. Then people seem to either worship the blessings or they turn from God and worship whatever they want. I am going through the book of Judges and the whole them of the book seems to be "and the Israelites did evil in the sight of the Lord."

It shouldn't floor me then to see the state of the church and my youth group today. God seems to have blessed (notice the past tense of this word) this country in the past and we are living off of and worshipping those blessings. The youth that I minister to have more today than most of the people in this world. I can no longer offer "cool" prizes at events because I don't have the money to get items that would be wanted. Most of my youth have their own cars (many of them brand new), their own computers, cellphones, tons of name brand clothes, and so much more. I am not ranting and raving about the materialism of the United States...so don't hear me wrong. Even my own daughter made the statement the other day that the reason why people don't go to her school is because they are too poor. (I set her straight on that one...we couldn't go to that school if they didn't offer pastors a discount.)

The problem isn't the stuff, it's the worship that tends to come along with that stuff. The blessings seem to be the god that is worshipped with the giver of the gift is left in the dust. Getting back to the quote at the top of this blog, it seems as if I am swimming in and amongst people who have traded the fountain of living water for broken cups that can't hold anything. Just in case I am not being clear...a fountain does not end in its water supply. It gushes and gushes crisp clear invigorating water that quenches the most dehydrated person. It just pours out over and above what the drinker needs. I can't help but thing of a person who has been dragging himself through a desert for a couple of days and wonders upon the a fountain that is in the middle of a bunch of Palm trees. What is he going to do? He is going to drink until he can't drink anymore. And then he is probably going to stay put. The fountain is sustaining him. If he leaves the fountain there is a good chance that he will die in the desert. His "savior" is right there and he is not moving.

Can you imagine the man who stumbled upon the fountain...but also saw in the distance a broken vase that had a little bit of water in it and chose the vase over the fountain? That person is flat out stupid. Yet this is what many of the Christians that I have run into lately seem to be doing. When I ask them why they are heading down the path that they are, the response is something along the lines of, "This is what I feel I need to do." WHAT! You're going to give up this fountain of life and go after what you feel you need to do. Stupid, stupid, stupid people. (I am in this boat from time to time as well, and it's only by the grace of God that He provides someone to tell me how stupid I am being.)

Two evils that are still very present today: (1)Forsaking God, the living fountain, and (2)making up things that hold no water with which we try to sustain ourselves with. At what point will God throw His hands up in the air and say, "Fine, I've had enough". The answer...RETURN TO THE LIVING FOUNTAIN AND LIVE!

My Heart is Broken....

So I was on myspace today cruising around checkin' out different sites and I kept running across site after site of people who call themselves Christian, yet their myspace reflected more of an immoral sanctuary filled with all kinds of idols, i.e. a whorehouse. I just finished listening to a sermon by Mark Driscoll and talking with a young lady about the worship that we give to things, so I admit that I was a little pumped up about the worship of God. I am also in Jeremiah where God compares the Israelites to a donkey in heat who gives it up to anyone who will come by and try to impregnate her. (I am not makin' this up...check it out in Jeremiah 2:24.)

But it wasn't until I came to one site where the girl had pictures on her site where she (and the other girls) looked like a whore from some red light district. Then in a separate photo album were pictures of her son who is about a year old. That's when the spot right in the middle of my chest started to hurt and I got this pressure in between my eyes that happens right before I start to cry. How is this boy who seems so innocent (I am reformed I know he is not) going to find out the truth about Christianity? Unless things change, he is going to grow up thinking that Christianity is about saying the right words at the right time and then continuing to live any which way that you want. Talk about disgusting. We have got to be living in the last days. I understand that we are not saved by keeping the Law, rather are saved by grace through faith in Jesus Christ who did keep the whole Law.

Life is about worship...Who we worship. It was apparent in this site that this little boy was going to grow up learning how to worship sex, alcohol, pleasure, material items, and everything else this world has to offer. We are idol factories as John Calvin stated. Whatever we can think of, we can and will worship. Jesus came to save us from our sins so that we could have the ability to redirect our worship to Who is meant for in the first place. When a person claims to be a Christian but does not change or even goes further down the path of sin, then there must be a warning light that goes off warning, "False Conversion" right? I mean if there is no life change...then there is no change of worship...and if there is no change of worship then logically that person will not want to spent eternity worshiping God....therefore that person remains just as damned as they were before.

I guess my cry today is for people to be real. Don't say your a Christian just to have a religion or try to fit in while you are at church. Have guts and be real...for the sake of all those who might come to Christ in the future. Quit blurring the line between what is real and what is fake. And for crying out loud, don't equate being saved with sin. May the wrath of God come down on those who do in full. Christ came to save from sin not to allow people to plunge into it. This world does enough to screw up and twist the truth...be real. Worship Christ and proclaim His glory with every ounce of who you are and reap the blessings of that...or don't and reap the consequences of that. Bottom line... you will worship someone or something...are you a donkey in heat or are you a child of the living Holy God...ACT ACCORDINGLY!

