World Impact Ministries / Peter Youngren

In most of the meetings I conduct I lead people in what is commonly called the “sinner’s prayer”. This usually means that the preacher says a prayer sentence by sentence and those who want to receive Christ repeat that prayer. I think the sinner’s prayer has been a blessing to many, though, shockingly, it’s not in the Bible.

There are a lot of offended Christians these days. Some of the things which seem to cause outrage and offense are; profanity on television, open display of homosexuality in movies and on television, humor that degrades Christian values. Well, that’s just for starters. When Christians express outrage, shock and offense, it is as if that expression in itself is a badge of spirituality. “Look at me; how shocked I am at the sin and worldliness around me. Shouldn’t you react in a similar way? Aren’t you equally shocked? Well, maybe your spiritual sensitivities aren’t as fine-tuned as mine”.

March 22, 2009
Good morning! I’m writing from the backseat of a car en route to western Kenya. Our Gospel Revolution Seminar has really brought a revelation of God’s grace to pastors. Last night’s closing session was attended by Kenya’s Vice President, Mysukha Kalonzo. Pastors from every district of Kenya, as well as Rwanda and Tanzania are reporting that their lives have been radically changed.

March 18, 2009
I’m in my room now recuperating from the morning sessions and getting ready for the evening at our Pastors’ Gospel Revolution Seminar in Nairobi. We have delegates from every district in Kenya, as well as Tanzania, Uganda and Rwanda. Scott McIntyre from Celebration Bible College and Mary Felde from Oslo Christian Center are sharing in the teaching with me. When I say “recuperating” I don’t want you to think I’m sick. I inherited open pores genetically from my mom and grandfather, which means I perspire very easily; it really “pores” from me. When I preach in hot climates I get myself near dehydration after every session. So to recuperate is to fill up on H2O and get my electrolytes back; we have a lot do yet today.

The title seems contradictory. Is there really such a thing as Christianity without the Gospel? It depends how we define Christianity. If it means to be born-again, saved and a follower of Jesus Christ then there is no Christianity without the Gospel. If on the other side we look at Christianity as an institutional religion, a doctrine or a mere Judeo Christian heritage, then it has little to do with the Gospel. Many today speak about threats against Christianity. There is a sense of being under attack from our secularized society, or from other religions, like Islam. We’re encouraged to fight against these forces if Christianity is going to survive, and many are doing just that: battling immorality, corruption and the secularizing forces.

Religious fervor is not new. Pope Urban II gave a stirring appeal at the Council of Clermont in 1095 AD. With the theme “Deus vult,” which means “God wills it,” he rallied people to go to war against the Islamic “infidels” that occupied Jerusalem. Young men from across Europe responded in a cause they believed to be from God. Parents viewed it as a privilege to see one of their sons dedicated to this “holy” crusade. Regrettably their cause was not to bring the word of reconciliation, but conflict and war.

Passion for souls is a rare commodity. Let’s define the word. Passion is zeal, deep concern. In my blog last week, I talked about the value of a soul. I contrasted it with the emphasis we put on feeding the hungry, church buildings, programs for those who are already believers in Christ and humanitarian aid. These worldly projects receive multiplied billions of dollars, while very little is invested for the salvations of souls. Does that mean that I’m uncaring about people’s physical and material needs? Not at all. I’m grateful that United Nations, The World Health Organization, UNESCO, the US and Canadian governments, European governments, and a whole list of NGOs (Christians and others), who are relieving poverty. I believe it has helped many, and even lifted some out of poverty.

Remember Phil, who I introduced a couple of months ago. Well Phil copied me a letter he wrote to someone concerned about demonic powers operating in their lives. This issue seems to pop up with a certain regularity. Born-again Christians seem to think they are caught up in a gigantic battle in the heavenlies. I think it was novelist Frank Peretti who got all this started with his “Darkness” books. Or it could have been one of many other authors. One thing is for sure, the spiritual warfare craze is not found in the Book of Acts.
Any how, here are Phil’s thoughts:

In his book, Whistling In The Dark, Frederick Buechner writes, “There is perhaps no better proof of the existence of God, than the fact that year after year he survives the way his professional friends promote Him. If there are people who remain unconvinced let them tune into their TV’s for almost any of the big time pulpit pounders almost any Sunday morning of the year.”