This morning, I was listening to a self-described "NON-evangelical Christian" express his views as to why the United States has abandoned the basic teachings of the Bible by supporting Israel. I listened on for a couple of minutes until Mary Ann told me to, "Either turn the TV off or stop talking back to it." I turned it off.

It may surprise some to learn that in the Bible, war itself is not portrayed as inherently wrong, immoral, or ungodly. There are times when God Himself authorizes and condones war as an instrument of justice.

God has given human governments the right to fight wars for self-protection and as a means of justice. The Old Testament is full of incidents where God Himself authorized war and even order the Israelites to wage war. And Scripture is clear in teaching that God still ordains government as the guardian of order and justice in society, and He still gives government the authority to punish evildoers, even by waging war, when necessary (Romans 13:1-4).

I am convinced God gave this power to governments because of His mercy. Otherwise, evil people would dominate. That is why a just war is an expression of divine righteousness. To turn away from justice in the name of peace is not an act of love; it is a refusal to love one’s neighbor as oneself. To dispense with justice would never bring any kind of peace anyway. It would simply allow lawless people to dominate the world in a deadly fashion.

I was recently asked how I prepare for teaching God’s Word. I began to share how I prayed and researched for message preparation, but, that wasn’t what this person wanted to know. They wanted to know how I cope with spiritual opposition from the evil one and his forces. Here is what I said, “Every Sunday when I get in my car and drive the few minutes it takes me to get to the church, I put on the whole armor of God. I do this every Sunday. I do it before every time I teach or preach. Generally, I say something like, "Lord, I know eternity hangs on what I’m talking about today. There may be somebody who will hear me speak who will never come to church again." I recognize that I am in a spiritual battle, and so I use four biblical principles in the fight:

1. I ACKNOWLEDGE THE ENEMY
Satan is real. (1 Peter 5:8-9) If there were no devil, why would God send His Son to fight what does not exist? The Bible says in 1 John 3:8, "Jesus came to destroy the works of the devil.”

2. I ACCEPT MY GOD-GIVEN AUTHORITY
Matthew 28:18-19 says we have all authority in heaven and earth. Then Jesus says, "Therefore go and make disciples.” My authority is not to rebuke Satan. Instead, Jesus has authorized me to tell everything I know about Him and how to know Him in a personal way.

3. I PUT ON THE ARMOR OF GOD
Our battle is not against people (even thought it may sometimes feel that way.) Our battle is against spiritual forces intent on destroying everything godly. To counter that attack, Paul said for us to put on the spiritual armor of God (Ephesians 6:11-17.) I do this before every time I teach or preach.

4. I FIRE THE ARTILLERY
The battlefield for spiritual warfare is primarily in the thought life of the mind (2 Corinthians 10:4-5). In this battle for thoughts, I use the only weapon that will change lives and defeat the enemy’s strategy—I proclaim the Word of God.

I love the church. I love to be with the church. I love to talk about the church. I love to study the history of the church. Get it? love the church!

I’m preaching a series of messages under the heading of “The Church in Prophecy.” This series reveals what Jesus had to say to the seven churches of Asia Minor as recorded in Revelation 2-3…and of course, it has relevancy to us today. I am grateful that the church I pastor is most like the Philadelphian church in Revelation 3:7-13. Not only did that church open their doors to the world, but God opened the door of the world to that church. We must never do anything to forfeit such trust from the Lord.

I wish all churches were like my church. Most are not. Unfortunately, a high proportion of people who "go to church" have forgotten what it is all for. Week by week they attend services in a special building and go through their particular, time-honored routines, but give little thought to the purpose of what they are doing. The Bible talks about the "the bride of Christ" but the many churches today seems like a ragged Cinderella. There needs to be a reaffirmation to the nonnegotiable, essential elements for which God designed the church.

