About prayer, I mention nothing about prayer in my blog, of course I’m not taking issue with prayer, I’m sorry you read that into this. In the video clip most everything said from the beginning to them chanting “10 times better” (Liberation Theology and Replacement Theology) is what I find contrary to the spiritual brokenness we see in the sermon on the mount. “Poor in Spirit” If those in darkness (The Lost) hear Christians chanting that we’re 10 times better, will they see us as Christ Like? The truth of the matter is that for those who have been born again and have the in dwelling of the Holy Spirit are actually “Infinitely times better” but no where do we see Jesus or the apostles attempt to win the lost by saying their better.

You posted some scriptures from 2 Corinthians then made some statements one of which was: “to promote the life saving message of Jesus Christ so that “in him we might become the righteousness of God” where we “may declare the praises of him who called you out of darkness into his wonderful light” because God “has rescued us from the dominion of darkness and brought us into the kingdom of the Son he loves, in whom we have redemption, the forgiveness of sins.”

Once again, I have no problem with prayer, but lets take note that Paul’s letter is to the Church and the majority of what “The Call” is focused on is currant political issues, mostly Homosexuals and Abortion. I see clearly from scripture that these actions are sins, and God hates sin. But if you truly have a heart for the lost you’ll want to lovingly share the gospel to them. I have on many occasions told Homosexuals the gospel, many are shock to see the love I show them, its these big political sound bites that they see on T.V. as who Christians are…“may declare the praises of him who called you out of darkness into his wonderful light” Him who called you is “God” the Call comes after someone hears the gospel, Salvation is the work of God, all this energy spent trying to change homosexuals by passing bills like prop 8 in CA send the wrong message to the lost.(this is where I have inner conflict I would vote for prop 8 but I wouldn’t go to the Call in LA) track down online Dr Dobson’s farewell speech from focus on the family…he says all the years fighting against all the issues only pushed back a few years the change that the unrepentant sinners wanted..(paraphrased) I’m not saying that’s a bad thing, But in my opinion we should put the same effort into evangelism. Also the facts that things are getting worse side with the Premillennialism not Postmillennialism.

So I do feel strongly that we are to be spreading the gospel to the lost with prayer and love. As seen in scripture by open air preaching, one on one witnessing, inviting the lost to church and sending out missionaries. If you think Lou Engle has a better understanding on how we are to spend our time, then by all means join him. I can’t say he’s a false teacher based on the fact that I think he has the salvation message correct, but please consider the points I’ve made hear on how God would have us spend our time in his service.
2 Timothy 2
1You then, my son, be strong in the grace that is in Christ Jesus. 2And the things you have heard me say in the presence of many witnesses entrust to reliable men who will also be qualified to teach others. 3Endure hardship with us like a good soldier of Christ Jesus. 4No one serving as a soldier gets involved in civilian affairs—he wants to please his commanding officer. 5Similarly, if anyone competes as an athlete, he does not receive the victor’s crown unless he competes according to the rules.

Here is the web address to the John MacArthur quoat : http://www.biblebb.com/files/macqa/70-9-4.htm

In Christ’s love Bob

I’d like to give some of my thoughts now too. In my opinion, this blog entry isn’t very clear (to me) on why it is saying these things. Is it taking a stand against “TheCall”, Lou Engle, Dominion Theology, or all of it? I see how the blogger is connecting them…dominion theology, being something He believe Lou Engle is teaching, and thus since Engle is leading “TheCall” there is that connection to all of it. However, I take a huge issue with that broad of a connection first off, and secondly, I found it interesting how the blogger says “In all my studies of the Bible I’ve never seen the call to over take the government for Christ” but then to back up his claim/opinion he quotes John McArthur, not any scriptural references backing his opinion. This blog makes me question the heart and motive of the writer, not what he is apparantly writing about which is Dominion Theology.

I love God with all of my heart. I love and cherish the Word of God and I truly seek to live my life based on God’s Word and not man’s standard for living or how the world around me will demand me to live. This sometimes means that I have to be very aware of bad theology and the people promoting it and dominion theology may very well be bad theology.

However I take issue with this blog because in the message they have you listen to from Lou Engle, I never once here him say anything about “this is what dominion theology tells us to do…” or the like. I hear him use the word, dominion, and he does use the concept/phrasing of “taking dominion over…” but it really seems like a big stretch to connect Engle and his message with that theology just from what they put into a clip for us to hear. No where that I could find (and I may have missed it) does “TheCall” website say anyting in reference to Dominion Theology. What the website does promote is prayer, fasting and worship over a city, for a state, in such at time as this. Now that is powerful. And we, members of the church, want to come against people connecting with God through prayer, fasting and worship? Seriously? People from numerous denominations coming together to seek the face of the Lord, this will be a powerful time and it should not be discouraged. In Jeremiah 29 the Lord is speaking and says, “11 For I know the plans I have for you,” declares the LORD, “plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future. 12 Then you will call upon me and come and pray to me, and I will listen to you. 13 You will seek me and find me when you seek me with all your heart. 14 I will be found by you,” declares the LORD, “and will bring you back from captivity. I will gather you from all the nations and places where I have banished you,” declares the LORD, “and will bring you back to the place from which I carried you into exile.” The Lord can still use opportunities like “TheCall” to create space for people to re-connect and connect with God in a powerful way. Why would anyone put that opportunity down? It is almost like the blogger says, “I am against Dominion Theology, so I am against anything/anyone associated with it.” Really? You are against people humbling themselves and seeking the Lord through prayer, fasting, and worship? Really?

