Todd Phillips: From the Frontline

Lead Now/Fusion Conference

2007-04-07T13:17:00.001-04:00

I’ve talked about the following conference from the stage at Frontline over the past few weeks but I wanted to give you some more detailed info about it. The name of the conference is Lead Now. It starts on Thursday May 3rd and ends on Saturday May 5th. I’m asking all Frontliners who are in any leadership role to attend the entire conference. Lead Now is the only leadership training that we will offer for Frontline at large because we believe it’s the best training available in 2007 for Frontline leaders. Your time at this conference will be very fruitful. The details are below. Please be sure to go to the Lead Now Conferences web site to get all the info: (BUT DON’T REGISTER ON THE LEAD NOW SITE! WE HAVE VERY DISCOUNTED TICKETS ON OUR FRONTLINE SITE…INFO ON REGISTRATION IS BELOW.)

What: Lead Now Leaders Conference
When: May 3-5, 2007
Where: McLean Bible Church
Why: Leadership Training for young adult church leaders
How: Keynote and breakout sessions on a myriad of relevant topics
Cost: $99 for Fronliners ONLY (regular price is $299); register at www.frontlinedc.com (in “Features” section)
Web site: www.leadnowconferences.org
IMPORTANT: If you register for Lead Now, you are also automatically registered for the Fusion Experience described below.

I know many of you are not currently in leadership. For you, there is a special Fusion Experience starting Friday Evening May 4 and ending Saturday May 5. I’d love to see all Frontliners at this part of the event. The Fusion Experience details are below. Please be sure to go to the Fusion Conferences site to gat all the info: (BUT DON’T REGISTER ON THE LEAD NOW SITE! WE HAVE VERY DISCOUNTED TICKETS ON OUR FRONTLINE SITE…INFO ON REGISTRATION IS BELOW.)

What: Fusion Experience
When: May 4-5, 2007
Where: McLean Bible Church
Why: Learn how to ignite your faith into action for God
How: Keynote, breakout session and worship times
Cost: $20 for Frontliners ONLY (regular price is $49); register at www.frontlinedc.com (in “Features” section)
Website: www.fusionconferences.com

As a leader at Frontline, if you are unable to get time off from work to attend the entire Lead Now conference please pray about attending the Fusion experience! If you have any questions about the conferences please respond to this blog or email me directly at todd.phillips@mcleanbible.org. Let’s learn together how God wants each of us to change the world for one last time!

Lead Now/Fusion Conference

2007-04-07T13:16:00.000-04:00

New Book Release!

2007-04-03T10:51:00.001-04:00

Blog family,

I just published a new book called “GET UNCOMFORTABLE: Serve the Poor. Stop Injustice. Change the World…In Jesus’ name.” I received my first copy in the mail yesterday and I’m thrilled with it!

Of the books and articles I’ve written, this is by far the most significant work God has allowed me to do. You can look at the front and back cover of the book, the entire table of contents, and read the complete first chapter online at the:

THREADS MEDIA STORE.

This is a great study to be used with your small group or Sunday School class at your church.

In addition to the study itself, the publisher put a lot of time and effort in creating a Leader’s Kit to go with the study guide. The Leader’s Kit includes a DVD of video content that goes along with the study. There is also a CD with Christian songs having to do with the topics of poverty and injustice from popular Christian artists. The study is fully interactive: questions in each chapter, video and audio and discussion questions for your group.

You can see the content of the Leader’s Kit at:

GET UNCOMFORTABLE LEADER’S KIT

I hope you’ll take the time to read the book and consider it for any Bible Study, small group, or Sunday School Class that you attend. And, please leave me comments with your thoughts about the book. I pray that this book will mobilize thousands of young adults to take action in Jesus’ name and help to change the world for maybe one last time!

Carpe Deum! (Seize God!)

Todd Phillips
www.frontline.to
www.toddphillips.net
www.threadsmedia.com

Abortion Part 6

2007-03-25T11:37:00.000-04:00

These following questions go hand-in-hand and they also bring us to where the emotional rubber meets the road for most people and I completely understand why. However, the Bible actually has much to say about the value of all life, even unborn life, as we have seen throughout the past blogs.

Question #5: Should we allow abortion in the case of rape or incest?

First, I think we should look at the statistics of why women have abortions (These statistics are given by the research arm of Planned Parenthood and are several years old, but all research indicates that these statistics stay relatively consistent from year to year):
- 76% concerned by how the baby would change their life.
- 68% said they could not afford a baby right now.
- 51% problems with relationships or desire to avoid single parenthood.
- 31% I am not ready for the responsibility
- 31% I don’t want people to know that I have had sex or that I’m pregnant.
- 30% Not mature enough
- 26% Have all the children I want or my kids are grown
- 23% my husband or partner wants me to have the abortion
- 13% The fetus could have health problems
- 7% I have a health problem
- 7% My parents want me to have the abortion
- 1% victim of rape or incest
You might rightly ask at this point, “So, what about the one percent who are victims of rape or incest?” I answer with a passage from Deuteronomy 24:16: Fathers shall not be put to death for their children, nor children be put to death for their fathers; each is to die for his own sin. Sin in the life of a father (i.e. a man raping a woman causing her to become pregnant) has no bearing on the child according to Scripture. As heinous as acts of rape or incest are, these sins do not in any way devalue the life that results! Which one of you after finding out that your father forced himself on your mother in conceiving you would conclude that your life is unworthy of being lived?

Question #6: Should we allow abortion when the pregnancy or birth may cause harm to the mother?

The issue of harm to the mother follows the same logic that I offered in question #5 above. The law currently states that a woman can have an abortion in the first three months of pregnancy for any reason when there is agreement between the woman and the doctor. Then, in the second three months the state usually controls where the abortion will happen. A woman can still have an abortion for any reason but it must happen at a hospital. In the final three months are usually only allowed in order to protect the life or health of the mother. This seems to limit the mother’s ability to have an abortion in the third trimester until we look at what the legal definition is of “protecting the health of the mother:” any factor which might damage the woman physically, socially, or psychologically.” The word “might” is enough to make any perceived limitations practically non-existent, but then the law adds the possibility of injury to a woman’s “social or psychological health” as a factor in determining the viability and legality of late-term abortions. So, in practice, the law allows for abortions for any reason and for no reason even in the third trimester.

Dr. C. Everet Coop, the former surgeon general of the United States, said in thirty six years of pediatric practice he did not he did not encounter one single case where the mother’s life was in danger. This helps us understand the miniscule percentage of abortion cases that result from true physical harm to the mother, but again, the question is rightly asked, “So, what about those few mothers who are in danger of serious physical harm or death?” To this question, I answer with a question, “What mother or father of a child would not give their life for their son or daughter?”

Question #7: Should we allow abortion in cases where the child may have severe disabilities?

Women go to their physicians every day in this country, test their unborn baby for Down syndrome, get a positive result back and choose to abort the child. Some would be quick to say, “What if the tests are wrong! What if the baby’s perfectly healthy!” Although this sound to some like a good argument, it is truly beside the point. I ask, “What if the baby is born healthy and three months later he or she is diagnosed with Cerebral Palsy?” Do we euthanize our sick and diseased? No!

In Exodus 4:11, the Lord Himself asks, “Who gave man his mouth? Who makes him deaf or mute? Who gives him sight or makes him blind? Is it not I, the Lord?” We look at disabilities from our human perspective and say “oops.” God, though, never says “oops.” God always has a redemptive purpose in everything that he allows on this earth. Do we trust him?

We label these children with diseases “dis-abled.” How many “abilities” must a human being lack before their life has no value? Deciding which lives have value or are worthy to be lived is a very slippery slope. A person who concludes that any life that inconveniences their life is dispensable is morally bankrupt.

Your turn…

Carpe Deum! (Seize God!)
Todd Phillips
www.frontline.to
www.toddphillips.net

Abortion Part 5

2007-03-20T13:36:00.001-04:00

Question #4 in our abortion series: Is man permitted by God to end life before birth? First let me say that I’m thrilled with those of you who have commented on this blog series and I’m further impressed with those of you who have engaged in dialogue with other readers! This has been my prayer since the inception of this blog – to facilitate healthy dialogue and discussion among the readers! So, let’s continue:

In Exodus 21, we find a very interesting and important passage for our discussion. God is defining penalties for severe crimes among the Israelites:
If men who are fighting hit a pregnant woman and she gives birth prematurely but there is no serious injury, the offender must be fined whatever the woman’s husband demands and the court allows. But if there is serious injury you are to take life for life, (Exodus 21:22-23)
Here we find that an individual is punished in exactly the same manner for killing an unborn child as if they are killing an adult! This is a strong indicator of how God feels toward unborn children.

I want to make the case that we are not permitted to end life before birth by also using a common-sense example to hopefully force the question: What’s the difference? You’ll see what I mean as you read on:

Scenario: Mother A and Mother B become pregnant at exactly the same time. Mother A has her child prematurely but was planning to have an abortion a in only a few days. Three weeks later both mothers decide to end the life of their respective babies. Yet, mother A cannot legally end her child’s life because the child is now outside the womb. Mother B however can end her baby’s life legally for one reason only – the child happens to still be in the womb! Here we have the exact same circumstances, the exact same developmental stage of the child, yet one can be killed and the other cannot. One mother will walk out of the abortion clinic a free woman; the other will be tried for murder.

I want to get you thinking about the next blog as well. I’ll address the issues of rape and incest as well as look at the question of severely disabled babies in the womb. These three issues are often broached in a discussion on abortion and I’ll address them in my next post.

Until then…
Carpe Deum! (Seize God!)

Todd Phillips
www.frontline.to
www.toddphillips.net

Abortion Part 4

2007-03-10T12:26:00.001-05:00

Let’s continue our attempt to answer the top ten questions asked in relation to the topic of abortion. We’ve answered Question #1: “Who’s in charge of life and death?” and #2: “When does life begin?” Today we’ll start with Question #3: “Is God concerned with unborn children?”

I have a rather lengthy but I believe important answer to this question. Both Isaiah and Jeremiah reveal that God has an interest in us not just from conception in the womb but also from conception in His Eternal Mind! We are conceived by God in His own mind from eternity past, eons before we are ever physically conceived in our mother’s womb. In Isaiah 49:1 we read, “Before I was born the Lord called me; form my birth he has made mention of my name.” Then, in Jeremiah 1:5 we read, “Before I formed you in the womb I knew you, before I was born you set me apart; I appointed you as a prophet to the nations.”

God knows us before we are physically conceived. Some argue here that these quotes from both Isaiah and Jeremiah are nothing more than poetic verse meant only to establish the close relationship that these prophets have with God. Those who see this as nothing more than poetic verse, say that it is figurative language, not to be taken literally. Others will say that this kind of relationship with God was only reserved for a select few men of God such as the prophets Isaiah and Jeremiah. To those who charge that it is only poetic language I simply say that an eternal God has no reason to speak of eternity and of knowledge within that realm in a poetic way. He alone experiences eternity and he alone can speak of it. Who are we to question what we read and assume upon an eternal Being? Who are we to say that these verses must be poetic because we cannot understand such language literally? These types of arguments show a disregard for the potential magnitude of God both in existence, experience, and action. If God is eternal then such language taken literally is completely reasonable.

To those who suggest that these verses describe a relationship with God that only a few great men experienced should rethink such an argument. God does use some men for greater earthly purpose but he says time and time again that he desires that all should be saved and that none should perish! (2 Peter 3:9) Further, he tells us that “before the beginning of time” (Titus 1:2) he gave us the hope of “eternal life” (Titus 1:2) through Jesus Christ. Each of us are made in God’s image and are fearfully and wonderfully made! (Psalm 139) We alone are made in God’s image and in this way we are unique in all of God’s creation. Each one of us then was conceived in the mind of God from eternity past and share with Jeremiah and Isaiah the blessing of these words, “before I formed you in the womb, I knew you.” (Jeremiah 1:5)

So, does God show concern for unborn children? The answer can be summed up is this way: God is not only concerned with children in the womb, he is concerned with every child that has been fashioned in His eternal mind, those in the womb as well as those who, at present, exist as Divine Idea. My contention is that life begins before biological conception. Or, to put it another way, life began for all of us in the mind of God. Science cannot debate such a matter of faith and my conclusions may seem too “out of the box” for even the most mature believers. Scripture, however, bears out my conclusions in spades.

Your thoughts?

Carpe Deum! (Seize God!),
Todd Phillips
http://www.frontline.to/
http://www.toddphillips.net/

Abortion Part 3

2007-03-07T12:42:00.000-05:00

A few days ago I posted a blog attempting to answer the question, “Who's in charge of life and death?" This question is the first of ten questions I’ll answer that are often asked in relation to the abortion debate. Question #2 is – “When does life begin?” The debate over when life begins is actually more relevant to the abortion debate than our first question regarding who’s in charge of life.

So, what is the answer to this important question from a biblical perspective? In Job 31:15 we read, “Did not he [God] who made me in the womb, make them? Did not the same one fashion us in the womb?” Then, in the Book of Psalms, we read,

“For you created my inmost being; you knit me together in my mother’s womb. I praise you because I am fearfully and wonderfully made; your works are wonderful, I know that full well. My frame was not hidden from you when I was made in the secret place. When I was woven together in the depths of the earth, your eyes saw my unformed body. All the days ordained for me were written in your book before one of them cam to be.” (Psalm 139:13-16)

The “secret place” and “the depths of the earth” are references to the womb. We are known by our God in the womb. We are fashioned by Him in that secret place. God’s Word helps us to see that life begins at conception. Scientists are even agreed on the fact that there is a complete genetic package the moment that sperm and egg unite. Nothing from that point is added to the mix except time and nutrition.

Science and medicine also support the idea that life starts at some point in the womb. Fetal medicine has progressed to the point where doctors routinely treat unborn children for certain diseases, perform surgery in utero, and give blood transfusions.

I often hear the argument that brain function should be used to determine when life has ended and yet I have heard little discussion on the possibility of using brain function to determine when life begins. Brain waves are recorded within six weeks after conception. The heart of an unborn child begins to beat around the eighteenth day after conception. So, science and the Bible should be able to agree that we have a living being within at least six weeks after conception. Yet, these facts are ignored.

Finally, we read that Mary, the mother of Jesus, decides to visit Elizabeth, the mother of John the Baptist. When Mary arrives at Elizabeth’s home, John (not yet born) “leaped in her [Elizabeth’s] womb.” (Luke 1:41) We see here that John responds to the fact that Mary and the as yet unborn Jesus have arrived.

We find from the Bible that we are fashioned in the womb by God. We see that all indicators of life even by modern science force us to see life from a very early point in utero. Then, we look again to the Bible to see that John, as an unborn child, responds to the presence of Mary with Jesus in her womb. God and science then should agree that we have life in utero very soon after conception. The idea then of middle or late term abortions is something that the scientific community should be able to agree to even if they cannot bring themselves to agree that life begins at conception. Further, though, we read of God’s connection with all that happens in the womb and cannot find any hint from the biblical text that life begins at come point after conception. We are therefore forced to err on the side of life at conception.

Next time…do we find evidence that God is concerned with children in utero?

Until then…respond to you heart’s content!

Carpe Deum! (Seize God!)
Todd Phillips
http://www.frontline.to/
http://www.toddphillips.net/

Abortion Part 2

2007-03-04T15:57:00.000-05:00

I decided to let your comments keep coming over the past few weeks before engaging in the comment dialogue from my last post on abortion or posting a new blog for several reasons:
1. Several of you had a lot to say about this topic that was very engaging and I wanted to give the rest of our readers a chance to read and reflect upon your many comments.
2. The comments from the past two subjects (suicide and abortion) have far outweighed comments on any other topic besides “The DaVinci Code” series I did many months back.

So, as the activity has lessened over the past few days I’ve decided to move forward.

I’ve decided to frame this series with the “top ten” questions people have about abortion (we’ll see if I get to ten or not, but I thought I’d challenge myself a little). This may be too in depth for some of my readers who have made up their mind about abortion and find my engagement with the topic rather tedious. So, for you I have a deal to make: read my blogs on abortion over the next four to six weeks and I promise I’ll break up the monotony with some entries on different subjects that I hope you’ll read.

Here we go! These are the questions that I’ve heard, in no particular order about this difficult topic:

Question #1:
Who is responsible for life and death?

For those of you who read my blog series on suicide last month you’ll find that this question mirrors some of the comments I made regarding suicide but I feel strongly that any dialogue on the topic of abortion must address this question biblically.

If we look to our own American culture, we find several different views on who’s responsible for life and death. Dr. Kevorkian advocates that doctors should make the choice or that patients make the choice and doctors should allow them to choose when they die. Planned Parenthood advocates that mothers of unborn babies make the choice for their babies. So, who’s right?

We find some very clear passages from the Bible regarding life and death:
1 Samuel 2:6
The Lord kills and makes alive. He brings down to the grave and he brings up.
Exodus 20:13
You shall not murder. (One of the BIG TEN)

Abortion rights groups will be quick to pounce on this question. They will say, “No problem. We’ll let God choose when life ends. But, what we want to know is…when does life BEGIN?” They will then make the argument that a fetus isn’t a life; it’s a wad of tissue…a bundle of potential. If they’re right then there’s nothing more to say. We should stop the debate and side with former US Attorney General Josslyn Elder who said, “We really need to get over this love affair with the fetus.” If an unborn baby isn’t a living human being then, no big deal. But, again, if God actually weighed in on the question of when life begins then followers of Christ must place their own feelings, opinions, and leanings aside and submit to the Truth that we find in the Bible.

This post is getting lengthy and if I attempt to address the question, “When does life begin?” in this post it will be extremely lengthy. So, I’ll leave you with your own perspectives on when life begins until next time. If any of you are chomping at the bit though to answer this question then feel free to beat me to the punch and post a comment!

Until next time…
Carpe Deum! (Seize God!)
Todd Phillips
www.toddphillips.net
www.frontline.to

Abortion Part 1

2007-02-11T16:38:00.000-05:00

I’ve been surprised lately by the tremendous amount of time and effort we have put into launching Frontline Arlington. The effort has certainly bore fruit but a few of my weekly obligations have suffered as a result. For those who read my blogs regularly you know that my blogging falls in this category. But, I’m back on track and ready to tackle our next topic from a biblical perspective.

I sincerely appreciated the lively dialogue that our last topic – suicide – created among my readers. Several of you thought a great deal about the issue from a biblical perspective and several others shared their own experiences with the topic. I’m hoping for a similar response to our next subject…abortion.

Before I dive into our new subject though, I want to share my understanding of the Bible and its ability to provide truth for all cultures, all individuals, and all circumstances for all time. I believe the Bible contains God’s Truth rather than the opinion of men. The Bible doesn’t need to be modernized or sanitized. It doesn’t need to be watered down, propped up, or apologized for. It cannot be improved upon. The Bible has been the rock of truth for millions of people for thousands of years. I find comfort knowing that I have the Bible as my guide in dealing with yet another difficult subject. Having the Bible as my guide means I don’t have to come up with my own opinion based on experience, education or what someone told me. Instead we can rely on the Truth of God’s Word.

A short historical perspective is also needed here as a primer to our discussion. The date – March 6, 1857. Just before the Civil War in a pronouncement that would become known as the “dread Scott Decision,” an American court declared that black people were not legal persons. A quote form the courts records states “A slave is the property therefore of his or her owner. A slave can be bought and sold, used and even killed at the owner’s discretion. After all they are his property.” Remember those words.

Eleven years later after the Civil War, in 1868, the people of the United States voted to correct that terribly wicked law by adopting the Thirteenth and Fourteenth Amendments to the Constitution. From that point on, legal protection is afforded all living beings. Therefore, the problem of legal protection for all living beings has been guaranteed for all time. Right? Wrong.

A century later on January 22, 1973, the Supreme Court rules in Roe vs. Wade that unborn human beings are not legal persons. Therefore the unborn baby is the property of its human owner and thus can be killed at the owner request. Sound familiar?

To some of you this may sound a bit melodramatic. I could add that in the last 34 years since the court’s decision over 40 million babies have been aborted (that we know of) …1.5 million annually…4100 a day…180 an hour…12 since you started reading this blog.

Yet, none of these statistics mean anything if the court ruled correctly back in 1973 from a biblical perspective. If God’s Word agrees with the court’s perspective on unborn babies then anyone who calls himself or herself a follower of Christ must adjust his or her thinking and actions in life to be in line with biblical Truth. If, however, the Truth of the Bible stands in opposition to the law of the land then we are to submit to God’s Truth regardless of man’s perspective, governmental or personal.

So, here’s the question – regardless of what position you take on the issue of abortion, what Biblical defense do you have for your position? Remember – and this is essential – as a Christ-follower our sole guide for word and deed in the Bible. Our opinions, perspectives, likes and dislikes ultimately bow to the eternal Truth of Scripture. So, regardless of what we would choose if we were God, we must alter and mold our words and actions to the truth of God’s Word, not alter God’s Word to fit our opinions.

So, the stage is yours. I’ll be back in a few days to continue my series on this emotionally charged topic. Until then…

Carpe Deum! (Seize God!)
Todd Phillips
www.toddphillips.net
www.frontline.to

Frontline and the Media

2007-02-04T11:22:00.000-05:00

All I have to say is…Wow! (That’s not all I have to say…but, well…you know what I mean. Below is the other stuff I have to say.)

I haven’t had ANY time to blog over the past week because we just launched Frontline Arlington, a new campus of Frontline that meets every Monday night in Arlington. You can read about it at the following link – www.frontlinearlington.com.

Most of you know that we just finished a three part blog series on the topic of suicide. Many of you got involved in the discussion and provided some very valuable insight! I hope you will all consider engaging in our next blog series on abortion. I know this topic will be even more challenging for many than the topic of suicide. I’ll begin that blog series Wednesday of this week (2/7).

Today though, I want to make sure every one of you is able to read several articles that have come out in several local papers!

The first article came out on the FRONTPAGE of the Washington Times last Monday, January 29th, 2007! You can read the article by clicking on the following link – Washington Times Article.

The second article came out this morning (2/4) on the FRONTPAGE of the Washington Times. The article is available at the following link – Washington Post Article.

Both articles are relatively even-handed and, most importantly, expose us to more and more young adults in the D.C. area.

I have a suggestion: Send this blog to a few of your friends who you have invited to Frontline in the past and also to others who you’ve been thinking about inviting. This is a great way to get them more information about Frontline Arlington via the link at top. Through the articles they can also get some idea of what we are trying to accomplish in Washington, especially with young adults.

I say it all the time, but I’ll say it again – I’m honored and humbled to be serving along side each one of you in our mission to impact our generation in secular Washington with the message of Jesus!

Carpe Deum! (Seize God!)
Todd Phillips
www.toddphillips.net
www.frontline.to
www.frotnlinearlington.com

Suicide Part Three

2007-01-24T11:53:00.000-05:00

First, I know several of you have commented with very good questions regarding the topic of suicide. What I’ve decided to do is post my third and final blog on the topic and then delve into your questions via responses to your comments in the comment section…make sense?

Now, let’s review what we’ve learned so far:
1) God is in charge of life and death
2) Suicide is the most extreme act of UNBELIEF
3) Suicide is NOT the unpardonable sin

Then I wrote the obvious dilemma we face:
There are NO THEOLOGICAL GROUNDS to deny a Christian who commits suicide the effects of the death and the resurrection of Jesus Christ FOR SINNERS. And yet we CANNOT ENCOURAGE OR CONDONE SUICIDE in principle.

What does a reader do then if he or she is thinking about suicide or know of someone who is seriously contemplating suicide?

