Gospel Living

“And immediately he left the synagogue and entered the house of Simon and Andrew, with James and John. 30  Now Simon’s mother-in-law lay ill with a fever, and immediately they told him about her. 31  And he came and took her by the hand and lifted her up, and the fever left her, and she began to serve them.” We’re tracking Jesus and His disciples on this long Sabbath day, and here we learn about Peter and Andrew’s home life.  This has been their dwelling since they followed Jesus north to Capernaum (cf. John 1:44).  Peter’s mother-in-law also lives with them, which means that Peter was married, and possibly also Andrew (cf. 1 Cor 9:5).  As an aside, a fifth-century church was constructed over the supposed residence of Peter, based on second-century graffiti, and excavations have uncovered a residence there.  She was bed-ridden, so it appears that the condition was serious.  Luke the physician notes that she had a “high fever” (Lk 4:38), so the...

Justin Peter continues his 2015 presentation at the Sovereign Grace Baptist Church in Globe, AZ. 

Someone wrote to ask about stigma or stigmata.  Here was my response: Stigma or stigmata, in Catholic tradition, refers to marks on a person's body that allegedly correspond to the marks of Christ's crucifixion.  It's based on apocryphal tradition, not God's Word, and it distracts us from the unique and paramount event that was Christ's crucifixion.  Always be careful when someone comes claiming a sign or wonder.  Jesus warns in Matthew 16:4, "An evil and adulterous generation seeks for a sign."  He also warned in Mark 13:22, "For false christs and false prophets will arise and perform signs and wonders, to lead astray, if possible, the elect." The Apostle Paul said, "See to it that no one takes you captive by philosophy and empty deceit, according to human tradition, according to the elemental spirits of the world, and not according to Christ" (Colossians 2:8). Always hold fast to the Christ of Scripture, believing in what He taught a...

Working at the jail, I find myself cleaning and recycling used Bibles.  We check for the usual: contraband or information written in the Bibles that would cause issues if recirculated. One Bible has a reference to "The Blessing Explosion," something that appears Word-of-Faith in origin (names like Creflo Dollar and Jerry Savelle top the Google results). Next to that is the list of verses in support for tongues-speaking: Mt 3:16 Mt 28:19 Jn 20:22 Acts 1:8 Acts 2:4 Acts 19:6 Luke 11:13 Mk 16:16-18 That seems like an impressive list, but a quick glance at each of the verses reveals that most do not refer to tongues.  Whittling away the excess, we are left with these verses: Acts 2:4 Acts 19:6 Acts 2:4 occurs on Pentecost, when the Apostles began proclaiming the works of God in the various or languages represented in the crowd (vv. 6-11).  The peoples, in amazement, hear the Word of God in their own διάλεκτος , their own " way of speaking ," fr...

John MacArthur on Blessings, Truth, & Charismatic Error http://www.gty.org/Blog/B130820 "Thou shalt not criticize" has effectively become the eleventh commandment of the modern church. Sadly, the allegiance of many charismatic leaders to that mindset has created a climate where false teaching thrives. Thankfully, there are also those who understand the biblical mandate to expose error for the sake of defending truth (Romans 16:17 ). We don't doubt there are faithful gospel preachers in the charismatic movement—men who see people coming to genuine saving faith through their consistent preaching of God's Word. But tragically, many of those men undermine the very gospel they preach by ignoring, or accommodating, the heretics in their movement who claim to speak for God. For that reason, the Strange Fire conference will provide a service to the charismatic community by addressing its need for biblical discernment—a need made desperate by the silence of ...

John MacArthur on What It Means to Do Greater Works Than Jesus http://www.gty.org/Blog/B130813 "Truly, truly, I say to you, he who believes in Me, the works that I do, he will do also; and greater works than these he will do; because I go to the Father" (John 14:12 ). Many charismatic teachers look to the above verse to validate their teaching. They see it as a proof text for the notion that present-day believers can perform miraculous signs and wonders—even more spectacular than Jesus Himself. Reinhard Bonnke, who claims to have raised the dead, is one prominent charismatic who subscribes to that view, and has even written a book offering his interpretation of what Jesus meant by "greater works." But Bonnke's view not only contradicts church history, it also defies Jesus' teaching in Scripture. In the following audio clip, John MacArthur explains the true, and far more profound, meaning of John 14:12 . One of the great tragedies of the cha...

John MacArthur's Major Concern with the Charismatic Movement http://www.gty.org/Blog/B130709 The charismatic movement claims that it is the movement of the Holy Spirit, but there's a serious problem with that assertion according to John MacArthur. In the following video, John explains what that problem is and how to address it. Before you can determine whether the Holy Spirit is at work in your life, you need to rightly understand who He is and what He does. And God's infallible Word is the only reliable place to find that understanding. A major goal of the Strange Fire conference is to equip believers to discern the Spirit's work in their lives and the surrounding world. For more information about Strange Fire, please visit the conference website. http://www.tmstrangefire.org In anticipation of the sold-out Truth Matters' Strange Fire Conference taking place October 16-18, 2013, we will be looking at each of the promo videos.  God bless!