One part of me wants to applaud a person or a church when they do choose to take a stand against what they perceive as something contrary to God’s standard. The church needs this more often, however the blogger closed by saying “So Stay the course found in scripture, Love God Love your neighbor…” And that closing statement confuses me, because the whole tone of this blog entry is not one of loving others. It’s one of judgement. And the judgement of the blogger is pretty clear as they quote a material of John MacArthur’s I was not able to find while searching online. (All quoted material, especially when it is your main source, should be completely quoted. If accessed onlined, that site should be refrenced with the date of access. If found in a book, a pamphlet, etc, that book and title should be referenced clearly.) I cannot applaud or being happy when one member of the church of Jesus Christ, judges another member, and makes their judgement so unclear and is so unsupported. 2 Peter 2 and 1 Timothy 1:1-11 speak very clearly to us about this very specific thing. When taking a stand against false teachers, be careful not to become one. Jesus said, “be merciful, just as your Father is merciful. Do not judge, and you will not be judged. Do not condemn, and you will not be condemned. Forgive, and you will be forgiven. Give, and it will be given to you. A good measure, pressed down, shaken together and running over, will be poured into your lap. For with the measure you use, it will be measured to you.” (Matthew 6:36-38). Mercy is more connected to “loving God and loving your neighbor” then judging them. There is a fine line between judging false teachers who bare false witness (and bad theology) and then actually showing mercy and breathing the hope of Jesus Christ and His message of reconcilation.

So as I responded to my friend’s email about this blog post I sensed a heart by the blog writer to share his heart. And I believe on the Lord can judge a man’s heart and his intentions. But I also believe, just as strongly as the blog writer does about “The Call”, Lou Engle, and Dominion Theology, that if your intentions in writing this are not done in true love and reconciliation, then your motives may be need to be changed as well.

I was reading today in Colossians and came across these verses in chapter 1:

For this reason, since the day we heard about you, we have not stopped praying for you and asking God to fill you with the knowledge of his will through all spiritual wisdom and understanding. 10And we pray this in order that you may live a life worthy of the Lord and may please him in every way: bearing fruit in every good work, growing in the knowledge of God, 11being strengthened with all power according to his glorious might so that you may have great endurance and patience, and joyfully 12giving thanks to the Father, who has qualified you[d] to share in the inheritance of the saints in the kingdom of light. 13For he has rescued us from the dominion of darkness and brought us into the kingdom of the Son he loves, 14in whom we have redemption,[e] the forgiveness of sins.

Makes me think that if God purposed it for us to be rescued through His Son Jesus from the dominion of darkness then when the Word says we “are a chosen people, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a people belonging to God, that you may declare the praises of him who called you out of darkness into his wonderful light” (1 Peter 1:9) that we are to literally go and do that. The video clip of Lou speaking is talking about his son going and doing that, through prayer. Going and calling and praying for peole to leave the dominion of darkness.

2 Corinthians 5:10 says, “For we must all appear before the judgment seat of Christ, that each one may receive what is due him for the things done while in the body, whether good or bad.” And in verse 14 it picks up again by saying, “For Christ’s love compels us, because we are convinced that one died for all, and therefore all died. And he died for all, that those who live should no longer live for themselves but for him who died for them and was raised again. So from now on we regard no one from a worldly point of view. Though we once regarded Christ in this way, we do so no longer. Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; the old has gone, the new has come! All this is from God, who reconciled us to himself through Christ and gave us the ministry of reconciliation: that God was reconciling the world to himself in Christ, not counting men’s sins against them. And he has committed to us the message of reconciliation. We are therefore Christ’s ambassadors, as though God were making his appeal through us. We implore you on Christ’s behalf: Be reconciled to God. God made him who had no sin to be sin for us, so that in him we might become the righteousness of God.”

Several of these verses here clearly ask us to take a stand, in the name of Jesus, to promote the life saving message of Jesus Christ so that “in him we might become the righteousness of God” where we “may declare the praises of him who called you out of darkness into his wonderful light” because God “has rescued us from the dominion of darkness and brought us into the kingdom of the Son he loves, in whom we have redemption, the forgiveness of sins.”

There should be no judgement or shame over a message from a man who is calling for more people to act as son is choosing to act in prayer towards a dominion of sin…the same kind of dominion of sin that we all have been rescused from.

Thank you for letting me share my thoughts, too.

Like many other things, some people will believe whatever they are told. This happens in science, religion, medicine… you name it. It is up to us as individuals to do our own research to confirm what we are told is true before we go around pronouncing its validity.