For the reader does not consider themselves a Christian and is having suicidal thoughts:
Give God a chance! Bottom line - if you have tried everything but God, try God! I know this might sound foolish in the midst of the despair and hopelessness you must feel to consider ending the life that God has given you, but God says Himself that He is the only source of true hope. God tells us in the Bible that as a Christ-follower you can live by faith that rests on “the hope of eternal life, which God, who does not lie, promised before the beginning of time…” (Titus 1:2) If you don’t yet have a relationship in Jesus then you have been living without a hope that can sustain you through the worst of life’s circumstances! You can start a relationship with Jesus right now – really! One of the best explanations of how to start a relationship with God is found at the following link - http://www.bgea.com/SH_StepsToPeace.asp. I sincerely hope you’ll consider putting your faith in God through His Son, Jesus Christ. You were born into this world for one eternal purpose – to know God personally and enjoy Him forever.

For the reader who is a follower of Christ and is having suicidal thoughts:
You do not own your life! I beg you to understand that you are thinking of killing a life that now belongs to another, namely God. Satan wants you dead, don’t let him win. Tell someone your secret thoughts and tell them NOW! There are other Christ-followers whom you can speak to right now at the Christian Suicide Hotline - - (714) 639-4673 OR 1-800-SUICIDE.

For the reader who knows another person who has talked about committing suicide:
Write down the numbers I wrote above. If there is a very serious and immediate threat call 911. IT IS BETTER TO HAVE THAT PERSON ANGRY AT YOU FOR LIFE than for them to move forward with their plans to end their life.

I know this doesn’t answer some of the specific questions that many of you have left in the comments section. But, I hope this will provide direction for you regardless of your specific circumstances. Please look to the comments in the coming days for my responses to some of your specific questions!

Until then…
Carpe Deum! (Seize God!)
Todd Phillips
www.toddphillips.net
www.frontline.to

Suicide part Two

2007-01-18T16:11:00.000-05:00

In this second post on suicide I want to review the first point I made from the Bible regarding suicide:

1) God is in charge of life and death

The Bible says - - -
1 Samuel 2:6
The Lord kills and makes alive. He brings down to the grave and he brings up.
Exodus 20:13
You shall not murder. (One of the BIG TEN)

If you want to read or reread the entire blog just go back to my post from January 14th.

The second point that I believe need to be addressed is:

2) Suicide is the most extreme act of UNBELIEF

Suicide is the most extreme expression of unbelief in the sense that the act betrays a lack of faith in God’s omniscience and omnipresence. God makes it clear to the believer that he is in control of everything that happens to us or around us. He expresses this in many areas of Scripture but a perfect example of this is Psalms 139. We find that God is everywhere and in charge of everything. He has been intimately involved in our lives since he knit each of us together in our mother’s womb. We learn that each and every day of our lives has been marked out for us before one of them came to be. He also reminds us that “…everything that does not come from faith is sin. (Romans 14:23b)

We are faced with the reality that the act of suicide (a fatal act of self-destruction undertaken with conscience intent) ignores God’s eternal and absolute authority over life and death and is arguably the most extreme act of unbelief available to man. This is, at least in part why the Roman Catholic Church categorically condemns suicide and further claims that the act of suicide rules out the possibility of repentance and therefore forgiveness.

Yet, the Catholic view of suicide as the unpardonable sin comes from an erroneous belief that a believer can somehow lose one’s salvation. Many times I will hear it explained this way, “If someone lies while driving a car and then dies in a car accident immediately after lying (sinning) then that person is condemned to Hell because they did not ask for forgiveness for lying. In the same way, the Catholic will argue, it is impossible for a person to commit suicide and then ask for forgiveness for the simple fact that they are dead and no longer able to repent. This line of reasoning is one of the most dangerous and faulty misrepresentations of biblical truth. This leads me to my third point:

3) Suicide is NOT the unpardonable sin

Our salvation rests not in our ability to repent for every sin throughout the day but solely on the finished work of Christ on the Cross. Jesus made clear that His work of redemption for all mankind was “finished” (John 19:30) and further that His “grace is sufficient” (2 Corinthians 12:9) to cover ALL of our sins. We also know that our very salvation is actually not possessed by us at all but in fact it is kept in heaven for us until Christ comes again. Read this beautiful passage in 1 Peter:
3 Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ! In his great mercy he has given us new birth into a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead, 4 and into an inheritance that can never perish, spoil or fade—kept in heaven for you, 5 who through faith are shielded by God’s power until the coming of the salvation that is ready to be revealed in the last time.

To everyone I ask – how can one loose something that is not in ones possession to begin with? I know there will be some who have great difficulty with the true extent of God’s grace through the atoning work of Christ on the Cross but their difficulty with this truth does not change its wonderful truthfulness.

So, here we are with a horrible and perplexing dilemma:
We have no biblical grounds for denying the grace and forgiveness of God through Jesus Christ to a believer who commits suicide anymore than we can deny God’s grace to a believer who commits adultery. Yet, we clearly cannot condone or encourage suicide in principle. Where does this leave us?

Your thoughts over the past few days have been extremely insightful to me and other readers and many of you have decided to join in the discussion. I applaud your involvement. Some of you have chosen to email me privately about your views or questions as well. For those who have chosen to do so, please consider responding publicly via comments posted directly to the blog. Your private emails will be a valuable addition to the public discourse and we’ll all be the better for your involvement!

I’ll post my final blog on this topic in the next few days.

Until then…
Carpe Deum! (Seize God!)

Todd Phillips
www.toddphillips.net
www.frontline.to
www.frotnlinearlington.com

Suicide Part One

2007-01-14T11:59:00.000-05:00

For those of you who have been waiting patiently for me to start posting my series on difficult subjects that I introduced under the post “Politics and Theology,” the time has come! I’m going to start with a topic that isn’t considered a political hotbed topic directly – suicide. Of course, if you take into account the infamous Terri Schiavo Case, the issue presents itself indirectly as a political issue. I want to remind my readers that I’m only going to delve into these issues from a biblical worldview, using the Bible as my source of information and insight. Conversely, I’m NOT going to debate the ramifications of the biblical perspective on these issues. For those of us who follow Christ, we are obligated to submit our own perspectives, ideologies, and philosophies to the eternal truth of the Bible. The Bible, then, molds our worldview, not politics, family, or culture.

One other note – as we delve into these different topics, it’s become clear that I’ll have to post several blogs on each subject in order to give them the attention they deserve. So, if you get to the end of a post and think you know where I’m going with my next post – think again. I think it’s only fair to make you all aware that I may end a post on a proverbial cliffhanger in order to make us all think more critically about a given topic.

With that said…here we go!

First, let’s define suicide so that we are all on the same page:
Suicide – A fatal act of self-destruction undertaken with conscience intent.

Thirty eight thousand such acts happen each year in the United States. Interestingly, most of them are elderly although teens and young adults who take their own life get the most press.

Now, what suicide in NOT:
1. A man who dies in a hurricane because he ignored a radio warning.
2. Careless person who overdoses on a medication.
3. Woman who jumps from a burning building.
4. A motorcyclist who dies from head injuries who was not wearing a helmet.

There are many reasons for suicide such as:
1. Depression caused by the death of a loved one (some religious people believe that they will be reunited with their loved one if they take their own lives).
2. Clinical depression
3. Loosing out on the corporate “rat” race – real or imagined.
4. Some elderly commit suicide so they can have “death with dignity.”
There are countless other reasons and/or a combination of reasons for people to take their own lives.

What makes this issue more difficult to discuss from an evangelical (biblically conservative) point of view is that there is debate among conservative theological leaders about this topic. Here are just a few quotes from evangelicals regarding suicide:
- “You could lose your soul by committing suicide, so it's better to simply play it safe and trust God to make you happier. I lean to the idea that most, if not all, cases of suicide lead to damnation. I wouldn't bet on anyone going to heaven who committed suicide. I think the odds are against the person.” (Tom Brown, pastor)
- “Even if a person’s earthly life has become a torment to him, he must commit it intact into God’s hand, from which it came.” (Dietrich Bonhoeffer, famous German theologian)
- “Suicide is wrong, nut it is not the unpardonable sin.” (William Hendricks)
- “Suicide denies that our life is dependent on God for its sustenance and survival.” (Ray Anderson)

Now that we have the preliminary information out of the way, I want to end this post by putting forth my first point:

1) God is in charge of life and death

The Bible says - - -
1 Samuel 2:6
The Lord kills and makes alive. He brings down to the grave and he brings up.
Exodus 20:13
You shall not murder. (One of the BIG TEN)

These are just a few of the many passages that make certain the truth that God alone is in charge of life and of death. He gives life and is the only one who has the right to take it away. Each and every human being is made in God’s image and God sees any act of murder or suicide (murder of self) to be an affront to His very image.

I don’t think there will be any surprise at the following statement:
Suicide is a sin.

But, some of the biggest questions that come from the mouths of Christ-followers are:
“Is suicide the unpardonable sin?”
“Do people who commit suicide go to Hell even if they are Christians?”
“Is it even possible for a Christian to commit suicide?”

We’ll look at these questions and others in my next post.
In the meantime – for my more involved readers – I’d like to have some of you post passages that speak to the issue of God’s utter authority over life and death.

Carpe Deum! (Seize God!)
Todd Phillips
www.toddphillips.net
www.frontline.to
www.frontlinearlington.com

Vision Frontline 2007

2007-01-12T12:50:00.000-05:00

Dear Frontline Family,

Each year as I work on my vision message, I realize how privileged I am to serve as Teaching Pastor for such a vibrant and passionate family of young adults. This year has been no different. I firmly believe that God has brought each of us here in this unique, exciting time to serve His purposes in the Washington, DC area and around the world for His name’s sake.

I am writing to ask you to clear your schedule to join in celebration and to hear the vision for 2007 this Sunday night at either 5:30 or 7:30 at Frontline. It will be a time to remember what has happened over the past twelve years as a ministry in one location. It will be a time to pray for the hundreds of Frontliners who have decided to step out in faith and move to the Arlington campus. It will be a time to acknowledge the power and passion of our God and the things He has called us to do!

You don’t want to miss Sunday night. Some of the most remarkable things that God is doing through Frontline will be announced.

One of these announcements deals directly with poverty and injustice issues around the world and is the culmination of years of prayer by many Frontliners. As Christ followers, we have both the responsibility and the answer for the world in need, as we spread the Gospel through word and deed. I’m truly excited to announce this historic first for our church family!

The second part of my vision message is a challenge to each Christ-follower who calls Frontline home. I’ll challenge you with a personal assignment for the coming year. It has nothing to do with money, service, or extra time at the church. It has everything to do with your investment in relationships with unchurched people in Washington. You’ll be challenged, excited, and maybe even a little uncomfortable – but, those of us who commit to this challenge will mature in our faith and will impact secular Washington with the message of Jesus Christ!

I also want to celebrate God’s work in and through Frontline in 2006, and then take a faith-filled look at what God is planning for us in 2007 – including the launch of Frontline Arlington.

Vision casting messages are important and shape the life of our church in significant ways. In July’s vision message I announced that MBC was moving forward with plans to go to a multi-campus strategy and that Frontline would launch our first campus in Arlington. Just six months later the vision has become a reality! Our first Frontline Arlington Service is Monday, January 22, 2007 at 7:30PM at the Rosslyn Spectrum Theater!

I hope you will come this Sunday to hear the 2007 Frontline Vision message. We have all been brought together as young adults by God for such a time as this!

Your servant for His sake,
Todd Phillips
www.frontline.to
www.frontlinearlington.com
www.toddphillips.net

Barriers to Spiritual Growth Bonus Blog!

2007-01-09T15:33:00.001-05:00

As promised, my post today focuses on the “bonus points” I promised to those who attended Frontline this past Sunday, January 7, 2007. The title of the message was “Barriers to Spiritual Growth.” If you were unable to attend Frontline last Sunday and you’d like to hear or download the message from the internet, just click on the following link – Barriers to Spiritual Growth (Currently at the top of the media archives list).

The two barriers to spiritual growth I find often in the lives of Frontliners who are genuinely trying to get their relationship with God on the “right track” are: 1) Wrong motives for following Jesus, and 2) Emotions trumping the Bible as their source for spiritual Truth. There is a third area that is not so prevalent as the two above, but would still merit the number three spot on the list of most common barriers – Lack of knowledge as to the vastness and depth of Christ’s love for His children!

About a year ago, at the end of one of my messages (can’t remember which one) I asked people to reads along with me as I read the statements from what I called “The Truth Card.” Each person was given their own Truth Card (about the size of a business card) and on it were the following truths:

PROPITIATION - we are deeply loved !
John 3:16
For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son,
JUSTIFICATION - we are totally forgiven !
2 Corinthians 5:21
God made him who had no sin to be sin for us, so that in him we might become the righteousness of God.
RECONCILIATION - we are totally accepted !
Colossians 1:22
But now he has reconciled you by Christ’s physical body through death to present you holy in his sight, without blemish and free from accusation.
REGENERATION - we are complete in Christ !
2 Corinthians 5:17
Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; the old has gone, the new has come!

For some believers, they are unable to find greater intimacy with God because they have never been told exactly how God feels toward them as his children. We can’t respond rightly toward God and others until we grasp just how extreme the love of God is toward those who believe.

Ponder for a moment…you are deeply loved, totally forgiven, totally accepted, and complete in Christ! Nothing is required from you as a child of God to receive this kind of unconditional love and acceptance from Him. Any shortcoming you perceive in your family background, financial worth, popularity, or decisions in life is utterly inconsequential when it comes to God’s love toward you as one of His children.

I hope these “bonus points” pierce the hearts of those of you who desperately need to understand just “how wide and long and high and deep is the love of Christ, and to know this love that surpasses knowledge – that you may be filled to the measure of all the fullness of God.” (Ephesians 3:18-19) I pray that God will open your spiritual eyes to see and your spiritual ears to hear and accept the wonderful truth of God’s unconditional love. These are the truths that lead to freedom and abundance in the life of the believer.

Read these truths again.
Reflect on the unconditional nature of each truth.
Pray and thank God for loving you in such a profound way.
Ask God to help you live your life based on these truths rather than the lies that we all hear from the world.
Live free.
Live abundantly!

Carpe Deum! (Seize God!)
Todd Phillips

Theology and Politics

2007-01-05T13:00:00.000-05:00

I often talk to people who believe that “theologically conservative” has some connection to “politically conservative.” Other will marry theological and political liberalism. These connections simply do not exist as a matter of course.

A theological conservative is someone who believes in a literal interpretation of the Bible, accepts the miracles of the Bible as historical fact, and believes that biblical principles apply to the lives of Christians regardless of cultural norms at any given time or in any given society. A theological liberal on the other hand does not see the Bible as the infallible Word of God, denies miracles in the Bible, and believes that many interpretations can come from a given passage of Scripture and further, that we should apply biblical insight in light of our current cultural norms.

Political conservatives historically favor “traditional” values and a strong military, while political liberals historically see “liberty” (or individual rights) as their primary political value. In recent times, conservatives argue for less government interference in the free market economy while liberal argue for more governmental involvement to “protect the individual.” I can go on and on about the differences but my point is this: conservatism means something completely different from a theological perspective than it does from a political perspective. The same goes for liberalism from both perspectives.

This is an incredibly important distinction for all of us to understand. I talk to many young adults in D.C. who believe that if they are theologically conservative then they must adhere to politically conservative ideology (same assumptions for young adults who are theological liberals). Big mistake! “Conservatism” and “liberalism” mean to completely different things when applied to theology and politics. I’ve often argued that we, in the church, should come up with our own terms instead of borrowing political terms that have been around for centuries (theological “liberalism” only came about in the last century and a half). But, until someone bothers to do this there will be continued misunderstandings, continued confusion in terms, and continued numbers of young adult Christians developing a grossly inaccurate “political theology” or theological politic” – you pick the term you like best.

So, you want to understand these four terms? The quickest way to get a cursory understanding of each is to click on the hyperlinks above and read the wikipedia articles on each subject. These articles are not infallible and have some errors and inconsistencies in them but none that will cause more damage to you as a believer than having little or no understanding of the ideological differences between the terms.

You might be thinking, “Todd, why is this such a big deal?” My answer lies in keeping the Gospel and the Word of God pure and undefiled by the philosophies and ideologies of men. Jude warns the church, “Dear friends, although I was very eager to write to you about the salvation we share, I felt I had to write and urge you to contend for the faith that was once for all entrusted to the saints.” (Jude 3) The “faith” written about here is the doctrines or Christianity that have been entrusted to us as believers. Are responsibility is to pass it on to the next generation untainted by worldly philosophies. This is exactly what I fear happens in our national capital of Washington, D.C.

As young adults we must take ownership of the terms we use when describing ourselves and others. We must take responsibility for using language correctly so we don’t get dragged into erroneous thinking and debate. In Washington this is especially paramount. I’m also going to be taking on some issues over the next several months in my blog that will require you to understand at least the basic differences between these four terms; issues like abortion, capital punishment, and suicide.

So, for some of us the next few months will be very challenging, but I believe worth the time spent. Read the blogs. Reflect on the issues. Leave comments for others to read on my blog. Let’s create a lively and productive dialogue that ends with all of us being biblically wiser for the effort.

Until then…
Carpe Deum! (Seize God!)

Todd Phillips
http://www.toddphillips.net/
http://www.frontline.to/

Phillips Christmas Give-a-thon Part 2

2006-12-29T13:24:00.000-05:00

I’m excited to let you know about the results of the Phillips Christmas Give-a-thon! Around the middle of November I posted this:

“Julie (my wife) and I will give when you give. If you purchase any World Vision gift of any value my wife and I will give $5. If your gift is over $100 we will give $10. We'll contribute up to $500 to World Vision for up to five shares of a Deep Water Well. So, that's fifty of you giving over $100 to World Vision or one hundred of my faithful readers giving any amount to World Vision.”

Then we left the link to the World Vision catalog:

“To be a part of the Phillips Christmas Give-a-thon, just go to the World Vision online catalog by pressing the following link – CATALOG.”

In response, we had two posts on the blog:
Liz “bought a wheel chair” and Peg “bought a goat!” I want to thank both Peg and Liz for their giving spirit! Here’s the interesting part, though. Many others chose to email me privately on both myspace and my Frontline email to let me know that they had purchased something from the catalog. Several of them said that they “didn’t want to lose their reward in heaven!” This came directly from a sermon I preached on November 27th, only a few days after I posted the “Phillips Christmas Give-a-thon” blog. (Here’s the link to listen to the message online: Center part 8. Go about half way down the page until you see a series titled “Center.” Part 8 is the sermon I’m talking about here).

I’m thrilled that many of you decided to give “in secret” in response to the sermon! I also want to clarify though that people like Liz and Peg will receive their heavenly reward as well! The important thing to remember is the motive behind the act! Remember, “God alone search[es] the heart and examine[s] the mind, to reward a man according to his conduct, according to what his deeds deserve.” (Jeremiah 17:10) In other words, those of you who gave in secret will be rewarded just as those of you who gave publicly for the purpose of spurring others on to acts of giving!
In total, nineteen of you purchased something from the catalog. Julie and I didn’t have time to determine how many gave under $100 or over $100 so we gave everyone credit for a purchase of $100 or more. So, we agreed to give $10 for every purchase over $100. The total then is $190. We rounded up to $200 and here’s how we partnered with your donations:

Goat - $75.00
Fishing Kit - $40.00
Hope for Girls Rescued from the Sex Trade - $35.00
Provide $300 Worth of Necessities - $25.00
Maximum Impact Fund - $25.00
TOTAL - $200.00

Thanks again for joining with us to show God’s love to people around the world in a practical and tangible way. Julie and I are looking forward to partnering with you in 2007 to live out our mission of impacting our generation in Washington and around the world with the message of Jesus!

Carpe Deum! (Seize God!)
Todd Phillips
www.toddphillips.net

It's About Time!

2006-12-28T10:28:00.000-05:00

Well, my fellow Fronltiners, I've finally succeeded (with the help of several other staff members) at duplicating my entire blog archive from myspace and transferring it to my permanent blog site here. So, for the many of you who have subscribed to my blog from the Frontline website in the past two months and were wondering why you weren't receiving any email blog updates, it's because I'm (at times) technically challenged. But, I'm in the game now and ready for the new year!

If this is your first contact with my blog please do me a favor and post a response to this blog simply saying "I got it!" This will help us to verify that you are all receiving the blog posts and that everything is in working order.

You will also find that there are over fifty archived blogs on many subjects such as tithing, temptation, sin, eternal security, a series of blogs on biblical responses to the book, "The DaVinci Code," and many other topics. So, please feel free to browse the archives. They are separated by months of the year on the bottom of the right column of the blog.

If you have any questions about any of the topics, even in the archives, just write a comment directly to the blog that you have questions about, and I'll receive an email that a comment has been left so that i can respond to it promptly. I don't respond to many of the comments that are left on each post because many times a reader is simply adding to their opinions and/or insights to that particular blog.

Finally, for all of you that are new to blog reading or blog writing, you are welcome to leave comments to other readers who leave comments! Many times a dialogue between two or three people will develop from a blog I've posted and I'm not anywhere in the mix. That's what makes blogs so interactive and challenging.

Please remember to leave a comment if this is the first post you've received form me so we can verify that everything is in working order.

I look forward to impacting our generation in secular Washington with the message of Jesus with you in 2007. Let's work together to change the world for maybe one last time!

Carpe Deum! (Seize God!)
Todd Phillips
www.toddphillips.net

Jesus Becomes More to Me Every Day

2006-12-22T15:42:00.000-05:00

A couple of years ago I visited what used to be Crenshaw’s Day Camp. It’s closed now but for several decades it was the place to be as a kid in the summer. The camp included about one hundred yards of waterfront on Lake Austin. I attended Crenshaw’s in Austin, Texas (where I grew up) every summer from the time I was six until I was thirteen. This place was heaven for a kid like me who lived in a trailer park with a single mom. Horses, water skiing, archery, riffle shooting ranges, hiking, gymnastics, trampolines, kayaks, canoes, fishing…everything a kid could want to do, this place had it. And, it was HUGE! At least I thought it was until I stepped out of my car that beautiful spring day a few years ago at the age of thirty five.

I parked in front of the old Crenshaw house that marked the official entry into what I always thought of as the “Disney World of Texas.” But, the first thing I noticed was that everything was so….SMALL! I have very clear memories of walking down the HUGE driveway beside the house to get to the locker room where each camper put their towel, sandals, and lunch money. I also remember the ENDLESS sprint from the picnic tables outside of the locker room down to the water front. I figured when I would race my buddies to the water’s edge to be first in line for skiing that we were easily running half a mile, maybe more. I even remember the BIG hill where they built the riffle hut out of cedar poles. The hut was so big that three of us at a time could lock and load our .22 riffles and take aim at the targets way down at the bottom of “bullet valley.”

The HUGE driveway beside the house was now only seven feet from top to bottom. The half mile distance from the locker rooms to the water front was no more then a hundred yards now. Did the shores of Lake Austin erode that much? And the riffle hut…I couldn’t get under the cedar roof of the hut without hunching over and it seemed as though someone had filled in “bullet valley” with dirt because the bottom of the valley was only thirty feet down.

How could everything have possibly shrunk so much! My larger than life memories had been accosted by the reality of a grown man’s sensibilities. What a tragedy, I thought to myself as I began to cry. The only thing that had actually changed was the fact that my eyes were approximately thirty inches higher than they were when I was thirteen years old. How could such a small change in my perspective have such a massive and devastating impact on the way I remembered my “Disney World?”
If only I had chosen not to stop that day. If only I would have driven past the entrance to the camp. Then the grandeur of my memories would still be, well…GRAND! But, they are different now. Life is a little bit smaller, less magical. I lost a tiny bit of the child in me who still fights for survival in the midst of this sinful and decaying world.