John MacArthur on Providing Cover to Charismatics http://www.gty.org/Blog/B130618 Today there is widespread hesitancy among many evangelical leaders to criticize the claims of charismatic theology. While many of these leaders are not charismatics themselves, they are open and sympathetic to the supernatural claims prevalent in the movement. In the following video, John MacArthur speaks to genuine believers who subscribe to that open-but-cautious perspective on the charismatic movement. He also addresses the need for all believers to exercise biblical discernment. Being reluctant to criticize charismatic theology may seem like a safe, middle-ground approach for noncharismatic leaders. But as John pointed out, their silence has given cover to false teachers. One of the goals of the Strange Fire conference is to awaken open-but-cautious believers to that reality, and encourage them to be strong voices of discernment. For more information about Strange Fire, visit the con...

The sons of Aaron…offered strange fire before the LORD…and fire came out from the presence of the LORD and consumed them. —Leviticus 10:1–2 In case you've missed the buzz, the announced 2013 Truth Matters Bible Conference has been stirring the hornet's nest.  John MacArthur contended for years against the charismatic chaos erupting in Evangelical circles.  Now, prior to the release of his new updated book on the subject, Strange Fire , his church will host a conference by the same name that exposes the present dangers of the movement.  Obviously controversial, this challenging conference will call us to consider whether our worship finds its grounding in Scripture, or in the experiences and traditions of men.  MacArthur anticipates criticism by answering whether his questioning something that benefits others is a loving act: Here's the release: The Lord calls His people to honor Him, to treat Him as holy. Leviticus 10 pictures the consequences ...

( Part 1 | Part 2 ) The first two posts of this series form an important foundation: we must rely on the truth the Holy Spirit revealed to us through His Word, lest we grow arrogant and embrace bold deception in the name of God.  If we lean on our own understanding of how God operates, we will fall.  If we grow unsatisfied with the Bible and seek words and visions, we invite spiritual destruction. Indeed, the light of Proverbs 30:6 dispels our confusion:     Do not add to his words,         lest he rebuke you and you be found a liar. In total, we said we must avoid Bethel because it is spiritually dangerous, and we said there are two reasons for that.  The first reason we examined in length last week, that it promotes false doctrine , and we looked at the heretical teachings streaming from the pulpit to computers and MP3 players near you.  If you have not read at least that post, please do so now, beca...

( Part 1 | Part 3 ) In the previous post , I argued that doctrine is not only unavoidable, the Holy Spirit wants us to grow in our knowledge of biblical doctrine.   Even so, I understand the many Christians who, burned by those intellectuals whose convictions were buried in seminary, believe avoiding deep theological study is the best salve for the injured soul.  They believe that you can feed only your intellect or your spirit, seeking a moving experience that is not necessarily meaningful, and missing the fact that God created both in union. As such, some of today's most popular teachers and preachers proceed with that foundation; books and sermons promising bigger and better experiences create many celebrity pastors.  However, upon this foundation a house of theology must reside, inside which a Christians find a spiritually environment that is not up to biblical code.  We will see this with our case in point --- Bill Johnson --- as we exami...

( Part 2 | Part 3 ) Doctrine and theology: sour words in the ears of many today, and with good reason.  Knowledge can puff up (1 Cor 8:1), inflating otherwise well-meaning Christians with hot air.  You probably even know someone seemingly more concerned with crossing the "t" in theology than showing the love of the cross.  Yet, God designed our hearts and minds to grow in doctrine ( instruction or teaching ), and we can't go far in our Christian walk without it.  Consider Jesus, who employed sound doctrine when His proper understanding and application of God's Word defeated Satan's temptation (Mt 4:1-11; Lk 4:1-13).  He also chastised the poor doctrine or teaching of the leaders of Israel, saying, "Have you not read" (Mt 12:3, 5, 19:4, 22:31; Mk 12:10, 26; Lk 6:3).  He equated knowing Scripture to knowing the power of God (Mt 22:29).  His Great Commission includes the directive to make disciples and to teach them (Mt 28:18-19).  As...

In this 2009 Wretched broadcast, Justin Peters ( JustinPeters.org/ )and Todd Friel discuss why you should avoid the teaching and promises of modern-day apostles and prophets.

nbelievers, invited there to begin a several-week investigation of Christianity, arrive at a catered midweek service. There, they meet their group leaders who encourage them to ask questions about the faith. Aspects of the Gospel are presented over the next few weeks with hopes that unbelievers will repeat the sinner’s prayer, and many will. They are now ready for their Holy Spirit Weekend, where they will gather to lift their voices in chaotic syllables and tones—where they will learn to sing and pray “in the Spirit.” I’ve attended one of these Holy Spirit Weekends, but since I did not believe the Holy Spirit endorses tongues “singing,” I took on the role of an observer. The instructions I heard were similar to those given by Charismatic radio broadcasts. Get rid of doubt and fear. Ask, and the Father will give you the good gift of the Holy Spirit. Open your mouths in faith and begin producing sounds, and the Holy Spirit will take control. As the guitar plays, listen to ...

ommunication is a two-way street. This includes prayer, says Dallas Willard in his book, Hearing God , the free audio book of the month at ChristianAudio . If we want to feel close to God, then we should be willing to listen for His voice when we pray—and no, he doesn't just mean that Scripture verse that came to mind last night. Christians leaders throughout Evangelicalism are teaching the idea that God actively delivers new knowledge to believers. This naturally stirs confusion in the hearts of many Christians— Will God also speak to me? How will I know if He does? If I don’t hear a clear voice, does that mean that there is something wrong with my faith?   Compounding the issue is the fact that when Christians claim that God told them something, they are essentially claiming to have a prophecy. While we won’t take up space with a full examination of all biblical prophecy here, let’s consider how Christians with the gift of prophecy operated in the NT to see i...