Cults Are Invading Russia!!!

I spent my evening at a fund raiser for the Russian arm of the Centers for Apologetics Research (CFAR). We heard about the dozens and dozens of western and eastern cults (many of which were "born" here in the U.S., which the founder, Paul Cardin, called the greatest exporter of error on the planet today) that are flooding the former Soviet Union.

Having come home from Ukraine two months ago, I was truly moved, even to tears, when Mr. Cardin told us about this invasion and then told us that CFAR is the first and ONLY evangelical countercults ministry in the former Soviet Union. And, I spoke with the Russian brother Pasha who heads up the ministry in St. Petersburg who told me that the cults are MORE active in Ukraine than Russia because Ukraine has more freedom (for instance, the Mormons are building their first temple in the former USSR in Kiev, Ukraine's capital city).

Ron Rhodes, noted author, scholar and countercult evangelist, was the keynote speaker who gave us "10 Keys to Witnessing to the Cults," and I want to share them with you here. These keys come from his many years of evangelism to cultists:

1. Don't Assume All Cultists Believe Exactly the Same Thing -- for example, all Jehovah's Witnesses don't agree so instead of telling them what they believe and why you disagree (which I've done), ask them what they believe and THEN dialogue.
2. Know Your Bible -- and, keep taking them back to it over and over again
3. Know that Cultists Are Trained to Answer Your Objections
4. Always Check Their Scripture References -- and NEVER take their interpretation of a passage as true
5. Always Define Your Terms -- because they use the same words we do, but with totally different meanings
6. Ask Strategic Questions -- force them to think (just like Jesus did with His questions)
7. Be Loving -- Arrogence always undermines your right answers, and make sure you love the cultist after God saves them because they'll likely loose all community
8. Demonstrate Jesus' Deity -- know what the Bible teaches on this (e.g., Isa 43:11 --> Titus 2:13-14 = Jesus is Savior and God)
9. Emphasize God's Awesome Gospel of Grace -- in a works-righteousness religious systems where people are earning their salvation, they are often overcome with guilt, frustration & despair, and need to hear of the grace only found in the biblical Gospel
   
10. Give Your Testimony -- and focus on God's specific grace to you
    

As I sat there, my heart was further breaking for the church I went to in Zhitomir, and knowing what I do about the conditions in that church, I know it is just ripe to be decimated by a cult.

Ministries like CFAR, and there aren't ANY in the former USSR but CFAR, need our help. Please, please, please think about supporting them by clicking here.

Sense and Nonsense in Prayer by Lehman Strauss (Pt 2)

These are the final two points from my study of Sense of Nonsense in Prayer by Lehman Strauss. I read the book while studying and praying through 2 Timothy, which should explain the biographical portions:

4. The believer’s prayer book should be the Bible alone (pp. 7, 55-56, 65-67, 86).

Interspersed throughout the book is the critical connection between prayer and the Bible. It is Strauss’ assertion that the believer who knows his Bible little, knows little of prayer; therefore, encouraging the church in “the biblical way of praying” (p. 7) was one of the reasons he wrote the book. He asserts that the prayer lives of many Christians are not a success because they have not disciplined themselves to read, study, meditate on and obey the Bible.

Strauss drove the importance of biblical prayer home to my heart when he remarked, “what God says to me is infinitely more important than anything I could say to Him” (p. 66). My thinking on this subject was distorted early in my Christian life when I was weaned on books by Richard Foster who acknowledges the Bible, but sees it as ancillary to the discipline of prayer. Therefore, most of my Christian life prayer was divorced from Bible study.

Strauss helped me see that reading and studying the Bible prayerfully is the key to productive prayer so that meditating on a verse a day from 2 Timothy is the central focus of my prayer time today.

5. Christians need to pray after God answers (p. 111)

For the past seven years, my prayer life has been sporadic. I pray fervently when there is a crisis in my life, but when things are peaceful prayer is tragically the last thing on my mind.

When Strauss was recounting Jesus’ miracle of the feeding of the 5000 (Matt 14; Mark 6; John 6), an event permeated with prayer, he points out that the story climaxes with Jesus praying after God blesses His ministry.

Jesus example here is very instructive. His prayer continued even though His request had already been realized. Strauss’ analysis of this passage was convicting because rather than imitating Christ, I ended up being like the modern Christians he describes who “grab the handout and say, ‘So long, God. I’ll be back when I need more’” (p. 111).

To incorporate this principle into my prayers and nip this erratic prayer trend in the bud, I have been and am now committed to continuing the discipline of daily prayer for the rest of my life. Only time will tell if I relapse into irregular prayer tendencies or persist in it every day.