For some reason this whole camp experience came to mind a few days ago when I was thinking about Christmas. I thought of another wonderful childhood memory. I remember waiting all day long each December day for my grandmother, who lived next door, to let me open the window of the Christmas calendar she bought me every year. Each day there was a tiny little picture of a Christmas tree or a dove. The best night though was Christmas Eve, when she would let me open two windows; one for Christmas Eve and the last one for Christmas Day. There He would be – the little Christ child lying in a manger. So, small was the picture that I had to look very carefully to see the baby’s face.

As a little boy, I wasn’t a follower of the Christ child. Although I was elated each Christmas to open the final window to see the picture of the Christ child, I had no idea who he really was or what, if anything, he could offer me. But, ironically enough, unlike my camp experience, everything about that little Christ child has grown larger, more immense since I chose to follow the God-man who was symbolized by those half inch pictures on all those Christmas calendars. The great irony is that as the world gets smaller, experiences become less surprising, the wonders of life become, well, less wondrous with age, I can honestly say that Jesus keeps surprising me, inspiring me, becoming larger than life and then larger again! Unlike my memories of camp as a child, Jesus continues to burst on to the scene of my life each new day and his grandeur overshadows the wonderful memories I had of him only the day before. He is more loving, more caring, more giving than I remember.

What an awesome God we serve.

May your experience of Christ this Christmas be more immense, more intense, more breathtaking than the Christmas before.

Consumer Nation

2006-11-24T12:39:00.000-05:00

We now live in a nation where police must escort buyers of PS3 game systems from the front door of their local retail store to their vehicles in order to keep someone from robbing them!

We now live in a nation where police and ambulances must be dispatched to various retail stores around the nation because people are literally trampling each other to get the best deals on “Black Friday” (the Friday after Thanksgiving when retailers get out of the red and into the ‘black’ in revenue).

We now live in a world where people wait in line for hours for their favorite store to open at 3AM in order to get first dibs on cashmere sweaters that are normally $49.00 but are on sale for $29.99 until noon.

What in the world is happening to us?

Oh, I almost forgot…we live in a fallen world. But, the extent to which we will succumb to the draw of possessions is truly staggering. We are a nation blinded by greed and it manifests itself in more surprising and disturbing ways each holiday season. As Christians, we are given so many opportunities to shine brightly in a dark and sinful world. But, it seems as though we often miss the most opportune moments to shine and instead we choose these moments to hide our light of hope and selflessness. Not only do we hide, but many times we hide by taking on the form of darkness. In these moments we not only keep others from experiencing the light of Christ but we also give tacit approval of the world’s ways by we ourselves becoming “of the world.”

Christmas is one of those God-given times of the year when we as believers can truly stand out as givers among a people of takers. But, is this what we do? Do we give? “Yeah, Todd…” you might be thinking, “I give many gifts to friends and family during Christmas and I have a credit card bill to prove it.” I don’t have time to delve into all the problems with that one statement but let me suggest that it is the kind of giving that sets us apart from the world. After all, the way of the world is to give and receive gifts in exchanges with friends and family. This is a wonderful tradition but it is not unique to Christian culture in any way. In our time, I’m arguing that the only way to set ourselves apart form the world is to give to those who can return nothing to us; to be aggressively selfless at a time when the rest of the world is acting selfish.

I am fully aware that giving to churches and non-profit organizations increases substantially at the end of each year and many people look for opportunities to give out of their abundance. But, what about the act of giving sacrificially? What about giving out of our limited store of reserves? What about giving without any concern for the tax deduction we will receive? Again, nothing is wrong with giving out of abundance and/or giving with a strategic tax benefit in mind, but I would challenge us all to look for an opportunity this Christmas season to give in the following way:

1. Give to someone who cannot give back.
2. Give anonymously – tell no one but God.
3. Give sacrificially. Give out of the scarcity of your possessions rather than the abundance of your worth. (This is different for everyone, but I promise that you will know when you have given in a truly sacrificial way.)
4. Give purely. Give in a way that you cannot receive a tax benefit from your act of kindness.

Give in all the ways you planned on giving this year but also give in a way that honors the four caveats above. God will get the glory. You will mature in your faith. Others will be blessed by Christ’s love. Give…

Carpe Deum! (Seize God!)
Todd Phillips
www.toddphillips.net

Phillips Christmas Give-a-thon

2006-11-19T15:34:00.000-05:00

I know it's early to be talking about Christmas but I have what I think is a wonderful idea. I hope you all feel as strongly as I do about it. Here's the deal...I just received the World Vision Catalog in the mail. World Vision is a Christian organization that helps needy people all over the world in the name of Christ. The catalog shows up every November with a challenge to all World Vision donors - give part of the money you have set aside for buying presents and give a gift to those in greatest need around the world. They give many options: sponsor a child ($30/mo), purchase a wheelchair ($14), share in a deep-water well ($100), goat ($75), and on and on.

So here's my idea. It's really a challenge. Julie (my wife) and I will give when you give. If you purchase any World Vision gift of any value my wife and I will give $5. If your gift is over $100 we will give $10. We'll contribute up to $500 to World Vision for up to five shares of a Deep Water Well. So, that's fifty of you giving over $100 to World Vision or one hundred of my faithful readers giving any amount to World Vision.

Pretty Simple! Christmas is a celebration of God's greatest gift to the world - His Son, Jesus. Let's show the love of Christ in a practical and measurable way by giving to another in need. Will you join us? This challenge is open to any readers or subscribers to my blog. So, if you have friends, co-workers, or family members who may want to get in on this, just let them know how to get to my blog. They can subscribe or just read this blog and join in!

To be a part of the Phillips Christmas Give-athon, just go to the World Vision online catalog by pressing the following link – CATALOG. When you’re done, just leave a comment on this blog, or leave a private comment on my myspace message center that you gave and by what amount. We’ll keep a tally of those who give until December 25th. Then we’ll let you know how many shares of the water well we were able to buy!

Give and be blessed. Then give some more, in Christ’s name! Together, let’s change the world for maybe one last time.

Carpe Deum! (Seize God)
Todd Phillips
www.toddphillips.net

Dream Trip to Israel Part 9 (and other IMPORTANT stuff)

2006-11-12T19:30:00.000-05:00

I’ve been back in the states for a little over a week now but I still reflect daily on my experiences in Israel. I taught at Frontline last Sunday night, taught the next night at the Frontline Arlington preview event, and then flew to San Antonio to teach at a young singles event called The Bridge. Without exception, I was bombarded by memories of the places we visited in Israel. Every time I read from a passage I saw in my mind’s eye the very places where these passages were fleshed out in reality.

My wife and I posted seven blogs about our experiences in Israel, but what you may not know is that for every site we included in our blog there were two more sites that we didn’t record! Here’s a list of the sites that we didn’t mention:
- Boat ride on the Sea of Galilee
- Baptisms of many on the trip in the Jordan River where Jesus Himself was baptized
- Mt. Carmel where the prophet Elijah had a showdown with the prophets of the false god, Baal
- A view of the city of Jerusalem form the famous Mount of Olives
- Springs of Gideon (Judges 7)
- Wailing Wall
- Visit to a museum to see the dead Sea Scrolls

I will say it again – GO! Save your money and take the trip! Have this holy experience while you’re young. I’m praying about the possibility of joining the trip next year. If I go again, will you join me?

I need to catch all of my loyal readers up on a few things:

1. I’ve created a monster - one that you all seem to love! Who knew? It all started simply enough. I was exhausted one evening in Israel and asked my wife to post the blog for the day. She, as always, was more than willing to help. Then it happened. The messages began to pour in…”More Julie!” and “Let her write the rest of the blogs!” and “What are the odds of two writers in the family?” So, I’ve asked Julie to pray about writing her own blog and she has agreed to do it! Your prayers have been answered and your demands have been heard . To subscribe to Julie’s blog just click on the following link – Julie’s blog - and enjoy! (If you have any trouble with the hyperlink, just cut and paste the following link into your web browser - blog.myspace.com/ipreacherwife.
2. I’m asking for prayer for a book project I’m working on with LifeWay Publishing. The book is a Bible Study written from the series I did a year ago called “The Least of These.” The due date for the final draft is December 7th and LifeWay will release the book in the spring. The title is “Get Uncomfortable: Serve the Poor. Stop Injustice. Change the World In Jesus’ Name.” My prayer is that this study will compel thousands of young adult to make a difference in their world for Christ. I’ll update you as things develop.
3. Lon Solomon, our senior pastor at McLean Bible Church, is coming to Frontline the first three Sundays in December to teach a three-week series on God’s Will. I’ve heard these messages and believe this will be a very powerful time of learning for all of us. So, keep Frontline on your calendar in December – I promise it will be worth it!

That’s it for now. Remember: save for Israel, sign up for Julie’s blog, pray for my new book project (please), and commit to attending Frontline the entire month of December! That shouldn’t be too hard!

Carpe Deum! (Seize God!)
Todd Phillips
www.toddphillips.net

Dream Trip to Israel Part 8

2006-11-04T15:27:00.000-05:00

Imagine for a moment...you are standing on the stones of the actual road outside the place where Jesus was held before dragging his cross to Golgotha. The stones you stand on are the very stones that supported the feet of Jesus as he exited the building and forced His beaten and bruised body to the place where He would be crucified. Each stone is covered with small traction groves carved into the rock to help the beasts of burden gain traction on the rocks as they carried materials to market each day.

I stood on those stones outside the Antonio Fortress which was a Roman Garrison at the time of Christ. I could see clearly in my mind’s eye the entire drama unfold that would change everything and everyone for all time. I reached down and swept my hands across the groves in the rock. I pressed my palm against the rock to feel the cold, hard surface. I thought to myself that this would be a moment I would not forget. Just as a man who looses his arm in battle feels the itch of a limb that is no longer there, I can still feel the cold sensation of the rock that I won’t soon touch again.

We left the ancient garrison and found our way through the streets of Old Jerusalem to the famous Pool of Bathesda. John 5 tells us that the “blind, the lame [and] the paralyzed” would come to the waters of the pool because of their healing properties. Once again I was looking at a physical piece of biblical history!

This is where the scene of John 5:1-18 unfolds. Jesus approaches a man who has been an invalid for “thirty eight years.” Jesus asks the man one question, “Do you want to get well?” The man, misunderstanding what Jesus is offering, respond, “I have no one to help me into the pool when the water is stirred. When I am trying to get in, someone else goes down ahead of me.” Jesus then commands the man to get up and walk! The man was immediately cured and picked his mat up and walked. The story doesn’t stop there. But, I don’t want to ruin it for you . The entire passage is at this link – John 5:1-18.

More to come…

Carpe Deum! (Seize God!)
Todd Phillips
www.toddphillips.net

Dream Trip to Israel Part 7

2006-11-02T07:23:00.000-05:00

Our day started with a bus ride to the East side of the Sea of Galilee directly across the water from our hotel in Tiberius. We stopped at the “Land of the Gerasenes” where Jesus heals a demon-possessed man. God recounts the story in the Fifth chapter of Mark.

Here is the beginning of the story:
1 They went across the lake to the region of the Gerasenes. 2 When Jesus got out of the boat, a man with an evil spirit came from the tombs to meet him. 3 This man lived in the tombs, and no one could bind him any more, not even with a chain. 4 For he had often been chained hand and foot, but he tore the chains apart and broke the irons on his feet. No one was strong enough to subdue him. 5 Night and day among the tombs and in the hills he would cry out and cut himself with stones. (Mark 5:1-5)

As the story continues, Jesus casts the evil spirits out of the man and sends them into a herd of pigs. The herd then runs down the hill into the Sea of Galilee and drown themselves. I have read this account many times and preached on it as well. But, again, I cannot describe how moving it was to stand in the small town, look up on the hillside to see several rock-hewn tombs where the possessed man lived, look to the base of the hill to see a field where the herd of pigs would have grazed, then to finally look down the slope of the land where the herd would have rushed to the sea and drowned themselves (the water was four or five hundred yards from where we were standing).

The story is profound for many reasons, but Lon brought out an important insight for us all. As you read the rest of the story, you read that the townspeople ran to the nearby villages to tell everyone what had happened to the man and “the pigs as well.” (v. 16) Then they all came to Jesus and “began to plead with Jesus to leave their region.” (v. 17)

Why would they want the Miracle Worker to leave?
Why would they plead with the man who healed the sickest man in the village to travel out of their entire region?

These people valued their herd of pigs more than the possessed man who lived in the tombs. Instead of praising Jesus for healing the man they desperately wanted him to leave so that they would not loose anymore livestock.

We must learn from the sin of the Gerasenes. We must remind ourselves each day that people are more important than…anything! Core Value #1 at McLean Bible Church is “People matter to God and to us.” Jesus valued people over the rest of creation. Jesus valued us so much he voluntarily died so that we could be reconciled to Him. God made people, only people, in His image. We are all of the greatest value to God – even those – especially those – whom the world finds worthless.

We visited a few other sites on this day including Tel Bethshean which has been excavated back to 2000 BC when it was a Canaanite town. We saw areas of excavation showing when the Israelites occupied the town during the time of King David. Finally, we saw areas that revealed its occupation by Rome during the time of Christ. What a bewildering thing to literally walk through four thousand years of history in less than two hours!

Carpe Deum! (Seize God!)
Todd Phillips
www.toddphillips.net

Israel Pictures!

2006-11-01T22:18:00.000-05:00

We've posted pictures from the first part of our Israel trip at the link below.
Enjoy!

www.tpisrael.shutterfly.com
password: frontline (case sensitive)

Please excuse all misspellings, etc.

Dream Trip to Israel Part 6

2006-10-30T15:13:00.000-05:00

The day started with a drive to Mt. Carmel (1 Kings 18). Where Elijah ‘fought’ with the 450 prophets of Baal and won! One man with God on his side- defeating 450 men! Elijah knew, as we should – the he and God were a majority! I imagined the entire scene as Lon read the passage. I love the way God’s glory was revealed- read over the story yourself and be reminded of the amazing God we serve.

We then traveled to Caesarea on the coast of the Mediterranean – absolutely breathtaking! We stood in the stone amphitheater and my first thought was, “Frontline Caesarea!” Hey, why not. If we can use technology to start a church in Arlington…why not Caesarea? Paul was imprisoned in this city for two years.

Apart from the stunning architecture, the most significant thing I saw from a biblical perspective was the “Pontius Pilate Stone.” For centuries there have been people who have said that there is no evidence other than the biblical record that Pontius Pilate ever existed. Pontius Pilate was the governor of Judea at the time of Christ and Jesus was brought before him just before Jesus was crucified (Matthew 27). But, archeology has once again proven the Bible to be completely accurate! The name of Pontius Pilate was found inscribed in stone at Caesarea! He was in Jerusalem at the time of the Passover Feast when Jesus was arrested but he was stationed in Caesarea by the Romans. Most likely, because the city had been built in a more Roman fashion- with a large amphitheatre, hippodrome (horse racing), and a large port - he was comfortable here. There was also an aqueduct leading to the city, along the Mediterranean coast and it is still standing.

We then went to a place called the Tel Megiddo. This city overlooks the Valley of Megiddo where the battle of Armageddon will take place (Revelation 16). This is the battle that John describes in the book of Revelation between Christ and the Anti-Christ. The valley is a massive expanse of land and I imagined the forces of good and evil crossing from each side of the broad plain preparing to do battle. I’m glad we (believers) know the end of the story – Jesus wins!

Near the end of the day we walked to a point overlooking the town of Nazareth where Jesus lived most of his boyhood life. The city is extremely compact and it was easy to imagine the voices of the villagers in Jesus’ day. I pictured him running around the narrow streets with his ‘crew’ after working with Joseph, his earthly father. We stood and watched as the sun set behind the small town – its lights beginning to show through the windows of the buildings. Surreal.

It’s hard to believe that the past few days are just the beginning of what we are to see. I can honestly say that if the trip were over this moment we have seen enough to justify the expense. But, the fact remains that the trip has only just begun! We can look forward to seeing all of Jerusalem – the garden Tomb where Jesus was buried, the rocks that were part of the Great Temple of God that was destroyed in 70 AD, the garden of Gethsemane where Jesus prayed before he was arrested, the East Gate where tradition holds that Jesus will reenter Jerusalem when He comes again – so much yet to see!

Carpe Deum! (Seize God!)
Todd Phillips
www.toddphillips.net

Dream Trip to Israel Part 5

2006-10-29T19:10:00.000-05:00

My efforts to absorb all that I’ve seen in the last few days have been futile. There is simply too much information and too many sites, all of which are astoundingly significant from a biblical perspective. I feel as if I have been studying the Bible for the past twelve years in brail until the past few days. Like Paul, the scales have fallen from my eyes and now I have SEEN what I have only read about in the Scriptures. My hands have touched what Jesus himself spoke about during His ministry.

For example, Lon (our senior pastor) preached at or very close to the site that Jesus preached the Sermon on the Mount which is found in Matthew 5-7. Just before he preaches the Book of Matthew records that “Large crowds from Galilee, the Decapolis, Jerusalem, Judea and the region across the Jordan followed him.” (Matthew 4:25) As we are sitting there overlooking the Sea of Galilee, Lon points out over the waters and explains that most of the disciples lived around this northern section of the Sea of Galilee. The towns around the area were called the Decapolis because there were ten towns (“Deca” means “ten” and “polis” means city). These ten towns, the Decapolis, are mentioned right in the Scriptures and several of the towns were just across the less than eight mile expanse of the Sea of Galilee (this body of water is only thirty miles long and eight miles wide)! I began to imagine thousands of people walking around the northern bend of the sea from around this body of water and also coming up the ancient roads from Jerusalem in the south to hear Jesus preach. I imagined them sitting down all over the hillside around Jesus as He spoke Truth to them. Everything was so different than I imagined. The Beatitudes (Matthew 5:1-12), powerful if only read from the pages of the Bible, will now never be the same for me. For the rest of my life I will have with me the memory of the smell of the air, the calmness of the waters, and the skyline behind Jesus as He spoke His words right there at the shores of Galilee.

We also visited Capernaum, which Jesus made His headquarters during His three year ministry. The most impressive story in the Scriptures with Capernaum as its backdrop is found in Luke 7: 1-10. I will share the first few verses with you:
1 When Jesus had finished saying all this in the hearing of the people, he entered Capernaum. 2 There a centurion’s servant, whom his master valued highly, was sick and about to die. 3 The centurion heard of Jesus and sent some elders of the Jews to him, asking him to come and heal his servant. 4 When they came to Jesus, they pleaded earnestly with him, “This man deserves to have you do this, 5 because he loves our nation and has built our synagogue.”
As utterly unbelievable as it was, we listened to Lon read form Luke 7 while we stood inside the very synagogue that this passage says the Centurion built! This man must have been a much admired man - a Roman soldier who helped build a synagogue? A Roman, who had Jewish leaders intercede on his behalf? A Gentile soldier whose faith was so strong as to believe that whatever Jesus commanded would be done. He trusted Jesus implicitly. He knew that Jesus spoke with authority. He didn’t question. Jesus, himself was amazed at this man’s faith. Jesus continues to look for faith-filled people. If only we all had the faith of the Centurion. The wonderful truth is that we can! We simply need to allow God to…be GOD. There was a plaque at the first church we went to that sums up my point:
“The deeds and miracles of Jesus are not actions of the past. Jesus is waiting for those still prepared to take risks at his word because they trust his power utterly.”
What risks is God asking you to take based on the truth laid out in His word? If you want to grow your faith- then grow your understanding and knowledge of God through Scripture. I urge you to read and reflect upon the story of this faithful Centurion from Luke 7 and I close this post with a quote from Lon, “It is impossible for that man to despair who remembers His Helper is omnipotent.”

Carpe Deum! (Seize God!)
Todd Phillips
www.toddphillips.net

Dream Trip to Israel Part 4

2006-10-28T15:05:00.000-04:00

My wife and I are sharing time journaling and blogging for the Israel posts. Julie had some thoughtful insights that I've posted below:

"My first experience to really enjoy this trip occurred at the very beginning. Our bus pulled up to a church marking the place (within 50-100 yards or so) where a resurrected Jesus joined a few of his disciples for a fish lunch after instructing them towards a miraculous catch of fish (see John 21) on the Sea of Galilee. Lon gave a short sermonette that reminded us of the unconditional love our Savior has for us- Remember, Peter had denied Christ just before his death and yet Christ made a point to come to him after resurrection. We sat in a small amphitheatre and listened to the Sea of Galilee in the background. Between my own memories of how Jesus has loved me over the years, and the sound of the waves- I felt peace and connection. Todd and I then walked down to the shore and picked up a few rocks for our children. Seeing the Sea of Galilee is really amazing! What an understatement. I mean so much of Jesus' ministry was spent around this area, so many life lessons were taught from this natural stage created by His father in Heaven. The sounds and sights will stay with me even as I return home.

We also visited the supposed site where Jesus performed the multiplication (loaves of bread and fish) miracle. The mosaic that documents that miracle is absolutely beautiful in a simple way. It exemplifies the miracle to me. It is a story that I have known since a small child- a simple concept with a BIG lesson- give what you have to God- willingly and obediently and see what God can do with it! Everywhere we go, I am drawn to the souvenirs of anything with this mosaic on it. We haven't bought anything yet, Todd keeps reminding me that souvenirs are like oxygen- they are everywhere! BUT….I guarantee I will come home with something that has the mosaic of the basket and two fish- because without faith, it is impossible to please him and he rewards those who seek him- nothing is impossible for our God! A basic truth I can apply to every aspect of my life.

We have seen many things already in such a short time and we travel from place to place on a large bus. I find myself thinking, "Why is this rocky terrain called the Promised Land? What is so special about Israel? What are my children doing? Etc." And then, I step from the bus and find myself in a land that just feels good standing there. The cool breezes, the many hills that have cities on them, everywhere you look; there is a mountain where God's glory was revealed in some way. I feel close to my Savior and when I read passages I have read many times, I gain a perspective I never realized I lacked. I am working to keep those reminders in my heart and to not let the gagging exhaust from the bus, the crowds, or commercial aspects challenge my experience with Christ.

That is true at home as well. Many days I allow the 'gagging exhaust' of my daily life to overpower what I know to be true. I allow circumstances to come between my Savior and me. I long to follow him with a servant's heart at all times- to step out in faith, to throw my net in the path he is directing so I can be a part of his miracles. To give him the little I have so that it can be multiplied for His glory.

Jesus. My Jesus. Your Jesus. There is just something about that name, that person. And I am seeing it all around me. I don't have to be in Israel to experience it- but what a wonderful backdrop to be refreshed and refilled."

Isn't my wife a great writer!

Carpe Deum! (Seize God!)
Todd Phillips (but, mostly Julie today)
www.toddphillips.net

Dream Trip to Israel Part 3

2006-10-25T21:02:00.000-04:00

As I write this I’m certain that many of you are like me. I’m the kind of person that has to experience something myself for it to mean anything to me. So, for example, when I read the plethora of background material we received in the mail to prepare us for our trip to Israel I skimmed over it and said to myself, “None of this can possibly prepare me for actually being there…standing where Jesus stood, walking where Peter walked, touching the stone that marks the traditional site where the resurrected Jesus fixed a meal of fish for his disciples. I was right of course (and so are you if, as I said, you are anything like me). Nothing can prepare you for the experiences of a trip to the Holy Land. Yet, I’m compelled to write because I believe that a few of you will read these posts, learn of the many wondrous experiences that await the man or woman who would dare to allow themselves such a once-in-a-lifetime experience, and you’ll dive in with both feet - especially if you’re young!

I’m convinced the best time to take a trip to Israel is when you’re young (16-40 years old). I say all this because the days are long, we walk a good amount of the time to reach the sites, and there is little time for rest. Most of the people in our group are over fifty. Of the one hundred and seventy tourists with our group only around thirty are below the age of forty. Often, young people will excuse themselves from adventures like these claiming they can’t afford it. Now, as true as that may be for some, others of you only need to make the decision to take the trip and commit to saving the money.