Soli Deo Gloria

2 Common Routes

As I was driving into work this morning, I started to think about most of the youth in my youth group. I am starting to clearly see a major fork in the teenage path. These two paths, while they look totally different from one another, are really two paths that lead to the exact same place. The decision to take one path or another seems to be chosen before they are placed underneath my leadership and shepherding. It seems as if their choice has been made almost years before youth group. How scary to think that this happened before their doctrine and Scripture knowledge has been fortified. Anyway, here are the two paths that are being taken and where they end up.

Path #1:

The first path that is noticeably being taken by many youth is the path of rebellion. I don't know how many different youth I have seen fall this past year when it comes to their faith. I know that for many of them, they have watched those that they revere and think are solid Christians, fail miserably. Three of the young men in my youth group have watched their dads bail not only on their moms and family, but in their walk with Christ. Perhaps the worst decision of these men is to continue to call themselves Christians. 1 John 1:6 states, "If we claim to have fellowship with Him yet walk in the darkness, we lie and do not live by the truth." These men have led their sons and anyone else who is watching them to believe that it is okay to embrace and sleep with sin while claiming to be a child of God at the same time. There could not have been more blasphemous statement made. Woe to those who call evil good and good evil, who put darkness for light and light for darkness, who put bitter for sweet and sweet for bitter (Isaiah 5:20). For the youth who have watched this, many of them are seeming to say, "What's the use. This Christian thing is just a bunch of useless crap anyway. It's a huge waste of my time." Part of me totally understands what they are saying and doing. If Christ is not who He said He was and Scripture is not really the Authoritative Word of the living God that is sharper than 2 edged sword able to pierce through bone and marrow, then use it as bookend because that's all it's really good for. I understand the rebellion to do what they want to do because that is what the adults in their lives are doing. I said I understand it, I don't agree with it. The path that this ultimately leads to is that the youth are in charge of their lives doing what they want to do, ignoring God.

Path #2

The second path that I am starting to recognize is much more subtle and received much better at the church I am ministering in. This is the path of the Pharisee. This person is just as rebellious and anti-God as the rebel, but they want to seem as if they are religious and godly. These types of youth are coming from families that are very religious and even very Christian. These youth have a high morality and know a lot of Scripture, yet there is the love of Christ that is dramatically missing from their lives. They hold everyone to a super high (unbiblical) standard of living and condemn them through looks, actions, words, and even lack of looks, actions, and words. I see these youth as walking down a path that looks totally opposite of the rebel, but is just as trashed. Instead of looking on people who compassion and love seeking to help them in their walk with Christ, they judge and gossip about them. And for some reason, they are totally blind to what it is that they are doing. Even more horrible, are the parents of those teens who are feeding what they are doing. They gossip and judge people in their lives, thus fueling the teens in what they are doing. Talk about two worlds colliding to create one big mess. The same result happens for the pharisee that happens for the rebel. They are in charge of their lives, doing what they want to do, with no thought of who God is and what He wants. They might quote Scripture, as opposed to swearing, they might live moral lives, as opposed to immoral, they might look good in the eyes of church-goers, as opposed to not caring, but the outcome is a godless person who is living life for him or herself.

The Solution:

As of right now, I am not sure. Salvation is the answer. Christ is the answer. Scripture is the answer. I know all of that...but I am not sure how to get those into the minds and hearts of the youth. They have effectively been inoculated to Scripture and what it has to say. Right now, my only course of action is to preach God's Word faithfully and confront when I get the chance. It's a battle and for a season is seems as though the enemy has gotten the upper hand. However, Christ has won the battle already. God will cause all things to work together for good to those who love Him and who are called according to His purpose. Soli Deo Gloria

Why Another Blog...

With all the blogs out there, why start another one? Great question. I'm just another guy with thoughts and convictions running wild in my mind. But for those who know me and know the group of youth that I work with, I wanted the chance to share my frustrations with what I see, what I hear, and what I read. So to answer the question above, I would have to say the following:

This blog is not for everyone to read. This is meant for the youth and staff who are directly affected by my leadership and influence on their lives. They deserve to read what I am thinking about, what my frustrations are, and how God is working in, on and through me. However, should you choose to read my blogs and are affected and influenced, positively or negatively, then great. I would love to hear from anyone who honestly and sincerely wants to give me feedback. But to those who just want to argue and are not interested in further the truth, do me a favor and don't waste my time.

And just to clear up any confusion about who I am or why I added this picture to this blog, I am a 5 point calvinist whose passion is the Sovereignty of God, even over salvation. That's right, I believe that God foreknew me, and predestined me, and called me, and justified me, and glorified me all on His own apart from anything that I did. Funny that sounds like it is right out of Romans 8:29. And in case your read this wrong, I am not an angry calvinist...just a very passionate one.

Soli Deo Gloria,

Pastor Ben Marshall