Sense and Nonsense in Prayer by Lehman Strauss (Pt 1)

While in seminary I took a class on prayer. We were given a list of books to do a book report that was meant to summarize five ways the book was helpful in building your life of prayer.

What follows is what I learned about prayer from Lehman Strauss' Sense and Nonsense in Prayer, a book I rather enjoyed reading. Please keep in mind as you read that much of this review is biographical and refers to my life from February 2003.

1. God is silent when sin breaks the communion between Him and the believer (pp. 20-24, 49, 64-65, 101).

Believers are not only united with Christ, but John 15:1-8 teaches that they also have a special communion with Him (pp. 63-68). But, while the believer’s union with Christ will never change, their sweet communion with Him can be broken. Believers can erect “a barrier” (pp. 21, 101) or put an “obstacle” (p. 49) or “cut the lifeline” (p. 21) between them and God by sinning.

Experientially, I knew this. There have been times where the weight of my sin was so heavy that it felt like God was far away from me. However, I did not know of any biblical support for my feelings, which left me confused until Strauss’ biblical references on the separating effects of sin hit me squarely on the chin (see Ps 66:18; Isa 1:13-15; 59:1-2).

Understanding that “[I] am responsible for God’s silence” (p. 21) is driving me to seek a deeper level of righteousness. Taking this principle seriously, I am currently tracking someone down who I sinned against many years ago to ask her for forgiveness so my prayers will “accomplish much” (Jas 5:16).

2. There is a direct correlation between the believer’s concept of God and his prayers (pp. 35, 39).

In the context of praying in Jesus’ name (pp. 35-41), Strauss asserts that “prayer rises or falls with one’s concept of Jesus Christ” (p. 35), a principle that would have been even stronger had he incorporated verses like Hosea 4:6; 6:6 and Jeremiah 4:23 into his discourse.

While I generally agree with this statement, I would clarify it by saying prayer rises or falls with the believer’s concept of God because, as Strauss teaches later in the book (pp. 120-21) we do not pray only to Jesus, but to all the persons of the Trinity. He goes on to say that anyone “who holds a light view of the Lord Jesus Christ cannot have a worthwhile prayer life” (35).

The believer who does not know what Jesus is like cannot pray to Him as they ought. He is not able to trust Him freely, or love Him deeply, or ascribe to Him the glory He deserves. After a while, these prayers disrespect the King, making it so that the ignorant believer has “no right to expect God to answer his prayers” (39).

Because of this principle I am now incorporating the Bible into my prayers by meditating on a verse of 2 Timothy every day before praying. The verse I turn over in my mind than becomes my springboard into praise/thanks, confession, etc. This way, I am learning about God as I pray and therefore, I am able to pray according to that knowledge.

3. It is “rude imposition” (p. 58) to ask God for anything without an attitude of thanksgiving (pp. 57-62).

Asking God for anything must be saturated by praise/thanksgiving for everything. I grew up ignorantly treating God like a cosmic bellhop who was supposed to jump at my requests. It was only in the past few years that I realized I deserve nothing good from God and therefore, “whenever [I] approach God for anything, [I] should not fail to thank Him for those blessings and mercies [I] have already received” (pp. 58).

According to Psalm 100:4, the right way to approach God’s throne is with praise/thanksgiving and blessings. This biblical teaching in Strauss’ book and the discipline of daily prayer has taught me that my prayers are very self-centered.

For instance, when I was in 2 Timothy 2:25 a few weeks ago I desperately cried out to God for my grandpa’s salvation after my grandma died. However, my prayers of praise/thanksgiving for his receiving Christ still lack the same fervency and urgency of my entreaties for his salvation (prayers God graciously answered in December 2006).

Therefore, Strauss’ insights have been driving me to begin my prayer time with praise/thanks to God for an attribute of His character related to the verse I am studying in 2 Timothy (e.g., mercy in 2:25) as passionately and intentionally as I petition Him.

I'll finish this book review in the next post.

Praying for Non-Christians

Do you pray for specific unbelievers to be saved?

After reading a short section of Augustine's Confession, I was struck with these words that I hope to incorporate into my prayers for unbelievers (if you like, read it in context here ch. 8, para. 12):

"It was pleasing in Your sight to reform my deformity, and by inward stings You didst disturb me so that I was impatient until You were made clear to my inward sight."

I want God to "disturb" the unbelievers I pray for, along with convicting them of "sin, righteousness and judgment" (John 16:8) and putting gospel-sharing believers around them so that He will be made clear to their inward sight, something I think only happens after salvation (cf. Romans 1:18-23, 8:5-8; 1 Corinthians 2:14; Ephesians 4:17-18).

Call to Prayer

Alister Begg just announced here that he has prostate cancer.

Please pray for wisdom in treatment options, a speedy recovery, and grace to grow from this experience.