More often though young people make decisions on the assumption that there will always be another opportunity. Then we wake up and we’re fifty or sixty years old and we can easily afford the trip but we find it’s not as easy to get out of bed as it once was. The hours we spend in the bus hurts our backs and the food isn’t so kind to our stomachs. You can never buy time nor can you borrow a single minute. When it is spent, it’s spent. No going back.

So, as you read these posts ask yourself, 1) “Would I grow in my relationship with God by experiencing these places? If you answered ‘yes,’ then the next question should be, 2) “Is it possible for me to cover the cost of next year’s trip or can I start now to save a few hundred dollars (or less) a month to take the trip in 2008? If you answer ‘yes’ to either of these options then prayerfully consider that their may not be another trip, there may not be a better time, and you’re not getting any younger!

As Lon, our senior pastor says, “Not a sermon, just a thought.”

Carpe Deum! (Seize God!)
Todd Phillips
www.toddphillips.net

Dream Trip to Israel Part 2

2006-10-24T11:50:00.000-04:00

Rarely am I speechless (and I'm not now either…but close). The plane ride was uneventful. I was able to coax my body into a few hours of sleep. We arrived on time in Tel Aviv. Nothing worthy of the blogosphere presented itself until I presented my passport to the young, very focused lady at the immigration booth. Seven people had checked my passport before this young woman took it from my hands and she was the only one to take the time to look carefully at each well-stamped page. I listened closely as she mumbled,

"Yemen, Egypt, Ethiopia…"

She then looked with intent into my eyes,

"What business did you have in the Islamic Republic of Iran?"

I hadn't set foot on Iranian soil in six years. I had forgotten that Israel and Iran weren't the best of friends (how could that have possibly slipped my mind). Back in 2000 I was invited to join a team of business men, ministers, researchers, and a Navy Seal. Our purpose was to investigate a theory that Noah's Ark might have actually landed on ore near Mt Sabalon, the highest mountain in Northern Iran. (The trip is actually chronicled in a book called "In Search of Noah's Ark" by Bob Cornuke. Back then, before 911, we still needed special permission to enter Iran as US citizens and we were given specific instructions that no person on our team who had an Israeli entry stamp in their passport would be permitted to enter Iran – period! Several of the members of our team were forced to "misplace" their Israeli-stamped passports and have a new passport issued in order to join the team.

I had never entered the country of Israel by that point so I was good to go. But it didn't dawn on me that Israel might return the favor and not allow entry into Israel if someone had an Iranian Visa in their passport.

So, this young Israeli security officer is looking at me and asking what I was doing in Iran in 2000 and I found myself in a bit of a dilemma. If you've heard me speak or read my blogs you know that I love telling stories and no one had asked me about my great and dangerous adventure in Iran searching for Noah's Ark in years! So, everything in me wanted to respond, "Well officer, have you heard of Noah's Ark?"

About that time Julie, my wife, had just received her entry permit from another agent and walked over to catch the last few moments of my conversation with this young woman. Just as I was about to tell this young lady about my adventures in Iran, I caught Julie's eye and she said quickly,

"How's it going?"

"Fine honey! This young lady was just asking about my time in Iran."

I opted for the quick and easy answer remembering that everything (smart or stupid) that I chose to do or say affected my wife.

"I'm a pastor. I was there doing ministry."

The agent looked at Julie, "Are you with him?" and grabbed Julie's passport from her hand. She picked up the phone and in less than a minute an older, more focused female kindly offered to escort me to another area. Julie shouted to the new agent,

"Can I come with him?"

She motioned for Julie to follow us. When we arrived outside a small office she took both passports with her and asked us to remain where we were as she disappeared behind a door. A short time later she asked again if Julie was with me (I assume because Julie's passport was less than three weeks old and had no marks of any kind from any country, friendly or otherwise to Israel. She let us go, we picked up our luggage, walked out with our one hundred and seventy strong tourist group and boarded the buses.

Here's where I am unable to wrap my mind around what I saw in the ninety minute bus ride to the hotel in Tiberia on the shores of the Sea of Galilee. In less than two hours we saw Tel Megiddo where Revelation places the battle at the End of Days or Armageddon (Read Revelation 16). Shortly thereafter our tour guide Dan motioned out the left windows of the bus showing us the Mount of Transfiguration (Read Matthew 17) and in what seemed only a few short moments later the bus was stopped at a scenic overlook where we were able to take pictures of the Sea of Galilee…in LESS THAN TWO HOURS. I can only imagine what tomorrow will be like.

Until then…
Carpe Deum! (Seize God!)
Todd Phillips
www.toddphillips.net

Dream Trip to Israel Part 1.5

2006-10-21T21:48:00.000-04:00

Oh, the Love

So....I go on myspace to read my husband's current posted blog and what do I find? A public announcement of all my fears, etc.? Oh- where is the love?

He is correct on many fronts. I am concerned about us both going overseas while our children are so young. Our youngest is only three, I feel there is so much I still have to give and the 'what ifs' do get me sometimes. But...there is also the overwhelming getting ready stuff... And, I was going to go for my COLLEGE graduation but my car died- I didn't have a wreck (that time anyway) so I needed a downpayment for another car.

Plus- I am the resident homebody and Todd is the world traveler. I mean, there has to be balance in a marriage right? I dream of the time when I will go to Africa, to Ireland, and to Greece. I long to see the ancient ruins, castles, and land I read about in multiple books. I look forward to our family ministering to other families in third world countries. I hear about other families and I am struck with admiration mixed with disbelief about all they are doing for the glory of God.

I cling to the verses in Ecclesiates about there being a time for everything, knowing that our time will come. Especially in light of the heart my husband has and instills in our children.

Marriage is interesting. The whole becoming 'one' can be difficult in many ways. You take on the other's struggles, joys, fears, and desires. Sometimes that is easy and at other points you struggle to find a way to meet your spouse half-way. This is one of those times for me.

It also happened after the birth of our first child. My parents called me and told me that they were coming to our house to stay with Parker (who was about 2 months old) so that I could remember that I was a wife first, and a mother second. Todd and I went and had an overnight date. At first, I was angry- but Todd was so excited I recognized the truth in what they were sharing from their own experiences. We had a great time and I came home refreshed- able to be a much better wife and mother.

This is another one of those times, I feel like I am being pushed out of my nest- forced to do something I am not sure I am ready for- but I know in my heart it is time.

Time to broaden my perspectives, to go beyond my comfort zone, to release my stubbornness and to embrace what God plans on showing me.

These feelings can come at any time for any of us. We become so comfortable that we begin to think we are righteous in our own thoughts. Justification is powerful.

What are you missing that God has planned for you? What fears are you holding on to? What perceived righteousness do you need to let God reshape?

This will probably be my only blog- I sneaked it in...

Blessings to you,

Julie

Dream Trip to Israel part 1

2006-10-21T14:44:00.000-04:00

Israel! I’m going to Israel! I've been blessed to travel all over the world but I've seldom been more excited than I’ve been over the past few days as I've been making final preparations for my trip to Israel with my wife! We leave this coming Monday, October 23rd. I’ve been waiting almost since the day I began my relationship with Jesus to go to ‘The Holy land.” Now, the experience is only days away.

My wife, on the other hand, is a bit less enthusiastic. It’s not that she doesn’t want to go. In fact, her parents were going to send her to Israel for her high school graduation but she wrecked her car at just the right (or wrong) time and much of the graduation trip money had to go to cover repairs. So, she’s been waiting over ten years to take this trip. Her excitement is tempered by the idea that we might both die on the trip in some tragic accident and our kids would be left without their parents. This kind of reaction is normal for parents but we can’t allow ourselves to live in (or make choices based on) this kind of fear. Julie, my wife, understands all this intellectually but she is still working through the emotional side of it all. Add to these thoughts the fact that this will be her first trip overseas and she taking a big step. My first trip overseas was to London with my father in the late nineties so it’s been a while since I’ve experienced the mixture of excitement and uncertainty that comes with such a trip.

Julie and I also have certain members of our family and friends who feel it their duty to email us articles of recent car bombings and terrorist attacks that have happened within five hundred miles of our planned destinations. This has been happening to me over the past ten years or so since I began frequently traveling overseas but my wife hasn’t had the pleasure of receiving these kinds of emails until now. I often thanks my friends and family for their concern and then email them an article of the number of recent murders in their own state and this seems to lessen the frequency of the concerning correspondence.

I digress.

The point of my post was not to ask you to pray for my wife (which I’d really appreciate) nor to make light of my friends and family who think we’re less than intelligent for going to “war-ravaged” Israel (although I enjoyed it so much) but to let you know that I’ll be blogging regularly starting Monday about the experiences of our trip. I hope you will all take the time to read my posts because it’s my prayer that you would be encouraged to consider taking a trip to Israel yourself in the near future.

Until my next post…
Carpe Deum! (Seize God!)
Todd Phillips
www.toddphillips.net

Temptation and Sin Part 4

2006-10-19T12:40:00.000-04:00

We live in a world and in a state of being created by God where we have a choice…a choice to live in the spirit or to live in the flesh. Each new day (each moment for the matter) affords us the opportunity to abide in Christ and live according to the spirit or to rebel and live according to our own desires. The results of each are made plain in Galatians 5:16-26:
16 So I say, live by the Spirit, and you will not gratify the desires of the sinful nature. 17 For the sinful nature desires what is contrary to the Spirit, and the Spirit what is contrary to the sinful nature. They are in conflict with each other, so that you do not do what you want. 18 But if you are led by the Spirit, you are not under law. 19 The acts of the sinful nature are obvious: sexual immorality, impurity and debauchery; 20 idolatry and witchcraft; hatred, discord, jealousy, fits of rage, selfish ambition, dissensions, factions 21 and envy; drunkenness, orgies, and the like. I warn you, as I did before, that those who live like this will not inherit the kingdom of God. 22 But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, 23 gentleness and self-control. Against such things there is no law. 24 Those who belong to Christ Jesus have crucified the sinful nature with its passions and desires. 25 Since we live by the Spirit, let us keep in step with the Spirit. 26 Let us not become conceited, provoking and envying each other.
The same Paul who wrote Romans 7 and 8 (from my last post) is the one who helps us understand that we ultimately have two options: live by the spirit daily or live by the flesh daily. Each choice has its own clear and distinct set of evidences as described in the passage above.

SO, what have we learned? How do we deal with temptation and sin? From my posts and the response of many brothers and sisters in the faith we’ve been reminded of some valuable truths:
1.Connecting to a community of believers at an intimate level is essential for victory over temptation. We aren’t meant to battle temptation in isolation.
2.Studying and meditating on the Word of God, allowing God’s Truth to “renew our minds” is also vital.
3.The battle against temptation is a daily, even moment by moment, battle that even the heroes of the faith like Paul battled with daily. But, we chose daily to gratify our own desires or submit to the spirit of God and experience the results of such a choice – love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, and self-control

So, if you are now struggling with a specific temptation and cannot seem to find your way to purity of mind and deed, then ask yourself which of the three truths above are missing in your life…then pursue that truth with vigor. Christ promises that he will not give us anything that we, under the direction of the spirit, cannot handle. He has given us the Spirit to empower us to live lives of righteousness.

Keep fighting the good fight!
Carpe Deum! (Seize God!)
Todd Phillips
www.toddphillips.net

Temptation and Sin Part 3

2006-10-12T14:38:00.000-04:00

Paul (a subscriber to my blog and a Frontliner) said,
“C.G. Jung once observed that modern psychotherapy arose partly in response to the void in Christian community left by the Protestant insistence on private confession. We no longer struggle together with our deepest concerns and our most internal battles. Religon, we often hear, is a personal matter between us and God, where we keep our distance from others and relate openly with God. One difficulty with that philosophy is that we end up being less honest with him as well.”
One answer to the question of why we continue in temptation and sin lies in the very fact (as Paul said above) that we have debilitated ourselves by negating true biblical community from our lives. We are meant to “bear one another’s burdens” which we cannot do if we don’t know each other at a deep level. The “one another” passages in the New Testament are numerous and a study of these passages by any believer, especially North American Christ-followers, would be a rich, rewarding and challenging experience.

The other reason we deal with temptation is well explained by Paul (the one in the Bible) when he describes his own battle with temptation and sin:

Romans 7:14-8:17:
14 “We know that the law is spiritual; but I am unspiritual, sold as a slave to sin. 15 I do not understand what I do. For what I want to do I do not do, but what I hate I do. 16 And if I do what I do not want to do, I agree that the law is good. 17 As it is, it is no longer I myself who do it, but it is sin living in me. 18 I know that nothing good lives in me, that is, in my sinful nature. For I have the desire to do what is good, but I cannot carry it out. 19 For what I do is not the good I want to do; no, the evil I do not want to do—this I keep on doing. 20 Now if I do what I do not want to do, it is no longer I who do it, but it is sin living in me that does it. 21 So I find this law at work: When I want to do good, evil is right there with me. 22 For in my inner being I delight in God’s law; 23 but I see another law at work in the members of my body, waging war against the law of my mind and making me a prisoner of the law of sin at work within my members. 24 What a wretched man I am! Who will rescue me from this body of death? 25 Thanks be to God—through Jesus Christ our Lord! So then, I myself in my mind am a slave to God’s law, but in the sinful nature a slave to the law of sin.
8 Therefore, there is now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus, 2 because through Christ Jesus the law of the Spirit of life set me free from the law of sin and death. 3 For what the law was powerless to do in that it was weakened by the sinful nature, God did by sending his own Son in the likeness of sinful man to be a sin offering. And so he condemned sin in sinful man, 4 in order that the righteous requirements of the law might be fully met in us, who do not live according to the sinful nature but according to the Spirit. 5 Those who live according to the sinful nature have their minds set on what that nature desires; but those who live in accordance with the Spirit have their minds set on what the Spirit desires. 6 The mind of sinful man is death, but the mind controlled by the Spirit is life and peace; 7 the sinful mind is hostile to God. It does not submit to God’s law, nor can it do so. 8 Those controlled by the sinful nature cannot please God. 9 You, however, are controlled not by the sinful nature but by the Spirit, if the Spirit of God lives in you. And if anyone does not have the Spirit of Christ, he does not belong to Christ. 10 But if Christ is in you, your body is dead because of sin, yet your spirit is alive because of righteousness. 11 And if the Spirit of him who raised Jesus from the dead is living in you, he who raised Christ from the dead will also give life to your mortal bodies through his Spirit, who lives in you. 12 Therefore, brothers, we have an obligation—but it is not to the sinful nature, to live according to it. 13 For if you live according to the sinful nature, you will die; but if by the Spirit you put to death the misdeeds of the body, you will live, 14 because those who are led by the Spirit of God are sons of God. 15 For you did not receive a spirit that makes you a slave again to fear, but you received the Spirit of sonship. And by him we cry, “Abba, Father.” 16 The Spirit himself testifies with our spirit that we are God’s children. 17 Now if we are children, then we are heirs—heirs of God and co-heirs with Christ, if indeed we share in his sufferings in order that we may also share in his glory.”

So, the balls back in your court. Besides our individualized form of Christianity destroying our ability to be the community of faith God called us to be, what is Paul telling us in this passage about our struggle with sin?

Carpe Deum! (Seize God!)
Todd Phillips
www.toddphillips.net

Temptation and Sin Part 2

2006-10-05T11:35:00.000-04:00

Temptation and Sin Part 2

Where do we all go from here? Many of us publicly (and many more privately) confessed the temptations and sins in our lives and although a few topped the charts – lust, anger, greed – many others were mentioned as well. Let’s see if I can give us a refresher list of our collective “sins of choice” – sex, money, power, ignoring the Holy Spirit’s direction, fear, lust, laziness (I like the word “sloth” but I’m not sure why), stubbornness, making television our god, lack of trust in God, lust, ingratitude, covetousness, lust, giving while expecting nothing in return, and I believe someone mentioned lust.

As I review the list (and this is a short list of the much larger list of ‘private’ messages I received and respecting their desire for privacy have not included their lists) I’m beginning to get a little depressed. But wait – God promises that he did not “give us a spirit of fear, but a spirit of power and of love and of self-control. (2 Timothy 1:7) From my first post, God also reminds us:

Remember – “No temptation has seized you except that which is common to man.” (1 Corinthians 10:13a) God reminds us here that none of us have invented a terrible new sin. Sin has been with us since the fall and those around you wherever you are reading this right now all struggle with sin – maybe even the same ones you struggle with. But God encourages us when he says, “And God is faithful; he will not let you be tempted beyond what you can bear. But when you are tempted, he will also provide a way out so that you can stand up under it.” (1 Corinthians 10:13b)

From all this then, we can surmise that we should be emboldened by our faith, self-controlled and confident in the fact that we can escape any and all temptation by a God-ordained gift of a timely and obvious escape route…but, if that’s the case why are we all having such a hard time?

As I always do I’m going to get around to the answer but I don’t want us to miss the opportunity to think theologically about a very practical matter. So, here’s the question for the day – if God’s truth (i.e. the passages I refer to in this post) is in fact true, then why all the temptation…why do we all struggle?

Comment away!

Carpe Deum! (Seize God!)
Todd Phillips
www.toddphillips.net

Temptation and Sin Part 1

2006-09-27T14:31:00.000-04:00

We just completed a church-wide survey of everyone who attended Frontline this past Sunday. We do this about once every five years to get a clearer picture of who we are as a community of faith and how we can better impact our generation in Washington D.C. (and around the world) with the message of Jesus. I’ve only been involved in this kind of broad study a few times before. I’ve learned though that you will invariably miss some huge area of interest by not including some vitally important question in the survey. This time was no different.

So, although what we’re about to do together with this blog may not be “statistically sound” I’d like to ask my loyal readers some questions over the next few posts. This first one is a big one so I’m going to give you a few options on how to respond. The question is this:

What are the top three temptations/sins in your life or in the lives of your co-workers or friends...and, how do these temptations/sins manifest themselves? (Notice how I’ve given everybody an “out” for everyone who would never put their dirty laundry in print).

It’s often said that most sin is some distortion of God’s plan for money, sex, and power. I’d like to get more practical answers than these. For example, one of my greatest sins is anger but only in certain environments. It manifests itself to the greatest degree when I’m driving. This may seem silly to some but driving is a daily struggle for me and, although God has done a great deal to lessen my frustration on the road, I still pray every day for His strength to honor those on the road with me and keep us all safe. I believe this issue in my life is a struggle for power in its purest sense. So, it does fit one of the “money, sex, power categories, but it manifests itself primarily in one particular activity.

I’m fully aware that some of you are thinking, “Woe, Todd….how brave and open can you get! You really opened yourself up there with your driving problems. I thought we were getting down to the big, hairy stuff in our lives that no one likes to talk about and you offered up driving?!” Please remember a sin or temptation that seems trivial to one person can be debilitating to another. I’ll go more into how God has used the issue of my anger and impatience on the road to mold me and refine me, but for now let’s get the ball rolling on the question itself. So, what are they? What are those temptations/sins in your life or the lives of your friends and how do they manifest themselves?
If you aren’t comfortable writing about your own issues or even about issues that other anonymous people in your life deal with via the blog then please message me directly here on my space. But, please consider leaving a post on this blog so we can create some dialogue about the subjects. Remember – “No temptation has seized you except that which is common to man.” (1 Corinthians 10:13a) God reminds us here that none of us have invented a terrible new sin. Sin has been with us since the fall and those around you wherever you are reading this right now all struggle with sin – maybe even the same ones you struggle with. But God encourages us when he says, “And God is faithful; he will not let you be tempted beyond what you can bear. But when you are tempted, he will also provide a way out so that you can stand up under it.” (1 Corinthians 10:13b)
We’ll get to God’s faithfulness and provision as we work through this subject of sin together but let’s start with looking at our lives and the lives of those around us and identifying the struggles that are common to all men.

Carpe Deum! (Seize God!)
Todd Phillips
www.toddphillips.net

Another Powerful Move of God Part 2

2006-09-21T12:29:00.000-04:00

More on Frontline Arlington…

I read from Matthew 9:36-38 at the beginning of my message Monday night in Arlington at our first worship service in our new campus. Matthew tells us that Jesus is looking at the crowd around him and “[Jesus] had compassion on them, because they were harassed and helpless, like sheep without a shepherd. Then he said to his disciples, “The harvest is plentiful but the workers are few. Ask the Lord or the harvest therefore to send out workers into his harvest field.” I explained that the harvest is huge in Arlington and that the workers are few, but he has now called 400 of his workers into the harvest field to work the harvest that is to come. God has brought is together for such a time as this.

The only thing standing between the harvesters and the harvest is a word that gets very little use in our culture today – compassion. Jesus had compassion on the crowd. We tend to feel frustration, anger, and apathy toward the masses around us in our busy lives rather than compassion. Compassion is the seed of evangelism. Compassion is the seed of hope. We must pray that God give us compassion for those around us, especially those who bring out more negative emotions in us. What might happen if thousands of young adults who regularly attend Frontline on Sunday and Monday nights were to start each day with prayer to God for the vary same compassion Jesus possessed for the world around Him? How great would our impact be?

Carpe Deum! (Seize God!)
Todd Phillips
www.toddphillips.net

Another Powerful Move of God!

2006-09-20T14:22:00.000-04:00

There are few times in my Christian life that I have experienced a move of God in ministry that changed me at my core as a man of God. I liken what I’m about to describe to the birth of a child or marriage or being surprised as my all of my senses are brought to a point of pure delight as I stand outside on the perfect autumn day. In a spiritual sense, I have only experienced this kind of overt move of God in ministry on a few special occasions. My first experience in ministry was standing before a crowd of fifty three young people when I began an evangelistic outreach in Austin, Texas called Austin Metro. The sense of God’s presence that evening was palpable, inescapable. This experienced was however eclipsed four years later when I and a team of twelve young adults completed an eight month prayer vigil. Our vigil ended by opening the first evangelistic event in San Antonio, Texas called San Antonio Metro. Nearly three hundred people crowded into a chapel with no more than two hundred seats. People stood twelve deep at the doors and dozens sat on the stage itself as I taught. God moved in that ministry purely as a result of the prayer of twelve faithful Christ followers. Both ministries grew to a weekly attendance of over a thousand and when all was said and done God used these ministries to share the Gospel to over ten thousand young adults. But, it was the sense of God’s presence on that first day that can never be duplicated. It was as though God was blessing each believer in the room with an extra measure of joy for trusting Him enough to leap into the unknown, to take risks for God.

This same kind of God-given experience of all-encompassing joy manifested itself for a third time in my own life just two days ago on Monday Night, September 18th, 2006. The entire staff of Frontline and over sixty volunteers took a monumental leap of faith to start a new Frontline campus new campus right in the middle of Arlington. We rented out the Rosslyn Spectrum, a theater owned by the county just two blocks from the busiest Metro station in D.C., the Rosslyn Station. I knew from experience that these first events are special beyond description and that God also tends to make Himself manifest in these places of faithful action – he did not disappoint us. The feeling of God’s presence was thick in the air. There was a sense of expectation in each of the more than four hundred who attended the worship event. The four hundred seats were filled and many were in overflow. Cries of “Amen” rose from the crowd during the time of worship. Every voice sang with boldness and unity to God. The fellowship that I experienced could only be attributed to the work of the Holy Spirit. Everyone there experienced the birth of a new work of God and I believe each will remember being a witness to that special move of God for years to come.

So, what’s next for Frontline Arlington? This recent event was the first of three monthly events that we will host before the official kickoff of the campus on Monday, January 22nd, 2007. The next event is October 16th at 7:30, again at the Rosslyn Spectrum. Answers to any questions you may have are available at www.frontlinearlington.com. If you were unable to make the first event and you live in the Arlington area or close to a Metro station, consider joining us for the October 16th event. Above all, pray. Pray for God to continue to use us to impact our generation in secular Washington with the Gospel of Jesus Christ; that everyone in the Arlington area would come into a saving relationship with Jesus. Remember, we the church have been called by God Himself to be the agents of change for the world. May we rise to the occasion.