I love the church. I am an incurable lover of the church. It thrills me beyond measure to think that I get to serve God through pastoring His church. Although I am also involved in some other ministry activities, I wouldn't trade my ministry in the church for all of them combined. The church takes first place in my ministry priorities, and everything else grows out of my commitment to the church.

We have begun a new Wednesday Night Bible study entitled FOUNDATIONS FOR FAITH. The focus of the multi-week study is doctrine…Christian doctrine. Some folks shy away from doctrine as if a Christian can “take it or leave it” in terms of knowing right from wrong. Scripture plainly teaches that we must be sound in the faith—which is to say knowing Christian doctrine really does matter (1 Tim. 4:6; 2 Tim. 4:2-3; Tit. 1:9; 2:1). It matters a lot.

Sound, biblical doctrine is a necessary aspect of true wisdom and authentic faith. The attitude that scorns doctrine while elevating feelings or blind trust cannot legitimately be called faith at all. It is actually an irrational form of unbelief.

God holds us accountable for what we believe as well as how we think about the truth He has revealed. All Scripture testifies to the fact that God wants us to know and understand the truth. He wants us to be wise. Furthermore, what we believe about God and His Word determines our "worldview"--how we feel and react to everything in our world. See what I mean? Doctrine is crucial.

When we meet on Wednesday nights at 7:00 PM we are going to consider what Scripture has to say about the things that matter the most. We’ll look at some common pitfalls that often ensnare the best of Christians, and we’ll look at some popular ideas circulating in the church today that demand careful biblical analysis and discriminating wisdom.

Welcome to "The Bible is Our Authority." I chose that as the title for my blog because it best expresses my commitment to the word of God. I am grateful that for the past eight years I have been the senior pastor at Gatetree Baptist Church of Danville, California. Our campus is located in the center of Danville about 45 minutes east of downtown San Francisco, in the East Bay's beautiful San Ramon Valley.

The Gatetree family is an incredibly friendly and loving congregation sharing meaningful relationships with one another and a common commitment to Jesus Christ. We are driven to reach people with the Good News of the Gospel of Jesus Christ. Our purpose statement is, "Helping people improve their relationships with God and one another."

My intention is to use this blog to answer biblical questions and occasionally express my opinion regarding timely subjects. I do not claim to be an expert in any discipline of study--I am a learner. If I do not know the answer to the question posed, I will say so and do my best to find an appropriate answer.

Feel free to express your opinion regarding my posts. If God can use me and this medium to share His Good News of forgiveness and salvation, then it's a good use of my time and training.

Recently, Cheri of Hayward, CA wrote asking “I’m a new Christian. My friend says that I need to attend a church and I’m not sure why I should. Can you offer me your thoughts?”

Thanks for asking, Cheri, and let me congratulate you on your new faith in Jesus Christ. God bless you!

Jesus started the church. When the word is used in the New Testament, over 90% of the time it is referring to a local body of Christians (like Gatetree Church.) It was the unmistakenable pattern of the Apostles to establish local congregations in the cities where they preached the gospel. Hebrews 10:24-25 commands every believer to be a part of such a local body…"And let us consider how to stimulate one another to love and good deeds, not forsaking our own assembling together, as is the habit of some, but ecouraging one another; and all the more, as you see the day drawing near.”

The New Testament also teaches that every believer is to be under the protection and nurture of the leadership of the local church. Godly leaders can help believers by encouraging, admonishing, and teaching.

Furthermore, when Paul gave Timothy special instructions about the public meetings, he said "Until I come, give attention to the public reading of Scripture, to exhortation and teaching" (1 Timothy 4:13). Part of the emphasis in public worship includes these three things: hearing the Word, being called to obedience and action through exhortation, and teaching. It is only in the context of the local assembly that these things can most effectively take place.

Active local church membership is imperative to living a life without compromise. It is only through the ministry of the local church that a believer can receive the kind of teaching, accountability, and encouragement that is necessary for him or her to maintain strong convictions. We would be delighted for you to attend Gatetree. In fact, there’s a place waiting for you.