Question for the day - What kind of experiences have you had in ministry where God made Himself known at an unprecidented level in your life?

Carpe Deum! (Seize God!)
Todd Phillips
www.toddphillips.net

The Astonishing Significance of Baptism

2006-08-23T14:18:00.000-04:00

I baptized my son, Parker, this past Sunday at Frontline (www.frontloine.to)! It was a surreal experience. Everything happened so fast...I remember it all...but I even remember it in fast forward. So, many emotions have flooded me over the past several days - joy, peace, astonishment, wonder, gratitude - all because my oldest child has taken his first step of obedience to God's command and made a conscious choice to be baptized as a Christ-follower.
He became a believer in February of 2005. My wife and I had the privilege of leading him to Christ right before bedtime the night of February 9th. He has grown in profound ways over the past year and I thank God daily for saving my son. I find it unimaginable that my only son, who is becoming such a good friend to me as he grows, is also my brother-in-Christ!
When I got home from Frontline last Sunday night Parker was still awake. My wife, Julie, said that he didn't want to go to bed until he and I could talk. So, just a few hours after he was baptized, I walked up to his room opened the door and climbed into bed with him. He was wide awake and he was truly giddy with joy. He couldn't stop smiling and his cheeks were red. I said with a smile, "Parker, what's up?" He looked at me and gave me a big hug and said, “You baptized me! I feel clean.” “Son, you understand that baptism is a symbol…” He interrupted, “Yeah, Dad, I know it’s a symbol of what God has already done in my heart through Jesus. But, I still feel clean!” We talked for a few more minutes, prayed, and I tucked him in for the night.
I thought a lot about my son’s words and the incredibly powerful symbol baptism is for us who believe. I am convinced that it wasn’t until a few months ago when Parker and I began to talk about the meaning of baptism and exactly what it symbolizes that Parker began to truly understand the concept that “the old has gone, the new has come!” (2 Corinthians 5:17) The act of being baptized gave Parker a concrete picture of the death of his old self and his birth as a new creation in Christ.
Not only has he come to understand to a much greater degree the significance of his new life in Christ through the act of baptism, he has also become much more aware of his opportunity and his ability to share his faith with others through this same symbol of baptism. I explained to him weeks before that one of the greatest opportunities any believer has to proclaim his faith is through the very public celebration of baptism. I explained that there would likely be dozens if not hundreds of people who don’t know Jesus in the crowd watching him be baptized. I told him that God may even use his baptism to lead other people to faith in Jesus. For Parker, I believe the potential for others to know God through something he was doing was as much a catalyst for his decision to be baptized as was the opportunity to obey Jesus’ command. All of this growth, wisdom, and joy from the symbol of baptism!
After all of this, would you believe that my middle daughter, Katherine, came up to Parker and I just as we sat down after his baptism and asked, “Can I meet Jesus and be baptized?” Parker experienced right then and there the evangelistic potential of baptism in the request of his own sister. He has since then explained to Katherine (numerous times) what it means to be forgiven by Jesus and ask him to lead her life. So, Parker at the age of seven may very well have his first opportunity to lead someone to Christ – his own sister.
Filled with joy –
Todd Phillips
www.toddphillips.net

Pride Comes Before a Fall!

2006-08-10T12:15:00.000-04:00

I’m back! You’re probably thinking… “Where’d you go, Todd?” or “I didn’t know you were gone.” Well, I was gone. I was on a two and a half week vacation in Austin, Texas and I loved every minute of it. Some of you will be happy to know that I actually got some sun while I was in Austin. So, now I’ve gone from a pasty white color to more of a slightly less than pasty white color! Exciting, I know.

My brother-in-law, Grant, and I were talking one evening while watching Jeopardy. On the final Jeopardy question the answer was, “What is the “Arctic Circle?”?” Grant laughed out loud at one of the contestants because the contestant spelled “Arctic” wrong. The contestant spelled it “Artic.” Grant, said, “Can you believe that this guy’s on Jeopardy and he can’t even spell “Arctic?” I responded, “Grant, maybe he’s nervous…maybe he just didn’t think through it.” Grant kept pushing the point, “Todd, come on. The guy’s on a show for really smart people and he left the “C-H” out of “Archtic!” How embarrassing is that?”

That particular moment had to be one of the greatest examples of irony and misplaced pride I could remember. I looked at Grant, “Grant, are you kidding?” “What?” he asked. “Grant, spell “Arctic” for me.” ““A-R-C-H-T-I-C.”” “Grant, “Arctic” is spelled “A-R-C-T-I-C.” There’s no “H” in the word.” Undaunted, Grant, refused to feel the full weight of his imminent embarrassment, headed straight for the computer and said, “We’ll see who’s right.” He proceeded to look up the word on dictionary.com. He turned around with a big smile revealing his embarrassment. “Well, nothing like a humiliating experience to put me in my place.”

I thought a while about the whole episode. Only one thing came to me after my reflection - pride certainly comes before a fall. (Proverbs 16:18). Simple enough.

Carpe Deum! (Seize God!)

Todd Phillips
www.toddphillips.net

Last Chapter of Colossians and a Reminder!

2006-07-21T14:10:00.000-04:00

The Final Chapter of Colossians

I'm so sorry. Many of you are reading Colossians with me via my postings and have emailed me saying that you appreciate these additions to the blogs. You certainly shouldn't feel required to read these additioons, but for some of you it is a good way to stay in the Word.
(If you're not reading along in Colossians but want an important reminder for Frontline, please scroll to the bottom of this blog!)

So, here is the final installment for Colossians:
Chapter 4
1 Masters, provide your slaves with what is right and fair, because you know that you also have a Master in heaven. 2 Devote yourselves to prayer, being watchful and thankful. 3 And pray for us, too, that God may open a door for our message, so that we may proclaim the mystery of Christ, for which I am in chains. 4 Pray that I may proclaim it clearly, as I should. 5 Be wise in the way you act toward outsiders; make the most of every opportunity. 6 Let your conversation be always full of grace, seasoned with salt, so that you may know how to answer everyone. 7 Tychicus will tell you all the news about me. He is a dear brother, a faithful minister and fellow servant in the Lord. 8 I am sending him to you for the express purpose that you may know about our circumstances and that he may encourage your hearts. 9 He is coming with Onesimus, our faithful and dear brother, who is one of you. They will tell you everything that is happening here. 10 My fellow prisoner Aristarchus sends you his greetings, as does Mark, the cousin of Barnabas. (You have received instructions about him; if he comes to you, welcome him.) 11 Jesus, who is called Justus, also sends greetings. These are the only Jews among my fellow workers for the kingdom of God, and they have proved a comfort to me. 12 Epaphras, who is one of you and a servant of Christ Jesus, sends greetings. He is always wrestling in prayer for you, that you may stand firm in all the will of God, mature and fully assured. 13 I vouch for him that he is working hard for you and for those at Laodicea and Hierapolis. 14 Our dear friend Luke, the doctor, and Demas send greetings. 15 Give my greetings to the brothers at Laodicea, and to Nympha and the church in her house. 16 After this letter has been read to you, see that it is also read in the church of the Laodiceans and that you in turn read the letter from Laodicea. 17 Tell Archippus: See to it that you complete the work you have received in the Lord. 18 I, Paul, write this greeting in my own hand. Remember my chains. Grace be with you.

REMINDER:
This is a quick reminder to all of you who attend Frontline: Our biggest initiate to date as a Frontline community will be announced this Sunday at our 5:30 and 7:30PM services. I'm asking that all regular Frontline attendees be there for this announcement. I truly believe that God is moving our ministry in an exciting and challenging direction in the coming months and I want all of you to be there for message this Sunday night! If you are unable to attend or if you subscribe to my blog from somewhere else around the world (as many of you do who are in the military but consider Frontline your church home) and would like to hear the message, just go to www.frontline.to next week and we'll post it just as we do each of the weekly messages. It will be titled "Making and Impact."

I'm asking all of you to pray for this message to be exactly what God wants to express to our church family and that we would all catch this incredible vision! See you there!

Carpe Deum! (Seize God!)

Todd Phillips
www.toddphillips.net

The Truth About Tithing Part 3

2006-07-12T09:04:00.000-04:00

Our subject is tithing. This will be the third and final post on this subject and I feel confident I can answer the questions I closed with on my last post: How much do I give? Where do I give? Are there any guidelines in the Bible for a specific amount now that we’re under the New Covenant? Are there any guidelines in the Bible for where to give my money? What’s wrong with me NOT giving?

We’ll start with how much and where do I give. Under the new covenant in Jesus we are no longer told how much to give or commanded to give it to a specific place. However, if we look at where money was given throughout the New Testament we find three places: the local congregation, missionaries (like Paul), and the poor. I’ve already explained in the past two blogs on this subject that we are now to give “what we’ve decided in our hearts to give.” (2 Corinthians 9:7) We are to do this rather than give 10% “under compulsion” as we were directed to do in the Old Testament. So, the amount we give should be decided in prayer with God. The place we give should now be decided in the same fashion! Our prayer life becomes paramount to our ability to rightly give to and for the purposes of God.

When deciding where to give however, our local congregation should be seen as a primary recipient of our giving for several reasons. The most important reason we should give to our local congregation is that God has called each one of us to a specific local community of believers to fulfill His vision through that community. Much of our time, talents, and moneys should be poured out for that vision. We are also called to give money to missionaries and to the needy. We should look carefully at how our local congregation is giving to missionaries and to the poor before giving to other Christian organizations simply because our local community may very well be giving and serving missionaries and the poor.

Finally, we may feel that God is directing us to give to a needy family member or a specific missionary that is not supported by our local community of faith. These acts of giving, if done as a result of prayerful appeal to God and direction from God, are acts of giving that are done in Christ’s name and adhere fully to the New Testament concept of giving.

So, for example, a Christ follower may pray diligently to God for direction about how much and where to give. The person may then feel led to give $500 in a given month to his or her local congregation, sponsor three children through World Vision ($105/mo), pay his or her cousins electricity bill ($120/mo) and support a friend who is going into full time international mission work ($400/mo). All of this money comes out of a $70,000 annual salary. The amount of money this person is giving monthly is just over 19% of the annual salary. Only 8.5% of the moneys given are given directly to the local congregation. The point is that the amounts or the percentages are irrelevant! This person has sought God in the process and has “given what he (or she) has decided in his (or her) heart to give.”

As for the question, “Is it okay NOT to give.” Paul would say that “it is not beneficial” for any believer to not give. Giving is at the very essence of the spiritual DNA of every believer whether giving time, prayer, talents, or possessions. We are blessed, matured, and shaped to be more like Christ in every act of giving. So, it IS okay NOT to give in the same way that it is okay for any Christian NOT to live an abundant life.

Carpe Deum! (Seize God!)
Todd Phillips
www.toddphillips.net

For those of you are reading Colossians with me:
Colossians 3:12-25
12 Therefore, as God’s chosen people, holy and dearly loved, clothe yourselves with compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness and patience. 13 Bear with each other and forgive whatever grievances you may have against one another. Forgive as the Lord forgave you. 14 And over all these virtues put on love, which binds them all together in perfect unity. 15 Let the peace of Christ rule in your hearts, since as members of one body you were called to peace. And be thankful. 16 Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly as you teach and admonish one another with all wisdom, and as you sing psalms, hymns and spiritual songs with gratitude in your hearts to God. 17 And whatever you do, whether in word or deed, do it all in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through him.
18 Wives, submit to your husbands, as is fitting in the Lord. 19 Husbands, love your wives and do not be harsh with them. 20 Children, obey your parents in everything, for this pleases the Lord. 21 Fathers, do not embitter your children, or they will become discouraged. 22 Slaves, obey your earthly masters in everything; and do it, not only when their eye is on you and to win their favor, but with sincerity of heart and reverence for the Lord. 23 Whatever you do, work at it with all your heart, as working for the Lord, not for men, 24 since you know that you will receive an inheritance from the Lord as a reward. It is the Lord Christ you are serving. 25 Anyone who does wrong will be repaid for his wrong, and there is no favoritism.

The Truth About Tithing Part 2

2006-07-02T14:01:00.000-04:00

In my last post we started a discussion about tithing – what is it and how does it relate to believers today? We saw that in the Old Testament in both the Mosaic and Levitical Law we were to give at least 10% of our “first fruits” to the Levitical priests, the Temple, and every third year we were to give tenth of our possessions to the needy in the community.

From the passages I referenced (and others), many preachers will make the claim that God therefore demands that each and every believer give a minimum of 10% of their (often pre-tax) income specifically to their local church which they say is today’s “Temple.” I won’t go into the plethora of Scripture that refutes this idea. We today are under a new covenant. We are not under law but under grace. The church building in NOT the New Testament Temple! We, believers, are now the Temple of the Holy Spirit. We, believers, have taken the place of the physical structure. We no longer have priests to mediate between us and God. Jesus is now our great High Priest, mediating on our behalf and we have direct access to him. You simply cannot find the directive to give 10% (or any amount for that matter) to the local church in the New Testament.

I’ve tried to understand how evangelical preachers can say we are free in Christ in everything BUT the tithe. Bottom line – we live under a new covenant in Christ. The entirety of the Old Testament Law was fulfilled in Christ. Jesus is now and forever the Lord of our lives, the Lord of the Sabbath, the Lord of the tithe – the Lord of all! This means that we are truly free in Christ in every way.

Paul makes this very clear in 1 Corinthians 6:12 when he says, “Everything is permissible for me – but not everything is beneficial. Everything is permissible for me – but I will not be mastered by anything.” This kind of radical freedom from the Law makes many people uncomfortable but it doesn’t make it less true. We are free – free to NOT attend church, NOT study our Bible, and – yes – not tithe! But, listen closely…Paul says he’s free…BUT…he realizes that some things are not beneficial. Paul understands that freedom from the requirements of the law leave him to voluntarily submit to the authority of God in each area of his life.

If you are thinking right about now, “I’m not under compulsion to give any more! I free not to give.” You’re missing Paul’s entire point. You may indeed be free NOT to give, but you are also free TO give now. What is beneficial to each of us as believers is to give. Giving is what we do. Givers are who we are.

Paul gives us what I call the New Testament “law” for believers in relation to money. He writes the following passage to the church at Corinth: “Remember this: whoever sows sparingly will also reap sparingly, and whoever sows generously will also reap generously. Each man should give what he has decided in his heart to give, not reluctantly or under compulsion, for God loves a cheerful giver.” (2 Corinthians 9:6-7) Here, with the word “should,” Paul shows us that we are now free to give “what we have decided in our hearts to give.” Compulsion is no longer the motivator, but our hearts now guide us!

Some of the questions that might be running around in your head right now:
How much do I give?
Where do I give?
Are there any guidelines in the Bible for a specific amount now that we’re under the New Covenant?
Are there any guidelines in the Bible for where to give my money?
What’s wrong with me NOT giving?

I’ll answer these and other questions as we move through this series together!
Until then…
Carpe Deum! (Seize God!)

Todd Phillips
www.toddphillips.net

For those of you who are still reading Colossians with me, here’s the next passage:
Colossians 3:1-11
1 Since, then, you have been raised with Christ, set your hearts on things above, where Christ is seated at the right hand of God. 2 Set your minds on things above, not on earthly things. 3 For you died, and your life is now hidden with Christ in God. 4 When Christ, who is your life, appears, then you also will appear with him in glory. 5 Put to death, therefore, whatever belongs to your earthly nature: sexual immorality, impurity, lust, evil desires and greed, which is idolatry. 6 Because of these, the wrath of God is coming. 7 You used to walk in these ways, in the life you once lived. 8 But now you must rid yourselves of all such things as these: anger, rage, malice, slander, and filthy language from your lips. 9 Do not lie to each other, since you have taken off your old self with its practices 10 and have put on the new self, which is being renewed in knowledge in the image of its Creator. 11 Here there is no Greek or Jew, circumcised or uncircumcised, barbarian, Scythian, slave or free, but Christ is all, and is in all.

The Truth About Tithing Part 1

2006-06-28T13:58:00.000-04:00

I received a tremendous number of comments both on the blog page itself and my message files on myspace about my last post: “Three Signs of Spiritual Maturity Part 3: How do you spend your money?” Of the many questions I received, most dealt with the topic of tithing. So, I thought we would just dive right into the subject!

Understanding the biblical perspective on tithing is extremely important not only for your own peace of mind as a believer but also for your unchurched friends who ask, “Why is the church always asking for money.” This question unfairly puts all churches in the same category but the heart of this question is important to answer – what does God want with my money?

The Easton’s Bible dictionary explains the tithe this way:
Tithe - Literally means “a tenth” - - a tenth of the produce of the earth consecrated and set apart for special purposes. The dedication of a tenth to God was recognized as a duty before the time of Moses. Abraham paid tithes to Melchizedek (Gen. 14:20; Heb. 7:6); and Jacob vowed unto the Lord and said, “Of all that thou shalt give me I will surely give the tenth unto thee.”
The first Mosaic Law (the law given to Moses and the Israelites in the Old Testament) on this subject is recorded in Leviticus 27:30-32:
30 All tithes from the land, whether the seed from the ground or the fruit from the tree, are the Lord’s; they are holy to the Lord. 31 If persons wish to redeem any of their tithes, they must add one-fifth to them. 32 All tithes of herd and flock, every tenth one that passes under the shepherd’s staff, shall be holy to the Lord.
The first Levitical Law (the Levites were a tribe of priests in the Old Testament) on the subject is recorded in Deuteronomy 14:22-29:
22 Be sure to set aside a tenth of all that your fields produce each year. 23 Eat the tithe of your grain, new wine and oil, and the firstborn of your herds and flocks in the presence of the LORD your God at the place he will choose as a dwelling for his Name, so that you may learn to revere the LORD your God always. 24 But if that place is too distant and you have been blessed by the LORD your God and cannot carry your tithe (because the place where the LORD will choose to put his Name is so far away), 25 then exchange your tithe for silver, and take the silver with you and go to the place the LORD your God will choose. 26 Use the silver to buy whatever you like: cattle, sheep, wine or other fermented drink, or anything you wish. Then you and your household shall eat there in the presence of the LORD your God and rejoice. 27 And do not neglect the Levites living in your towns, for they have no allotment or inheritance of their own. 28 At the end of every three years, bring all the tithes of that year’s produce and store it in your towns, 29 so that the Levites (who have no allotment or inheritance of their own) and the aliens, the fatherless and the widows who live in your towns may come and eat and be satisfied, and so that the LORD your God may bless you in all the work of your hands.

Some scholars say that the texts show three tithes - 10% to the priests, 10% to the temple, 10% every third year to the poor - 23 1/3 % tithe! You might be thinking, “God demands that I give 23 1/3 % of my paycheck to him? I like the 10% tithe I learned in Sunday School a lot more all of the sudden!”

It’s clear that there was a mandate by God to give at least a tenth of our stuff to Him. Further, God specified where this money should go – the Temple, the priests, and the downtrodden in our communities. But, what does all of this have to do with us today? We’ll find out…in my next post!

Carpe Deum! (Seize God!)
Todd Phillips
www.toddphillips.net

For those of you reading Colossians with me –
Colossians 2:16-23
16 Therefore do not let anyone judge you by what you eat or drink, or with regard to a religious festival, a New Moon celebration or a Sabbath day. 17 These are a shadow of the things that were to come; the reality, however, is found in Christ. 18 Do not let anyone who delights in false humility and the worship of angels disqualify you for the prize. Such a person goes into great detail about what he has seen, and his unspiritual mind puffs him up with idle notions. 19 He has lost connection with the Head, from whom the whole body, supported and held together by its ligaments and sinews, grows as God causes it to grow. 20 Since you died with Christ to the basic principles of this world, why, as though you still belonged to it, do you submit to its rules: 21 “Do not handle! Do not taste! Do not touch!”? 22 These are all destined to perish with use, because they are based on human commands and teachings. 23 Such regulations indeed have an appearance of wisdom, with their self-imposed worship, their false humility and their harsh treatment of the body, but they lack any value in restraining sensual indulgence.

Three Signs of Spiritual Maturity Part 3 - How Do You Spend Your Money?

2006-06-23T09:51:00.000-04:00

Three Signs of Spiritual Maturity Part 3 - How Do You Spend Your Money?

Just as a reminder, this three part blog found its genesis in a statement made by Lon Solomon, my senior pastor and boss, ““You will find out a lot about a person’s spiritual maturity based on how they handle the word “no,” how they respond to crisis and loss, and how they spend their money.” We’ve addressed the first two in my last two posts. I want to reflect on the third sign of spiritual maturity (or immaturity) – how a person spends his money. Can this really be a sign of spiritual maturity?

There’s no doubt that the act of giving is a sign of spiritual maturity whether we give of our time, our gifts and talents, our money, or our possessions. So, in this sense, the giving of money is just one of many signs of spiritual maturity under the proverbial umbrella of “giving.” In fact, Paul writes about what it means to be a giver in his second letter to the Corinthians:
6 Remember this: Whoever sows sparingly will also reap sparingly, and whoever sows generously will also reap generously. 7 Each man should give what he has decided in his heart to give, not reluctantly or under compulsion, for God loves a cheerful giver. 8 And God is able to make all grace abound to you, so that in all things at all times, having all that you need, you will abound in every good work. 9 As it is written: “He has scattered abroad his gifts to the poor; his righteousness endures forever.” (2 Corinthians 9:6-9)
This passage clearly explains the difference between the mature and immature believer. An immature believer holds tightly to his or her money and worldly stuff. A mature believer, however, not only holds loosely to his or her money and possessions but generously gives.

Here though is something that I think is often overlooked when discerning our own spiritual maturity. According to this passage Paul says that if we give under compulsion, we may be giving but we are still reflecting a spiritual immaturity! The mature believer gives with a “cheerful” heart. The question then is, “Do I give my money to God and his work with a cheerful and generous heart or do I give out of compulsion?”

How do you handle the word “no?” How do you handle crisis and loss? How do you spend and/or give your money?

Carpe Deum! (Seize God!)
Todd Phillips
www.toddphillips.net

Here’s today’s passage from Colossians for those of you who are reading along with me in preparation for my sermon series from the same book starting Sunday July 2, 2006:

Colossians 2:6-15
6 So then, just as you received Christ Jesus as Lord, continue to live in him, 7 rooted and built up in him, strengthened in the faith as you were taught, and overflowing with thankfulness. 8 See to it that no one takes you captive through hollow and deceptive philosophy, which depends on human tradition and the basic principles of this world rather than on Christ. 9 For in Christ all the fullness of the Deity lives in bodily form, 10 and you have been given fullness in Christ, who is the head over every power and authority. 11 In him you were also circumcised, in the putting off of the sinful nature, not with a circumcision done by the hands of men but with the circumcision done by Christ, 12 having been buried with him in baptism and raised with him through your faith in the power of God, who raised him from the dead. 13 When you were dead in your sins and in the uncircumcision of your sinful nature, God made you alive with Christ. He forgave us all our sins, 14 having canceled the written code, with its regulations, that was against us and that stood opposed to us; he took it away, nailing it to the cross. 15 And having disarmed the powers and authorities, he made a public spectacle of them, triumphing over them by the cross.

Three Signs of Spiritual Maturity Part 2 - Responding to Crisis

2006-06-21T13:47:00.000-04:00

Three Signs of Spiritual Maturity Part 2 - Responding to Crisis

I remember the Sago Coal Mine disaster that filled hours of news channel discussions the first week of January this year (2006). Twelve bodies would eventually be pulled from that coal mine in the Appalachian Mountains. Tragedies like this and greater had happened days before and each week after this one around the world but two things made this one different. First, it was in our back yard. Second, and more important, was the fact that a false report came out during the rescue effort that the men were alive and they would be rescued. The family and friends back at the local Baptist church that had been in a prayer vigil for several days were leaping for joy and hugging each other. They would shout into the news cameras, “God answered our prayers!”

These same Christian men and women spoke of their faith in God to reporters when they first heard of the mine collapse. They would continue to proclaim that God was listening to their prayers and would protect the men in the mine. They gave God all the credit when they heard the report that the men in the mine would be saved. Then…

Then word came form the rescue sight. The report was premature. They could not verify that any men had been rescued or that any of them were alive. Hour after excruciating hour passed with no word. Jubilation turned to uncertainty and confusion. Uncertainty turned to anger. Then the news reached the crowd at the Baptist church – all the men were dead. The report of their rescue had been a terrible error and their family members were dead.

In an instant, cries of faith and trust in God – in an instant – turned to curses toward their God. One young man screamed for all the world to see and hear, “Why would God do this? Why!!! Why would He take our family? I can’t believe in a God that would do that!” He wept bitterly as he turned away from the camera. One after another, these self-proclaimed faithful followers of God turned from him as Peter did when he denied even knowing Christ three times to save his own skin.

I was saddened, shocked, and left empty inside. I do not doubt the extent of their grief. I understand loss. I understand what it feels like to lose a loved one. I have felt the same grief and even questioned God’s reasoning. But, what in their understanding of God caused these people to turn on God in such a dramatic way?

How do you respond to crisis or loss?

One of the most powerful responses to tragedy that I find in the Bible is that of Job in the midst of great trial, unimaginable loss and suffering. Job found out, as the family of the miners did, that he had just lost ALL of his sons and daughters when the house they were in collapsed. None survived. Job feeling grief as much or greater than the families of the miners responded in a very different way…

20 At this, Job got up and tore his robe and shaved his head. Then he fell to the ground in worship 21 and said: “Naked I came from my mother’s womb, and naked I will depart. The LORD gave and the LORD has taken away; may the name of the LORD be praised.” 22 In all this, Job did not sin by charging God with wrongdoing. (Job 1:20-22)

Job understood that we must praise God for both triumph and tragedy. We are so quick to take blessings from God many time without thanking Him and we are so quick to also curse God for the trials in our life. In everything, Job never charged God with wrongdoing!

How do you respond to crisis or loss?

The sign of a mature believer is the ability to praise God for blessing and for loss.

Carpe Deum! (Seize God!)
Todd Phillips
www.toddphillips.net

For those of you who are reading along with me in Colossians, here is the passage for this post:

Colossians 1:24-2:5
Paul’s Labor for the Church
24 Now I rejoice in what was suffered for you, and I fill up in my flesh what is still lacking in regard to Christ’s afflictions, for the sake of his body, which is the church. 25 I have become its servant by the commission God gave me to present to you the word of God in its fullness— 26 the mystery that has been kept hidden for ages and generations, but is now disclosed to the saints. 27 To them God has chosen to make known among the Gentiles the glorious riches of this mystery, which is Christ in you, the hope of glory. 28 We proclaim him, admonishing and teaching everyone with all wisdom, so that we may present everyone perfect in Christ. 29 To this end I labor, struggling with all his energy, which so powerfully works in me.
2 I want you to know how much I am struggling for you and for those at Laodicea, and for all who have not met me personally. 2 My purpose is that they may be encouraged in heart and united in love, so that they may have the full riches of complete understanding, in order that they may know the mystery of God, namely, Christ, 3 in whom are hidden all the treasures of wisdom and knowledge. 4 I tell you this so that no one may deceive you by fine-sounding arguments. 5 For though I am absent from you in body, I am present with you in spirit and delight to see how orderly you are and how firm your faith in Christ is.

Three Signs of Spiritual Maturity Part 1 - Handling the Word "NO"

2006-06-14T14:50:00.000-04:00

Three Signs of Spiritual Maturity Part 1 - Handling the Word "NO"

Three Signs of Spiritual Maturity

I was talking to Lon Solomon, the pastor of McLean Bible Church, at a meeting a few days ago and he shared (as he often does) some great pearls of wisdom with me. He said – and I am paraphrasing here – “You will find out a lot about a person’s spiritual maturity based on how they handle the word “no,” how they respond to crisis and loss, and how they spend their money.” He offered this little tidbit in the middle of an otherwise unrelated conversation. I know many of us have heard one, two, or even all three of these markers of spiritual maturity before but they’re always worth contemplating.

So ask yourself, “How do I handle the word “NO!”” The ability to handle a “no” when you really want something is of course a sign of maturity in general but when we ask this of believers it gives us an indication of the believer’s faith in God’s provision. Will God provide for me in His own time? Is God watching over me when my boss says “no” to my promotion? Does God truly care for me even when I ask him to heal me from an illness and the answer, at least for now, is “no?” As a Christ-follower and a pastor, I still find it hard to hear the word “no” especially when I believe my pursuit is righteous. But, I always remember two Scriptures from Jonah:
“The Lord provided a great fish to swallow Jonah…” (Jonah 1:17)”
“…the Lord God provided a vine and made it grow up over Jonah to give him shade to ease his discomfort…” (Jonah 4:6)
God provision for Jonah came in the form of both trial and rest. In the same way God’s provision comes in both the “yes” and the “no.” How we handle the provision of a “no” says a great deal about our faith in God. (For that matter, how we handle the provision of a “yes” says volumes as well but we’ll save that for another time).

Carpe Deum! (Seize God!)
Todd Phillips
www.toddphillips.net

For those of you who are reading along with me in Colossians, here is the passage for this post:

The Supremacy of Christ
15 He is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn over all creation. 16 For by him all things were created: things in heaven and on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or powers or rulers or authorities; all things were created by him and for him. 17 He is before all things, and in him all things hold together. 18 And he is the head of the body, the church; he is the beginning and the firstborn from among the dead, so that in everything he might have the supremacy. 19 For God was pleased to have all his fullness dwell in him, 20 and through him to reconcile to himself all things, whether things on earth or things in heaven, by making peace through his blood, shed on the cross.
21 Once you were alienated from God and were enemies in your minds because of your evil behavior. 22 But now he has reconciled you by Christ’s physical body through death to present you holy in his sight, without blemish and free from accusation— 23 if you continue in your faith, established and firm, not moved from the hope held out in the gospel. This is the gospel that you heard and that has been proclaimed to every creature under heaven, and of which I, Paul, have become a servant.

Where Do We Go From Here?

2006-06-07T13:42:00.000-04:00

Where Do We Go From Here?

Many of you who subscribe to my blog are loyal Frontliners (those who attend Frontline each week) who have been listening to the DaVinci Code series. Many of you also subscribe from all around the country and aren’t directly involved with Frontline which is why I rarely devote large portions of my blogs to Frontline specific information. But, I’m beside myself with excitement at what has happened in the past few weeks at FL and hope that all of you can be blessed by what I’m about to share: hundreds of new people visited Frontline for the first time during this series and many of those visitors were friends of yours who haven’t darkened the door of a church for years. I received many emails from Frontliners – likely many of you are among them - who shared that their friend, co-worker, or family member started a relationship with Jesus at some point during the DaVinci Code series! We are truly fulfilling our God-given mission to impact our generation in secular Washington with the message of Jesus Christ. This is also further proof that “in all things God works for the good of those who love, who have been called according to his purpose.” (Romans 8:28)

So, what’s next? If you were at FL this past Sunday night you know that Lon Solomon, our senior pastor at McLean Bible Church (Frontline’s parent church), will be teaching a series over the next three weeks called “Jesus’ Most Outrageous Sayings!” This is going to be an incredible series to attend and a great opportunity to invite unchurched friends. For those of you who don’t live in the Washington D.C. area we post all of our messages on our web site! You can listen to them on your computer or you can subscribe to our pod cast and the messages will download automatically to your mp3 player each week.

After Lon finishes his series, I’ll be doing a five week series on what is quite possibly the most powerful letter in the New Testament – Colossians. Some of you might be thinking (as my good friend and fellow pastor, Will Pavone is thinking right now) “Are you kidding? Romans is without a doubt the most profound letter in the N.T.!” I lean that direction as well. Colossians, though, has so much of the essence of Christian theology packed into such a tight little package that I’m forced to admit Colossians gives Romans a run for the money.

So, for those of you who either attend Frontline or will now begin to listen to the messages online, I’m going to place sections of Colossians in each blog I post for the next four or five weeks. By July each of us will have read Paul’s letter to the church at Colossae (or Colosse). Most of the time these passages will be added to the end of an otherwise unrelated blog, so that you can chose to read the letter along with me or just read the blog for that day and skip the Colossian passage. Either way, I’m truly honored that each one of you chose to read (and respond) to my blogs. I hope each blog serves as a catalyst to somehow foster a deepening relationship between you and God.

Carpe Deum! (Seize God!)
Todd Phillips
www.toddphillips.net

Passage from Colossians 1:1-14
1 Paul, an apostle of Christ Jesus by the will of God, and Timothy our brother, 2 To the holy and faithful brothers in Christ at Colosse: Grace and peace to you from God our Father. 3 We always thank God, the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, when we pray for you, 4 because we have heard of your faith in Christ Jesus and of the love you have for all the saints— 5 the faith and love that spring from the hope that is stored up for you in heaven and that you have already heard about in the word of truth, the gospel 6 that has come to you. All over the world this gospel is bearing fruit and growing, just as it has been doing among you since the day you heard it and understood God’s grace in all its truth. 7 You learned it from Epaphras, our dear fellow servant, who is a faithful minister of Christ on our behalf, 8 and who also told us of your love in the Spirit. 9 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. 10 And 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, 11 being strengthened with all power according to his glorious might so that you may have great endurance and patience, and joyfully 12 giving thanks to the Father, who has qualified you to share in the inheritance of the saints in the kingdom of light. 13 For he has rescued us from the dominion of darkness and brought us into the kingdom of the Son he loves, 14 in whom we have redemption, the forgiveness of sins.

DaVinci Code: The Truth Behind the Fiction - Part 15

2006-05-31T13:35:00.000-04:00

DaVinci Code Part 15 - Liar, Lunatic, or Son of God

In blog 14 in this series, I promised we’d answer the question, “What does all this have to do with any of us in 2006?” If you are reading my blogs as a person who is investigating Christianity, you probably want to know why Christians see Jesus’ divinity as essential to our faith. You may ask, “Why can’t we just follow his teachings, seeing him as a good teacher and a good man?”

The fundamental problem with this question lies in the fact that neither Jesus, his disciples, or the church leave the option open. He cannot be seen as a good teacher and a great man. C.S. Lewis sums the issue up better than most in the following explanation:
'I am trying here to prevent anyone saying the really foolish thing that people often say about Him: 'I'm ready to accept Jesus as a great moral teacher, but I don't accept His claim to be God.' That is one thing we must not say. A man who was merely a man and said the sort of thing Jesus said would not be a great moral teacher. He would either be a lunatic—on a level with the man who says he is a poached egg—or else he would be the Devil of Hell. You must make your choice. Either this man was, and is, the Son of God: or else a madman or something worse. You can shut Him up for a fool, you can spit at Him and kill him as a demon or you can fall at his feet and call Him Lord and God. But let us not come with any patronizing nonsense about His being a great human teacher. He has not left that open to us. He did not intend to.'
So, we are left with a choice – dismiss Jesus as a liar, conclude he was a lunatic, or accept him as God in the flesh. He claimed to be God in the flesh. A man who would claim to be God and knew he wasn’t is a liar and cannot be called good or moral. A man who would claim to be God and believe it, but not really be God, is a crazy man (many of whom are in hospitals today). A crazy man should not be followed under any circumstances. The only other option is that he claimed to be God and was in fact God! Then he would be both a good teacher, perfectly trustworthy, and worthy of our submission. We must all decide who we say that Jesus is. There are three choices. Have you decided? I have.

Carpe Deum! (Seize God!)
Todd Phillips
www.toddphillips.net

DaVinci Code: The Truth Behind the Fiction - Part 14

2006-05-24T15:41:00.000-04:00

DaVinci Code Part 14 - The Vote at Nicea

Today, I’m going to answer the question, “Did the bishops at the Council of Nicea vote of Jesus’ deity in 325 AD? If so, was the vote close? These are the claims made by Dan Brown’s fiction novel the DaVinci Code. This one is pretty easy to answer because we have the record of the proceedings at the Council of Nicea. The council was convened for the purpose of gathering the 318 bishops of the Christian church to discuss doctrinal differences. The goal was to leave with agreement and unity among the church on important matters of faith. The Nicene Creed was the ultimate result.

There were several votes on doctrinal issues at the council, one of which had to do with Jesus. The question was, “Was there a time when Christ was not?” Each and every bishop viewed Jesus just as Jesus and his followers did – God in the flesh. So, there was no debate about Jesus being deity as Brown’s fictional characters assert in the DaVinci Code. These leaders were wrestling with the fact that there was one God but that he had reveals Himself in three Persons – Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. Some asked if it was not possible that Jesus was equal with God the Father in every way except one: some suggested that Jesus had not existed for eternity past, thus the question, “Was there a time when Christ was not?”

They never saw Jesus as merely a mortal man. Even the vote one the issue of his past eternality was not close. Of the 318 bishops at the council only five had questions about this and only two – that’s right two – dissenting votes were registered. The rest, over three hundred – voted that Jesus was and is fully God in every way and at the same time fully man.

Well, there you have it! Can you believe I wrote a short blog?

Think about what other topics you want me to address in my blog in the coming weeks and months and I’ll make every effort to write about them from a biblical worldview. Just message me about the topics you have in mind. We’ll have one, maybe two, more blogs on Brown’s book and then we’ll be done with the subject.

We’ll also ask the very important question – what does all this have to do with any of us in 2006? If you are reading my blogs as a person who is investigating Christianity, you probably want to know why Christians see Jesus’ divinity as essential to our faith. You may ask, ‘why can’t we just follow his teachings, seeing him as a good teacher and a good man?’ We’ll look at these questions in the next few blogs as well!

Until then…
Carpe Deum! (Seize God!)

Todd Phillips
www.toddphillips.net

DaVinci Code: The Truth Behind the Fiction - Part 13

2006-05-19T12:28:00.000-04:00

DaVinci Part 13 - Deity of Jesus

Deity of Christ –

Of all the issues that we’ve dealt with in response to claims made by characters in the DaVinci Code, the deity of Jesus is the one that I enjoy addressing the most! The subject still occupies the time of many theologians and philosophers. It will comfort many of you to know, however, that there was absolutely no debate as to the divinity of Christ among His contemporaries, His disciples, and the early church fathers. According to Lea Teabing, a fictional character in Dan Brown’s book, Jesus’ deity was dreamed up by the emperor Constantine in the fourth century. Here’s the dialogue from the book:

“…until that moment in history, Jesus was viewed by His followers as a mortal prophet... a great and powerful man, but a man nevertheless. A mortal."
"Not the Son of God?"
"Right," Teabing said. "Jesus' establishment as the Son of God was officially proposed and voted on by the Council of Nicea."
"Hold on. You're saying Jesus divinity was the result of a vote?" (DVC p.233)

Later on the same character says that the vote was very close!

Is this true? Did Constantine come up with the idea that Jesus was God in the flesh in the fourth century? Did Jesus and His followers consider Him to be a “powerful man, but a man nevertheless?” Was Jesus divinity voted on at the Council of Nicea?

First, Constantine did not invent the idea of Christ’s divinity. Jesus Himself can be credited with this! Jesus was being threatened by the Jewish people of His day for claiming to be God! Read the following passage from John –

30 I and the Father are one.” 31 Again the Jews picked up stones to stone him, 32 but Jesus said to them, “I have shown you many great miracles from the Father. For which of these do you stone me?” 33 “We are not stoning you for any of these,” replied the Jews, “but for blasphemy, because you, a mere man, claim to be God.” (John 10:30-33)

Further, Mark 2:5-11 shows that Jesus has the ability to forgive sins, something that only God can do. Another great passage is John 14:6 where Jesus claims to be the same as God the Father! (Notice that I haven’t put these passages in the blog to try to encourage my readers at every turn to get into the Bible – I’m here to help ).

Jesus not only claimed to be God but His followers (contemporaries) claimed He was God in the flesh as well -

11 For the grace of God that brings salvation has appeared to all men. 12 It teaches us to say “No” to ungodliness and worldly passions, and to live self-controlled, upright and godly lives in this present age, 13 while we wait for the blessed hope—the glorious appearing of our great God and Savior, Jesus Christ… (Titus 2:11-13)

John 1:1-14 also reveals that Jesus is God and was God from the beginning, became flesh and dwelt among us.

The early leaders of the church shared the same perspective about Jesus. Ignatius of Antioch (who died in 107 AD) said Jesus was “Very flesh, yet spirit too; uncreated and yet born; God-and-man in one agreed.” Irenaeus said this about Jesus and his mother Mary, "The Virgin Mary, being obedient to his word, received from an angel the glad tidings that she would bear God" (Against Heresies, 5:19:1 [A.D. 189]). Others including Tertullian, Hippolytus, Clement of Alexandria, Origen, and Cyprian all spoke of Jesus as God before the Council of Nicea.

Finally, Jesus did things only God can do. He saved men (Matthew 1:23), created (John 1:3; Col. 1:15-20), judged (John 5:27), raised men from the dead (John 5:25), among other things only God Himself can do.

So, Dan Brown’s claim that Constantine was responsible for deifying Jesus is false. Jesus, his followers, and leaders of the church in the first century all saw Jesus as God in the flesh.

We’ll look at the last questions in my next blog. “Did the bishops at the Council of Nicea vote of Jesus’ deity in 325 AD? If so, was the vote close? We’ll also ask the very important question – what does all this have to do with any of us in 2006? If you are reading my blogs as a person who is investigating Christianity, you probably want to know why Christians see Jesus’ divinity as essential to our faith. You may ask, ‘why can’t we just follow his teachings, seeing him as a good teacher and a good man?’ We’ll look at these questions in the next few blogs as well!

I’ll close with a request of my readers. I know each of you likely have questions about God, the Bible, or Christianity in general. If so, please message me from my main page at www.myspace.com/ipreach and let me know what questions you have. Ask anything! I won’t guarantee when I will address any question because there are hundreds of you who subscribe to the blog. But, I will make a genuine effort to get to them in my blog.

Carpe Deum! (Seize God!)
Todd Phillips
www.toddphillips.net

DaVinci Code: The Truth Behind the Fiction - Part 12

2006-05-17T07:23:00.000-04:00

DaVinci Code Part 12 - Constantine

From my last blog… “Next time we'll look at Constantine who is mentioned often as a major contributor to the overall conspiracy posited in the DaVinci Code.” So, what’s up with this guy Constantine anyway? Well, first of all he gets a bad rap in The DaVinci Code. He’s blamed for all sorts of treachery against our present-day church. He is accused by the characters in the book of creating the idea of Jesus’ divinity and collating the books of the Bible as they exist today – all for political rather than religious reasons. The novel also claims that Constantine was not a Christian.

In one quote the character Teabing says, “The Bible as we know it today was collated by the pagan Roman emperor Constantine the Great.” (DVC p. 231) Here the novel claims that Constantine was not a Christian and that he is responsible for collating our current form of the Bible.

Let’s look first at Constantine’s connection to Christianity. We know for certain that he was the first Roman emperor to freely allow Christianity throughout the land. He was converted to Christianity, according to sources of the time, after a vision of the Christian cross in the sky before his victory in the Battle of Milvian Bridge in 312. He gave credit to Jesus for his success on the battle field. One year later, in 313, he issued the Edict of Milan de-criminalizing the profession of Christianity. As Christianity grew in popularity because of this newfound freedom within Rome, Constantine saw a need to convene leaders of the Christian church to address certain doctrinal disagreements among different sects of Christianity, namely Arianism and Docetism.

The Arian argument centered on the issue of “whether there was a time when Christ was not.” In other words, the church leaders were given charge to determine whether Jesus was “of the same essence” as God or “of a different essence” from God. Was Jesus God in the flesh OR was he in all way equal to God the father but in one way – he was not eternal as God the Father is. THE CHURCH NEVER THOUGHT JESUS WAS A MORTAL MAN OR JUST A PROPHET. THEY ALWAYS SAW HIM AS DEITY. The only issue was whether or not he was eternal as the Father is! The idea that they debated his divinity is ludicrous and the minutes of the council prove this beyond any doubt. Brown goes on to say that a “very close” vote determined then that he was a god. Again, no one was voting on his deity – his deity was never in question. They were merely voting on the extent of His deity and the outcome of the vote was 300 to 2. That’s right – 300 to 2. Yes, that means that Brown blatantly misrepresented the historical facts which he shouldn’t be faulted for – it’s a fiction novel!

Lastly, the current form of our Bible was already in use 150 years before the Council of Nicea. Further, the Council didn’t discuss the canon at all! There was no discussion and therefore no determination of which books would be included in the Bible at the Council of Nicea. Again, this all comes from the vivid imagination of a fiction writer. This can also be verified by the reading of the minutes from the Nicea meetings.

If I had to guess, based on the amazing number of churches built under his reign, his mother’s trips to the Holy Land during her life, and other notable circumstances, it is likely that Constantine was a Christian. We can never know for sure just as we cannot know for certain if the person next to us in church is a believer, Constantine’s fruits bear witness to a man who was devoted to Christ.

Remember, this Sunday May 21st at 5:30PM and 7:30PM marks the kick off of the DaVinci Code: The Truth Behind the Fiction. The series will last for three weeks and is a perfect opportunity for you to invite and un-churched friend.

See you Sunday!

Until then…
Carpe Deum! (Seize God!)

Todd Phillips
www.toddphillips.net

DaVinci Code: The Truth Behind the Fiction - Part 11

2006-05-14T13:33:00.000-04:00

DaVinci Code part 11 - Other Gospels

In my last post I closed by asking the following questions:
In my next post, we’ll take one last look at these “other gospels” that are mentioned so many times in the DaVinci Code. Not only are the Gospels of Mary and Philip mentioned but the Gospel of Thomas and others are mentioned in the novel. Are there other ‘gospels’ that should have been included in the Bible? Are there more accurate accounts of the life of Jesus than we have in the New Testament? Did the church conspire to keep these documents out of the hands of believers for political reasons?
I think these questions can be addressed relatively briefly (believe it or not).

First, one of the characters in the DaVinci Code claims that “more than eighty gospels were considered for the New Testament, and yet only a relatively few were chosen.” (p.231) Then another claim is made about these “more than eighty gospels” when Brown has another character claim “Constantine commissioned and financed the new Bible, which omitted those gospels that spoke of Christ’s human traits and embellished those gospels that made him godlike.” (p.234)

So, where do I start…let’s deal with the number of documents called gospels known to exist. In actuality, we have only eleven such documents and only twenty eight are even referenced in other literature of the time. So, the number ‘eighty’ is a number created by the fiction writer to make his story more sensational. Also, most of the works are from a religious sect called the Gnostics and most were written far after the death of the supposed author.

I think the most interesting and twisted part of these claims is that Constantine (who had nothing to do with the books that were chosen for the Bible) omitted these Gnostic “gospels” because they spoke of Christ’s human traits and opted instead to include and embellish gospels that made Jesus godlike. You simply cannot twist the truth more than that! First, the Gnostics and their ‘gospels’ actually did NOT believe that Jesus was human at all! They believed flesh was inherently evil so Christ could not have come “in the flesh.” So, if there were any documents that would have negated his humanity and pushed his deistic qualities, it would have been these Gnostic documents.

Secondly, the true Gospels (Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John) are the ones who give us both the human and deistic traits of Jesus. We see Jesus eating, sleeping, weeping, experiencing hunger and thirst in the true gospels. None of these traits are claimed by the Gnostic writings. We also see Jesus performing miracles like walking on water, turning water into wine, and raising Lazarus from the dead – all in these same four true Gospels.

To answer the questions in our first paragraph: 1) No, there are no “other gospels” that should have been included in the Bible. Most of these documents are from a heretical Gnostic group who was trying to make Jesus into a god with no human qualities. 2) No, these other documents do not give a more accurate account of Jesus than the true Gospels of the New Testament. In fact, most were written over a hundred years after the death of the people that were supposed to have written them and no scholar worth his or her salt gives these documents and historical credence. 3) No, the Catholic church did not conspire to keep these documents out of the hands of believers for political reasons. Brown suggests in the book that they kept out the documents that would have showed the human side of Jesus in order to make him seem more godlike. In fact, it is the Gnostic texts referred to in the DaVinci Code that negate Jesus’ humanity so the whole premise falls flat on even the most cursory inspection.

We’ve looked at where the Bible came from and considered the evidence for its Divine origins. We’ve looked at Mary Magdalene and answered the question, ‘Was Jesus married?” We’ve considered the “other gospels” that Brown references and answered many questions regarding their authenticity. Next time we’ll look at Constantine who is mentioned often as a major contributor to the overall conspiracy posited in the DaVinci Code.

By the way, the series “DaVinci Code: The Truth Behind the Fiction” begins May 21st at Frontline. You can take the hyperlink a few words back and go straight to our site to get the details, but in summary: the dates are May 21st, May 28th, and June 4th at 5:30 PM and 7:30 PM each night. Please consider bringing an unchurched friend to all three messages. If you attend Frontline and are not planning to bring a visitor with you please consider attending the 7:30 PM service so we will have room for guests at the 5:30 PM service. Your decision to do this if you don’t have a guest with you will be a huge help!

Carpe Deum! (Seize God!)
Todd Phillips
www.toddphillips.net

DaVinci Code: The Truth Behind the Fiction - Part 10

2006-05-07T07:18:00.000-04:00

DaVinci Code Part 10 - Mary Magdelene 3

In my last post (just yesterday!), I left each of you with the passage from the document known as the Gospel of Mary:
Mary 17:10 – 18:21. “When Mary had said this to the disciples [she was re-telling some of the secrets Jesus had just confided in her privately], she was silent, since the Savior had spoken thus far with her. But Andrew answered and said to the brethren, ‘Say what you think concerning what she said. For I do not believe that the Savior said this. For certainly, these teachings are of other ideas.’” Mary says, “This is what Jesus just confided in me privately.” Andrew says, “I don’t believe it. I don’t believe Jesus told you that. Peter also opposed her in regard to these matters and asked them about the Savior. ‘Did he then speak secretly with a woman, in preference to us, and not openly? Are we to turn back and all listen to her? Did he prefer her to us? And then Mary grieved and said to Peter, ‘My brother Peter, what do you think? Do you think that I thought this up myself in my heart or that I am lying concerning the Savior?’”
Let me reiterate – this document was written a few hundred years after Mary lived. It was not written by her and should not be read as a reliable source of information about the life of Christ. So, this document and the so-called Gospel of Philip are not viewed as historically accurate accounts at all. However, they merit our scrutiny because they are the two documents that are used to support those who want to support their claim that Jesus was married.

So, did you find any information in the passage above that would support the marriage hypothesis? Of course, the answer is “no.” But, those who would use this passage to suggest Jesus was married to Mary say that this shows a special relationship between the two. Again, we can’t assume the dialogue in this passage ever happened but we can all be in agreement that we find nothing to support the assertion that they were married.

Let’s take a quick look at a passage from the book of 1 Corinthians:
3 This is my defense to those who sit in judgment on me. 4 Don’t we have the right to food and drink? 5 Don’t we have the right to take a believing wife along with us, as do the other apostles and the Lord’s brothers and Cephas? 6 Or is it only I and Barnabas who must work for a living? (1 Corinthians 9:3-6)

This passage settles the matter for all but the most stubborn scholars. Paul talks of his right to take a wife as other apostles have already done. He specifically singles out Jesus’ half-brother Cephas. If Jesus was married, Paul would have most certainly used Jesus as the best example of the right to marry. Yet, Jesus is obviously not mentioned here even though his half-brother is.

We’ve looked at the possibility of Jesus being married and found that not a single one of the ancient documents that we have found through history suggests that Jesus was married to anyone. Further, our most reliable source for information regarding the life of Jesus, the New Testament, gives a very strong argument against this idea.

In my next post, we’ll take one last look at these “other gospels” that are mentioned so many times in the DaVinci Code. Not only are the Gospels of Mary and Philip mentioned but the Gospel of Thomas and others are mentioned in the novel. Are there other ‘gospels’ that should have been included in the Bible? Are there more accurate accounts of the life of Jesus than we have in the New Testament? Did the church conspire to keep these documents out of the hands of believers for political reasons? You probably know the answer to these questions but we’ll put the issue of the ‘other gospels’ to bed the next time we meet!

Until then…

Carpe Deum! (Seize God!)
Todd Phillips
www.toddphillips.net

DaVinci Code: The Truth Behind the Fiction - Part 9

2006-05-06T15:24:00.000-04:00

DaVince Code Part 9: Mary Magdelene 2

In my last post, I looked at one of the two documents that are often cited to suggest that Jesus was married. We looked at the first document called the Gospel of Philip and I explained why this is not a reliable source for gathering any accurate information about Jesus (please read the last DaVinci post if you have questions about the Gospel of Philip). Then I provided a copy of the text:
Philip 63:33-36: “And a companion of the … Lord [probably], Mary Magdalene. He loved Mary more than [all] the disciples, and he used to kiss her [often] on the ________. He used to kiss her ________ on the ________. The rest of [the disciples were offended]. They said to him, ‘Why do you love her more than all of us?’”
I addressed the fact that those who use this passage to support the idea that Jesus was married will put the word “mouth” in the third blank space saying that Jesus kissed her “on the mouth” and that he would only kiss his wife on the mouth. The obvious problem is that many words can go in that blank and we simply cannot know what the original writer wrote. But, beyond the fact that we don’t know how the text reads, this argument is full of holes.

The first problem is that if Jesus was married to Mary Magdalene then why would the disciples have a problem with Jesus kissing his supposed wife on the mouth? Answer – they wouldn’t! A kiss on the mouth would be totally appropriate if they were married. So, the fact that the disciples would be upset at a married couple kissing doesn’t make sense.

Even more problematic for this passage is that the disciples WERE supposedly “offended” at the action that Jesus took. So, it is much more plausible that Jesus would have kissed Mary on the cheek. In Jewish tradition men would kiss each other on the cheek so if Jesus kissed Mary on the cheek the disciples might have been offended and responded with the question, “Why do you love her more than us?”

The last way this text is used by those who support the idea of Jesus and Mary being married will point to the use of the word “companion” to describe Mary’s relationship to Jesus. In fact, characters in Dan Brown’s book claim that there’s a word for “companion” in Aramaic that means “wife.” This argument comes from those who lack any historical insight into these later writings like the Gospel of Philip. These second or third century texts weren’t written in Aramaic but were written in the Coptic language. The Coptic word that is used in Philip is borrowed from a Greek word (from which these writings were originally written). The same word is used to describe the business partnership Peter had with James and John (Luke 5:10). So, this word could be used to describe a partnership between men as well as it could describe a husband/wife relationship.

So, when all these problems with the text (any one single issue discredits this passage as a good support to the marriage theory) are considered together they discredit this passage as good defense of the marriage theory. I will though say once again that this document was NOT written by Philip but centuries after Philips death.

The second document that supporters of the marriage theory use is the Gospel of Mary. Again, like the Gospel of Philip, this text was not written by Mary Magdalene but was written long after her death. They use the following passage:
Mary 17:10 – 18:21. “When Mary had said this to the disciples [she was re-telling some of the secrets Jesus had just confided in her privately], she was silent, since the Savior had spoken thus far with her. But Andrew answered and said to the brethren, ‘Say what you think concerning what she said. For I do not believe that the Savior said this. For certainly, these teachings are of other ideas.’” Mary says, “This is what Jesus just confided in me privately.” Andrew says, “I don’t believe it. I don’t believe Jesus told you that. Peter also opposed her in regard to these matters and asked them about the Savior. ‘Did he then speak secretly with a woman, in preference to us, and not openly? Are we to turn back and all listen to her? Did he prefer her to us? And then Mary grieved and said to Peter, ‘My brother Peter, what do you think? Do you think that I thought this up myself in my heart or that I am lying concerning the Savior?’”
I’ll give you a day to read over this text a few times and see if you find anything in this passage to support the supposed marriage of Jesus and Mary Magdalene.

Until then…

Carpe Deum! (Seize God!)
Todd Phillips

DaVinci Code: The Truth Behind the Fiction - Part 8

2006-04-29T20:09:00.000-04:00

DaVinci Code Part 8 - Mary Magdelene

I know, I know…nine days since my last post on DaVinci. What can I say – I got busy! As promised we’re going to begin to look at the Mary Magdalene issue in some detail. I’m going to upset some of you who like suspense…there is no evidence that Jesus was married. Even more depressing for those who love a good twist, ABC News did a special in 2003 called “Jesus, Mary, and DaVinci” and even the liberal media couldn’t find evidence of Mary being the wife of Jesus!

Strangely enough this is one of the “big claims” of the DaVinci Code and yet there are two important things that virtually negate this claim as a problem for Christianity:
1. Nothing in the Bible even hints to Jesus and Mary being married.
2. Jesus being married would not have lessened his divinity in any way.
So, we have a false claim in the novel that, even if it were found to be true in the future would not in any way alter our view of Jesus or of his divinity.

So, where did this tall tail come from? The first popularized version of this assertion came from a book written in the eighties called “Holy Blood, Holy Grail.” This book was a best-seller in the eighties and makes wild claims about Christianity, Jesus, Mary Magdalene, and a child that was born from their union. The claims of course are based on no scholarly research and this is made painfully (for the authors of the book) evident in the ABC News Special. Brown used this book as the basis for his DaVinci Code. As many of you know Brown was sued by the authors of Holy Blood, Holy Grail a few months ago. The case was thrown out of court.

Others who wish to wed Jesus and Mary look to two documents written a few centuries after Jesus was resurrected. One is called the Gospel of Philip. Before I go further to look at the passage in this document I’m going to explain where this and other documents like it came from. Many people who were trying to further their own perspectives on Christianity especially in the second and third century A.D. would often write their views in these types of documents and then pass it off as though it was written by one of the apostles (which it couldn’t have been because none of the apostles lived two hundred years) to give the writing credibility. This was common practice. So, these “gospels” have no merit as a reliable source for insight into Christianity.

But…just to satisfy anyone who might say that I am discrediting these sources so that I don’t have to address them, I’m going to look at two of these documents starting with the “Gospel of Philip.” The passage in Philip that supposedly shows that Jesus and Mary were married is:
Philip 63:33-36: “And a companion of the … Lord [probably], Mary Magdalene. He loved Mary more than [all] the disciples, and he used to kiss her [often] on the ________. He used to kiss her ________ on the ________. The rest of [the disciples were offended]. They said to him, ‘Why do you love her more than all of us?’”
The Philip document we have is damaged because of its antiquity so there are sections missing where there is a line or three dots present instead of text. For, those of us who want this to be a compelling passage we might put “mouth” in the area that is damaged. Then we could claim like some do, “See, he kissed here on the mouth…that means they were married!” However, “head” or “cheek” or “hand” would fit nicely as well. We simply do not know where Jesus kissed Mary according to this historically unreliable text.

But, there’s more to say about this text specifically.
Until then…
Carpe Deum! (Seize God!)

Todd Phillips

DaVinci Code: The Truth Behind the Fiction - Part 7

2006-04-20T14:06:00.000-04:00

DaVinci Code Part 7 - More External Evidence

It’s been ten days since my last DaVinci Blog. I promised that we would “address the power of the Bible” as an evidence of its divine origins. So, we’ll take a look at this subject in today’s blog and then move on to new issues relating to the DaVinci Code. The following are well-known defenses for the inspiration of the Bible. The reason they’re so “tried” is because they’re so “true.” In many ways though these points will likely serve only to encourage the Christ follower and do little to compel the skeptic.

First, the Spirit uses God’s Word to convict men of sin. The verse that most profoundly relates the power of the Spirit of God to convict men through biblical text is Hebrews 4:12: “For the word of God is living and active. Sharper than any double-edged sword, it penetrates even to dividing soul and spirit, joints and marrow; it judges the thoughts and attitudes of the heart.” The Bible continues to be a tool used by His Spirit to convict men of their sin and compel them to submit to His rule in their life. I have served God as an evangelist and pastor for twelve years and I’m astonished at the power of the Word to convict people of their sin. I have had one-on-one conversations with hundreds and hundreds of people over the past twelve years about Jesus Christ. I can say with conviction that there is nothing more compelling to the heart of man than the Word of God recited in conversation. Men surrender to the weight of the Truth recorded in the Bible. The Word of God becomes a mirror for people to see themselves as they really are - sinners in need of a Savior. (This is why it is vitally important that Christ followers become intimate with the text. Paul tells us we must be prepared to give a defense for the hope that lies within us.)

That brings me to my second defense: the Spirit uses the Word of God to free men from sin. In other words, the revelation of salvation from God through Jesus Christ is present only in the Bible. The Word of God reveals to all people the way to forgiveness from sin, eternal life in communion with God, and abundant life while it is still today! I preached at a prison in Texas in 1997 and after the service a prisoner came up to me. I thought he was going to thank me for my sermon as others had done but he had a very different message FOR ME. He said, “I read the gospel of John last night and realized that Jesus was my Savior – MY Savior. He showed me that even though I was in prison for life, I was a free man…I’m a FREE man.” This man was set free by God through the reading of the Truth in the gospel of John.

No other book in history has exerted so much power on humankind than the Bible.

We’re going to move on in my next blog to the topic of Mary Magdalene and her relationship to Jesus, here importance as a follower of Christ, and whether or not she was married to Jesus.

I want to remind all my readers that you have the opportunity to leave comments on each blog and many of you do so. There are currently over seventy comments in my blog library that you can review and you can even leave comments about the comments! Just go to the bottom of the blog you’re interested in and see if there are any comments recorded. You will see something like “3 comments” or “0 comments.” If there is a number next to “comments,” just click on “comments” and scroll to the bottom of the next page to see the comments that have been posted.

Finally, the DaVinci Code sermon series will begin at Frontline on May 21st and continue through June 4th. So, let your friends at work know that this would be a great time to visit Frontline!

Until my next blog…

Carpe Deum! (Seize God!)
Todd Phillips

DaVinci Code: The Truth Behind the Fiction - Part 6

2006-04-10T09:01:00.000-04:00

DaVinci Part 6 – More External Evidence

We’ve been looking at both the internal (from the Bible) and external evidence that the Bible is divinely inspired. In my last post I ended by telling you what my last piece of external evidence would be – the power and influence of the Bible. There are many other arguments given by scholars and theologians over the century such as the perennial freshness of the Bible from generation to generation, the character of biblical teaching, and the centrality of Christ throughout the entire Bible. But, I’ll focus in this post on the Bible’s power and influence for both the sake of time and the fact that this argument is especially powerful to me.

Influence. The influence of the Bible is, of course, world-wide. The content of Scripture has supplied themes for the greatest poets, artists, composers and playwrights the world has yet produced. The Bible has been the single most influential factor is shaping the moral progress of the human race. Its influence becomes more impressive when we consider the antiquity of the work itself. Even the most liberal scholars put the last books of the Bible added to the canon at over eighteen hundred years ago. Yet, the message of the Bible speaks to our generation as it has for countless generations over two millennia.

Books written by men (with few exception), even those of paramount influence, wane in their influence and altogether cease having any effect on mankind within fifty years. Man’s prose lives and dies with the same certainty of its creator. There are a few great works and great authors who defy this axiomatic truth – but in the end they to die and their wisdom is buried under the progress of coming generations. Further testament to this is the fact that even those whose works span centuries only make it into the hands of a very small percentage of men throughout the ages. The vast majority of mankind simply does not read these great works.

But, how different is the influence of the Bible! God describes His work as the Living Word - a Word that speaks fresh to each generation, a Word that finds relevance in an ever-changing world of diverse cultures. How can this be? This is a Book that reaches all form of man and speaks into his life in his mother tongue just as surely as it spoke to men in biblical times. No other book has experienced such success and influence – no other book.

You’ve read of the Bibles influence but what of its power? I’ll address the power of the Bible in my next blog. I know I’m leaving you waiting for the end of the story once again, but I’ve run out of time unexpectedly and at such a perfect point in my writing. So…

Until next time…

Carpe Deum! (Seize God!)
Todd Phillips

DaVinci Code: The Truth Behind The Fiction - Part 5

2006-04-02T12:53:00.000-04:00

DaVinci Part 5: More External Evidence

In our last blog we left with a piece of statistical evidence for the other-worldly origins of the Bible. And, if you will remember, we are responding to two claims that come from the DaVinci Code: "The Bible is a product of man, my dear. Not of God. The Bible did not fall magically from the clouds. Man created it as a historical record of tumultuous times, and it has evolved through countless translations, additions, and revisions. History has never had a definitive version of the book." (p. 231)

We first addressed the question of whether or not we have accurate translations of the Gospels – Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John. We simply don’t have the time here to look at the accuracy of every document in the Bible so I chose the Gospels because they deal most directly and definitively with the life of Christ. So, as we looked more closely at the process by which we received our current translations, we concluded that we can be extremely confident that what we have today is the words of the original authors.

Our second question came from the same quote above and has to do with the divine origins of the Bible. We looked first at the internal evidence, asking whether or not the bible itself claims to have divine origins. And, we concluded that the writers of the Bible saw the Bible as having divine origins – “God-breathed.” (2 Timothy 3:16)

We are now up to our current blog where I will look at other external evidences of God’s hand in creating the Bible. Let’s get to it…

First, the unity of the Bible as a completed work attests to its divine origin. This (along with the previous external evidence I offered regarding prophesies) is one of the more encouraging evidences of God’s hand in producing the Bible as we have it today. The way in which the Bible was brought together argues against even the possibility of unity. For example, the Bible was penned on two (or three) continents, written in three languages over fifteen hundred years. The various parts of the Bible were written in varying circumstances and in different places such as tents, palaces, cities, deserts, and dungeons. Among the writers were kings, priests, prophets, patriarchs, herdsmen, scribes, soldiers, physicians, and fishermen. Yet, behind these myriad of dis-unifying influences the Bible has an unmistakable unity of message. It contains one system of doctrine, one plan of salvation, one code of ethics, and one rule of faith.

Think if we were to plan to accomplish the same feat today by human hand. If we were to somehow bring the same type of people together as described above and have them write a chapter to be placed in a book on theology. They would know neither the profession of the writer nor the topic of the chapters both before and after their specific chapter. When these chapters were collected together what are the chances that there would even a slight sense of unity among the chapters as a whole. As with our last evidence regarding prophesy the chances of the Bible actually coming together with such unity of theology and message is so small as to be virtually impossible.

Yet, what we find when we look at the Bible in its entirety is a book written by forty different people on such diverse themes as to cover nearly the whole range of human inquiry, yet the spiritual, theological, relational, ethical and historical lessons presented in the Bible agree.

Arthur W. Pink has a great analogy:

The more one really studies the Bible the more one is convinced that behind the many human mouths there is One overruling, controlling Mind. Imagine forty persons of different nationalities, possessing various degrees of musical culture visiting the organ of some cathedral and at long intervals of time, and without any collusion whatever, striking sixty-six different notes, which when combined yielded the theme of the grandest oratorio ever heard: would it not show that behind these forty different men there was one presiding mind, one great Tone master? As we listen to some great orchestra, with an immense variety of instruments playing their different parts, but producing melody and harmony, we realize that at the back of these many musicians there is the personality and genius of the composer. And when we enter the halls of the Divine Academy (the Bible) and listen to the heavenly choirs singing the Song of Redemption, all in perfect accord and unison, we know that it is God Himself who has written the music and put this song into their mouths.

The unity of the Bible is a fantastic and irresistibly strong defense of its divine origins. Next week we’ll look at one final piece of external evidence of divine inspiration: The power and influence of the Bible.

Carpe Deum! (Seize God!)
Todd Phillips

DaVinci Code: The Truth Behind the Fiction - Part 4

2006-03-22T17:22:00.000-05:00

A few days ago I said:

"In my next blog, I'll begin to respond to Brown's fictional claims about the unreliability of the Gospels (Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John). We'll look together at both the reliability of the Gospel accounts of Jesus life and why we can have such confidence in these accounts."

We are spending out time together looking only at the reliability of the Gospels (Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John) rather than the entire Bible for a few reasons:
1. Time. There are many, many books written on this subject and many scholars have devoted their entire professional lives studying and defending the veracity of each and every book in the Bible. We don't need to look that deeply into the subject to get a clear understanding of why we can have great confidence in the testimony of the Bible.
2. The DaVinci Code. The book makes false claims about the Bible as a whole, but much of the novel casts doubt on the reliability of what the Gospels say specifically about the life, miracles, death, and resurrection of Jesus.

So, we will focus on the four books in the Bible that deal with the life of Christ and with this plan we will hopefully kill two birds with one stone - defend the perfection and reliability of Scripture and defend the reality of Christ's divinity.

Brown writes, "The Bible is a product of man, my dear. Not of God. The Bible did not fall magically from the clouds. Man created it as a historical record of tumultuous times, and it has evolved through countless translations, additions, and revisions. History has never had a definitive version of the book." (p. 231)

Is there truth in the statement above? Yes, a measure. First, the Bible partially a product of man in that God used men to pen the words on parchment. Yet, it is not only a product of man. It is a cooperative effort between God and man. I'll get to more on this in a moment. The other truth is that the Bible "did not fall magically form the clouds." This is true, but the claim that the Bible "has evolved through countless translations, additions, and revisions" is patently false. Yes, the Bible has been "translated" into some two thousand languages, but these translations have been created for the benefit of all who desire to read its truth and have been translated from early documents of the utmost reliability.

Let's deal with the issue of "translations, additions, and revisions" first. The original works, or "autographs," of each of the sixty six books have been lost to time. They were likely worn out by use, burned, destroyed, or time simply eroded their readability. After all, we're talking about several millennia! Yet, scribes of biblical times were trained to copy every "jot and title" precisely so that others could read the text in different regions of the known world. But, did they make mistakes? Yes. these errors were very slight and even the most pessimistic scholars generally agree that these slight errors in copying do nothing to change the meaning of the text. (We'll look at this more closely later).

Some then ask, since we don't have the original manuscripts and some errors were made, although minor, in copying the text, can we have confidence that the Bible we have today reads anything like the original manuscripts?

My quick and confident answer is "yes." Here are a few reasons for this:

1. We have well over 2000 manuscripts of the gospels alone - 2000! Some of these documents are in Greek, others in Latin. In terms of material from a scholarly perspective, two thousand manuscripts is a goldmine. Just a quick note for those of you who are wondering about the number of manuscripts we have of all the different parts of the Bible - 24,633 known copies (including fragments) of the New Testament, over 1700 copies of the Old testament (including fragments). The document with the next highest number of copies is Homer's Iliad with 643.

2. Not only do we have an unprecedented wealth of manuscripts of the Gospels, the copies we have are very old - meaning that we have very early copies. Some of our earliest fragments of the Gospels are from the second century A.D. We have complete copies of several of the Gospels from the fourth and fifth centuries A.D. You might be saying to yourself right now, "That doesn't seem very early at all. In fact, two hundred years is a long time!" You'd be right in relation to our human lifespans but you'd be wrong in relation to manuscripts of early documents. For example, the gap for Homer is 500 years, Caesar's Gallic Wars is 900-1000 years, and Herodotus The Histories is 1300 years form the writing of the original document to the first copy that we have today. The Gospels as well as the Bible in totality is truly in a class by itself from this perspective!

3. The scribes were actually remarkably reliable. Even, though the scribes were not flawless, we have such a large number of documents to work from that scholars are able to identify most of these minor errors by comparing the thousands of documents available.

4. Textual criticism, where experts seek to identify the earliest form of a given text, offers us great confidence in the Bible in its current form. The plethora of textual critics from different theological backgrounds and perspectives are in remarkable agreement on the vast majority of Scripture as it stands today. Textual critics still have differing opinions about the meaning of some fifty variations that have been found in the Bible as a whole. Scholar Philip Schaff, in response to these fifty variations states that no variation altered "an article of faith or a precept of duty which is not abundantly sustained by other and undoubted passages, or by the whole tenor of Scripture teaching."

What all of this tells us is that we can have great confidence that when we read our Bible today there is an extremely high degree of probability that we are getting the words of the original authors.

Next time, we'll look at the other assertion made by Brown's fictional character that, "The Bible is a product of man, my dear. Not of God." We"ll find out how it is that God cooperated with man to bring the Gospels (and the rest of the Bible) into existence.

Until then...

Carpe Deum! (Seize God!)
Todd Phillips

DaVinci Code: The Truth Behind the Fiction - Part 3

2006-03-16T16:05:00.000-05:00

A Long Introduction to This Blog Series...

Many people have asked me, "Todd, is it okay for a Christian to see The DaVinci Code." You need to know before I give you my answer that I'm a movie freak! I love movies. My dream is to have my own private entertainment room with a 100" screen and a killer, HD projection system complete with surround sound and leather recliners. All this so that I can become completely enveloped by the experience and not have to worry about cell phones ringing or someone crunching popcorn loudly one chair behind me. None of this will likely happen of course but it's okay to dream!

What does this have anything to do with seeing the movie? I'm gald you asked. I will be seeing the movie. I am looking forward to seeing the movie for many reasons, not the least of which is the fact that Tom Hanks is starring in the film and one of my favorite directors, Ron Howard, is directing it. I have also read the book and I think it will make a fantastic movie full of intrigue. BUT...I cannot recommend this movie or the book for young believers. The main reason lies in the fact that the author, Dan Brown, is so masterful at weaving fiction into more fiction that Brown himself believes is truth. It's very difficult to separate fiction from what Brown tries to claim is fact. So, this movie is not a good choice for people who are new to the faith. I say this not because I'm concerned that the movie might turn new believers away from their new found faith. I have far more confidence in the strength of God's Word and the power of His Spirit to guide believers into Truth than I have concerns about the fallout of a new believer seeing this film. Yet, I have seen movies or books create unnecessary detours in the lives of young Christians that will ultimately bring them back to the veracity of Scripture but take valuable time away from them in the process.

I have very little concern, however, for believers who are well grounded in the truth of Scripture watching this movie and seeing it for what it is - a work of fiction and nothing more. I, however, will not go so far as to recommend the movie for any believer regardless of the maturity of their faith. So, to all, I neither recommend the movie nor do I strongly oppose the viewing of this film, except for my concerns about young believers that I have already mentioned.

Now that I have provided my pastoral perspective on believers seeing this movie, I know that many of you reading this will be seeing this movie and will need to have an arsenal of responses to the issues that the book creates. To this reality, I'm devoting this blog series. You'll be able to refer back to these as you have conversations in the coming weeks and months.

Brown hasn't ever claimed that his book is non-fiction nor have any of the thousands of book stores placed the book in the non-fiction section (as far as I know). Bottom line - his book is a novel. yet, Brown presents much of the information in his novel about early Christianity and the life of Jesus as historical fact, when - in fact - it is not.

To further (and in my opinion purposely) confuse readers, the first page of the book has this statement, "All descriptions of artwork, architecture, documents, and secret rituals in this novel are accurate." What are we supposed to make of this statement as we begin to read the book? Clearly, Brown seems to suggest that any information pertaining to any documents in his book are true.

As a result, many, many readers view what they are reading in this fiction novel as fact. My mother, a highly intelligent Christian and critical reader, called me after reading the book and said, "Todd, I just finished The DaVinci Code and I'm a little disturbed by the things I read in the book about the Bible." I replied, "Mom, it's a fiction novel." To this she said, "I understand, but the author claims that anything he writes about church documents including the Bible is true...he says so on the front page." My mother's call was the first time I had heard about the claims on the first page of the book. I reassured her that the book was fiction but that I would read it and get back with her about her concerns when I finished the book. Sure enough, the statement on the first page of the book led me to the same conclusion as my mother - that the information in the book about any document, including the Bible, is accurate.

So, through the power of suggestion, Brown has masterfully taken what is a fiction novel and caused many readers to believe that they will be shown an underlying "truth" as they read through the fiction. This brilliant maneuver in print has catapulted this novel into sales of over forty million! But, and I will continue to remind you, this is a fiction novel and nothing more.

To begin with, Brown uses phrases like, "All scholars know that..." which many readers take to mean that what they are ab out to read is factg rather than a statement made by a fictional character in a fictional work. So, when Brown's characters claim that Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John are unreliable sources of information about the life, miracles, death, and resurrection of Jesus, and further, that other early writings that are not found in the Bible such as the Gospel of Philip or The Gospel of Mary are superior sources of accurate infomration about Jesus, some readers buy into this fictional perspective as fact. I'll say it again - The DaVinci Code is a work of fiction and nothing more.

In my next blog, I'll begin to respond to Brown's fictional claims about the unreliability of the Gospels (Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John). We'll look together at both the reliability of the Gospel accounts of Jesus life and why we can have such confidence in these accounts.

Also, there is a great site where you can read or re-read the Gospels on your computer. Simply click on this link, http://www.biblegateway.org/. Keep this site on your 'favorites' list so you can go directly to the Word as we work through this series together.

I look forward to our journey together!Finally, I'm going to be weaving two blog series together in the coming weeks. This blog series on DaVinci will be coupled with a blog series on the One Campaign to end extreme poverty around the world. I hope you'll read both series as they are written!

Carpe Deum! (Seize God!)
Todd Phillips

DaVinci Code: The Truth Behind the Fiction - Part 2

2006-03-14T15:56:00.000-05:00

I have some exciting "inside information" just for my blog subscribers. As I wrote several days ago, I told you that I would be writing several blogs in response to the DaVinci Code movie that opens May 19th in theaters around the world. Here's the scoop: Lon Solomon, the senior pastor of McLean Bible Church (http://www.mcleanbible.org/), and I are doing a three week sermon series called "Cracking the DaVinci Code." Lon and I will each create our own messages but all three messages will have the same title and the same subject matter. The titles and the order (to date) of the messages are:
Truth 1: The Resurrection Settles It All
Truth 2: The Bible Has No Political Agenda
Truth 3: Christianity Is the Best Friend Woman Ever Had

Message One will show that the resurrection of Christ Settles the matter not only of His deity (which DaVinci Code falsely claims was a later fabrication of the church) but the resurrection settles the matter of our personal sinfulness.

Message Two will show that the Bible as it exists today is the exact compilation of writings that God ordained to be in the Canon. This refutes the false claim of The DaVinci Code that the current content of the Bible is a result of the Roman Emperor Consantine's political efforts to create a state sanctioned religion for the Romans rather than a book divinely compiled by God and His people.

Message Three will show that Christianity is, above all other major religions, a friend to women. This message will counter the false claim that the early Christian church successfully hid the true role of women in both Christ's early followers as well as the first century church. Dan Brown's claim in his novel that Jesus was married grows from these false perspectives of the early church.

I hope you are able to see how this three week series will be a perfect series for your unchurched friends! Remember, begin to think now who you will invite to the series. Begin to pray now for God to use this series to bring many young Washingtonians to Frontline and ultimately into a personal relationship with Jesus.

On May 19 everyone will be talking about Jesus and asking questions about him. Will you be ready?

Carpe Deum! (Seize God!)
Todd Phillips

DaVinci Code: The Truth Behind the Fiction - Part 1

2006-03-10T15:52:00.000-05:00

I can't wait any longer!

I've tried to be patient...I really have. But, I just can't wait any longer! I have to start blogging about the upcoming movie, "The DaVinci Code: Seek the Truth." Over 40 million copies of the book are currently circulating out there, the movie is sure to be a blockbuster with Tom Hanks as the star and Ron Howard as the director. There are over a dozen books currently being sold and their sole purpose is to refute the claims made in a fiction novel - FICTION! The whole thing boggles my mind.

Let me now bring it a little closer to home. When the book came out several years ago, Ken Baugh, the former Teaching Pastor of Frotnline, did an eight or ten week series refuting claims in the book. The series was by far the most attended series at Frontline up to that point. On the night that Ken taught on whether or not Jesus was married, Frontline had the highest attendance in its history!

So, what can we expect this coming April and May when I do a three week series in response to the DaVinci Code? I believe we will have somewhere around a thousand unchurched people come through the doors over that three week period doing exactly what the sub-title of the movie suggests - "Seek[ing] the Truth." These thousand or more people will be coming with you, and others like you, who are inviting them to Frontline to seek the truth that is found in the Bible. This movie and the questions that it generates in the minds of unbelievers is one of the best evangelistic opportunities that has made itself available to the church in a while.

In light of this, what will go on at Frontline? First, I will be teaching three messages in response to claims made in the book and the movie. One messages will focus on the deity of Christ by asking the question: Is Jesus God?" Another message will focus on the way in which the Bible came into existence by asking the question: Is the Bible trustworthy? Then I'll address the issue of women in the church by asking: What major world religion is the better friend to women? Other issues are addressed in the book but I call the above questions The Big Three. These are the three biggest questions that are raised time and time again in response to The DaVinci Code.

In addition to the three part series, we will have a web site that will address these and the many other questions that are asked after reading the book. McLean Bible Church is putting the site together now in preparation for the series and the movie which opens worldwide May 19. We are also ordering somewhere in the neighborhood of 50,000 booklets from Campus Crusade that addresses these major issues in print. And there will be more to come!

So, begin now to think of who you can invite to Frontline for what promises to be an exciting and enlightening three weeks! Let your friends and co-workers know that for three Sundays starting April 30th Frontline will be addressing these issues from the stage, giving the biblical perspective on the three topics: Is Jesus God, Is the Bible Trustworthy, and What major World Religion is the Better Friend to Women?

I'll be blogging on this subject more as we get closer to the series.

Until then...

Carpe Deum! (Seize God!)
Todd Phillips

Meditating On Scripture

2006-03-07T15:15:00.000-05:00

I taught from Joshua 1:8 this past Sunday night and received quite a few emails and myspace messages asking me how to pick a verse each day or a verse each week to meditate on. Before I answer this question, I have to say how encouraged I am at the number of people who requested help in this area!

If you missed the message on Sunday night (March 5), I'd highly recommend going to the Frontline site and listening to it on streaming audio. You can either go to the top of my myspace page and click on "FRONTLINE" or you can click here: http://www.frontline.to/. Click on "Joshua Project 4" under "Recent Series" on the main screen. (If you are reading this after March 2006, just go to the media archives from the main page.)

Frontline doesn't currently have a "verse of the day" that you can subscribe to but I've discovered several sites that can help you to do so. You can subscribe to have a verse each day emailed to you. I'm only showing two of the sites I found. If you want to look at other sites you can google "scripture verse of the day." The sites I found are below:
www.christnotes.org
http://www.votd.org/ (votd stands for "verse of the day")

I don't necessarily advocate any additional information on these sites. I can only recommend the email subscription as a source for Bible verses. Subscribing to one of these sites or a site you find during your own search will help connect you to the Bible every day.

I's also suggest that you read the verse sent each day and save the one that connects with you the most each week. Then meditate on the chosen verse as I described biblical meditation on Sunday and continue your reflection on the chosen verse until another verse connects with you. This process will serve you well in engaging you with the text at a very personal and impacting level.

If you don't already, I hope you decide to pursue this or some form of regular reflection on biblical text. Remember, "All Scripture is God-breathed and useful for teaching, rebuking, correcting and training in righteousness, so that the man of God may be thoroughly equipped for every good work." (2 Timothy 3:16)

Carpe Deum! (seize God!)
Todd Phillips

Evangelicalism

2006-03-03T15:33:00.000-05:00

I think one of the most misunderstood terms in Christian culture today is "Evangelical" (or Evangelicalism). Some of you may be thinking, "If this is the stuff Todd's going to write about, I'm out!" But, stay with me on this one. I think it's worth the read.

Here we go. Evangelicalism does not have the same meaning as evangelism. Evangelism is simply the act of preaching or sharing the Good News of Jesus Christ (the Gospel). So, if a church calls itself evangelistic they are trying to describe themselves as a body of believers that constantly shares the gospel in everything that they say and do both as a community of faith and as individual believers in the world.

Evangelicalism on the other hand is a term that has been used historically to describe churches who believe and follow a core set of beliefs. These core beliefs are:
1. God provided only one way for us to be forgiven and that is through the life, death, and resurrection of Jesus Christ.
2. The Bible is the inspired Word of God Himself and in this way is a totally unique work in all of history.
3. All persons must be converted or "born again" through Christ's saving work on the cross to have a relationship with God and be forgiven of sins.
4. Believers are commanded by God to encourage non-believers to become believers in Christ (Evangelism).

Therefore, churches who adhere to these beliefs (like McLean Bible Church and Frontline) are evangelical churches. Also, as you've probably figured out already, every evangelical church is evangelistic, but not every church that is evangelistic is evangelical. Confused yet?

Now that you've suffered through Christian History class with me I'm going to give you the rest of the story. I'm going to let you in on why this is all so important to you and me. Bottom line - we all need to know what we believe and why we believe it. I don't have the time to tell you why these four core beliefs are so important but I can tell you that if you attend MBC or Frontline or any other church that considers itself an evangelical church then these four beliefs make up the very DNA of your church and should make up your spiritual DNA as well.

As an evangelical believer, we are to live our lives under the authority of the Bible, knowing that God provided one way to Him - Jesus Christ. Knowing and believing Jesus is the only way to salvation should remind us daily of the wonderful, unmerited gift we received when we started our personal relationship with Jesus, and compel us to share Jesus with others who don't yet know Him personally. Our lives are to be defined and directed by these core beliefs. As a believer, do you allow the Truth and instruction in the Bible to drive the decisions you make every day? Do you believe Christ is the only way to a relationship with God? Do you share your belief in Christ with others?

Ask yourself if you subscribe to the four core beliefs of evangelicalism. If you agree with them make sure you know why you do. Paul reminds us to give a defense of the things we believe. Can you defend your beliefs? If you question one or more of the four core beliefs, ask the same question - why? Allow these uncertainties to challenge you to find the answers. Seize this opportunity to define and deepen your faith trusting that God has promised to guide you into all truth!

Carpe Deum! (Seize God!)
Todd Phillips

Joshua

2006-03-01T15:28:00.000-05:00

I've read Joshua 1:1-9 probably over a hundred times and I'm still amazed at the promises God makes to Joshua as Joshua becomes the leader of three million Israelites. Just in case you don't have a bible handy...

"After the death of Moses the servant of the Lord, the Lord said to Joshua son of Nun, Moses' aide: 2 "Moses my servant is dead. Now then, you and all these people, get ready to cross the Jordan River into the land I am about to give to them, to the Israelites. 3 I will give you every place where you set your foot, as I promised Moses. 4 Your territory will extend from the desert to Lebanon, and from the great river, the Euphrates, all the Hittite country, to the Great Sea on the west. 5 No one will be able to stand up against you all the days of your life. As I was with Moses, so I will be with you; I will never leave you nor forsake you. 6 "Be strong and courageous, because you will lead these people to inherit the land I swore to their forefathers to give them. 7 Be strong and very courageous. Be careful to obey all the law my servant Moses gave you; do not turn from it to the right or to the left, that you may be successful wherever you go. 8 Do not let this Book of the Law depart from your mouth; meditate on it day and night, so that you may be careful to do everything written in it. Then you will be prosperous and successful. 9 Have I not commanded you? Be strong and courageous. Do not be terrified; do not be discouraged, for the Lord your God will be with you wherever you go." (Joshua 1:1-9)

I taught from this passage a few nights ago at Frontline (http://www.frontline.to/). Even though I'm fresh from teaching on the subject of Joshua being a man of courage, I'm still taken back by God's promises! in a total of sseparateate powerful statements from God Joshua is told in a not shell, "There is no need for you to ever be discouraged or terrified at the things life throws at you. In fact, you can live a life of strength and courage because I, the Lord, with never leave you nor forsake you!" I know that God doesn't give me a spirit of fear, but "a spirit of "power, of love, and of self-discipline." (2 Timothy 1:7) I know as Paul also reminds the Hebrews (13:5) that God will always be with us and God will never abandon us. But, to read such amazing promises and words of encouragement in just nine short verses is truly inspiring.

My great desire for the past two weeks has been to remind myself of these truths, live in light of them, and teach these truths to others - my wife and three children, Frontliners, and fellow myspacers. Are you living a life today of courage in Christ? Are you reading and pondering the promises of God in the Bible daily to prepare your heart for the battles you face each day? If not, then use the passages in this blog, especially from the book of Joshua, to prepare you each day. Hopefully, you'll find that you're wanting more of god's Word than what you read here. Hopefully God will use this a catalyst for deeper study of His Word. Press on!

Carpe Deumseizeeze God!)
Todd Phillips

The Communication Age

2006-02-23T15:25:00.000-05:00

I'm sitting in a Starbuck's (as I do every Thursday) preparing/finalizing my sermon for this Sunday at Frontline (http://www.frontline.to/), and I'm having one of those "I can't believe this" moments. Now, I know that what I'm about to explain as an unbelieveable moment for me will seem rather unspectacular to most but here it is. It's unbelievable to me that I am currently connected to the entirety of the earth's online content with no wires and it costs me nothing! Wireless access to the world!!!! That's pretty empowering to a guy who grew up in a no computer, rotary phone, microwaveless, $.28/minute long distance world! Now I can type my blog on my mini-notebook with a wireless connection to the internet while the Starbucks employee is warming my incredibly tasty chocolate-covered glazed donut in the microwave. The world has become my very own oyster.

Strange as this transition may sound, the Israelites who understood what happened when Christ died on the cross, with the veil that covered the Holy of Holies being torn from top to bottom, must have felt the same way. Communication with their God, meaning communication with all Wisdom, was frighteningly limited for milennia. No one but the high priest could enter the Holy of Holies where God sat on His throne, and the priest was only allowed behind the veil once a year! One man had limited access to God. All the Israelites knew from generation to generation was a non-direct contact, a limited communication world between them and their God.

Then...everything changed! All of the sudden the line of communication was open and everyone could have direct contact with the Heavenly father through Jesus Christ! No more going to the Temple! No more purchasing animals for sacrifice. No more costly, indirect communication. Now every believer had direct, free access to the God of the Universe. Unbelievable!

So, yes I sit in this Starbucks having access to all worldly knowledge from my wireless computer at no cost, but (and this is truly unbelievable) as a Christ-follower, and thus a child of God, I sit in this Starbucks having free and uninterrupted access to my Heavenly Father! I need no laptop, no access code other than the name of Jesus! I have a twenty-four hour a day, 365 day a year open line to God! All this because Christ Himself, by His death on the cross, tore the veil and gave us the gift of eternal communion with our Father.

Live life today reflecting on the age of (spiritual) communication in which we live - unbelievable!

Carpe Deum! (Sieze God!)
Todd Phillips

Salt Cathedrals and Holy Temples

2006-02-16T15:22:00.000-05:00

I've climbed inside the ancient man-made tunnels of the pyramids in Egypt. I've touched what could be one of the ancient trumpets that the priest blew before the Ark of the Covenant. I have even experienced the profound exhileration of standing atop the highest peak on the African continent - Kilimanjaro. Yet, what I just experienced twenty five miles outside of Bogota, Colombia rivals anything I've seen to date (except for the pyramids) - The Salt Cathedral in the small town of Zipaquira. The Salt Cathedral is an underground church built within the tunnels of old salt mines five hundred feet below the surface and is without a doubt a contender for the eighth wonder of the world!

The cathedral is a Roman Catholic temple which houses smaller chapels representing the "Fourteen Stations of the Cross." Each station represents, according to the Catholic Church, the fourteen important moments in the life of Christ from the point he is found guilty until he is buried in the tomb.

These fourteen chapels - each one an incredible feat of engineering in its own right - are dwarfed to the point of virtual non-existence by the massive cathedral which lies at the end of the salt tunnels. I am reminded of my inability to describe adequately my first moment at the base of the pyramids, the birth of my first child, or the moment when a text in the Bible truly comes to life! There are also no words to adequately describe the experience of allowing my eyes to focus on a truly wonderous feat of man's desire to honor God. This cathedral is easily as impressive to the eye as the National Cathedral in Washington, D.C., St. Peter's Basilica, or even the great and cavernous essence of the cathedral at the Vatican. There are no ornate paintings and there are very few statues. Yet, at the front of the main cathedral is a fifteen foot rock-hewn communion table, a rock-hewn pulpit, and then, overtaking the entire front wall, is a fifty foot high cross carved into the rock. It was magnificant! In the background Gregorian Chants or reverberating off the walls in a surreal echo. Amazing!

I sat on one of the pews and began to speak aloud to God, ""Woe to me. I am ruined! For I am a man of unclean lips, and I live among a people of unclean lips, and my eyes have seen the King, the Lord Almighty." (spoken from Isaiah 6:5) I was entranced by the partnership of God's raw creation of the very mountain in which I sat and the people who carved this cathedral by the very creative genius of God within them.

What struck me even more was that God's creative genuis given to the people who created the cathedral is available to each one of us who call Jesus Lord! God desires to do these, and greater things, through us. We are the Temple of God! God no longer resides in structures of stone, even as magnificent as the stone structure in which I sat. No...he resides in his people! We are to build even greater temples by living lives in full submission to God. The eighth wonder of the world is not a Salt cathedral but in fact is a life lived for God!

What will future generations read of your temple? Will they sit in awe at God's creative genius expressed in your life or will they turn the pages of history possessing the chonicles of your life having found nothing to feast their eyes on, nothing to be challenged by, nothing from which to learn, nothing that points them from your life to God?

"One person fully devoted to God can do infinitely more than a thousand people who have simply been awakened by God's spirit." (author unknown) Will you build a temple that forces people to stand in awe of God?

Carpe Deum! (Sieze God!)

The Merits of Travel to Far Away Places

2006-02-15T15:10:00.000-05:00

I'm in Bogota, Colombia with my good friend Jeff Boyd. It's 10:30 PM on Wednesday, February 15th and I've just had one of the most enjoyable days I can remember. Yes...that's right...in Bogota! This is one of the more friendly and charming places I've been and, to date, I've been to twenty two countries. So, why does Colombia get a bad wrap? Is it the drug wars? Maybe it's the kidknappings. Just maybe, it's none of the above.

I've become aware as I've traveled that people in the US don't have a very accurate picture of the world. We see only what the television networks want to show us and then we file away these skewed perspectives as fact and become phobic of any travel to destinations that have ever had a war, drug problems or a coup. Now, all of these things certainly merit our concern and even merit a change of plans if we have booked a trip to a region that is presently dealing with such crises. But, within a month of even the most frightening circumstances, life usually returns to a less dangerous norm.

So, Colombia is oneof those places that has had some major disturbances in the past but is now (and has been for some time) an exceptional tourist destination. I can now personally attest to the regions friendly people, wonderful cappucinos, varied topography and truly unique places of interest. By the end of my week in Colombia, there will have been no more kidknappings or murders than will be reported in the United States.

God created a majestic and wonderous world for each of his children to enjoy. When you have opportunities to travel - either on vacation or mission trip or for business - we should jump in with both feet. Find God in the adventures of your life. Life it to the fullest for God. Carpe Deum! (Sieze God!)