Thanks Rosie!

Why should we be thanking Rosie O'Donnell? I’ve been thinking about what she said recently when she raised ire and drew fire resulting from her assertion that "radical Christianity" is "just as threatening as radical Islam in a country like America where we have separation of church and state."

Truth be told, I’m actually glad she made those statements, and I’ll tell you why. The misnomers, misrepresentations, and misperceptions about Christianity have reached an all-time high, and Rosie’s comments are a perfect case in point. If you heard the audio of this incident, you will hear applause after her badly informed declarations, which tells me that we have an amazing opportunity to respond.

The question is, “How should we respond?” Well, our first choice might be to riot in the streets, burn effigies of Rosie or threaten her life. That could be followed by a call for an apology and boycott ABC until she is removed from television – but I don’t think that’s exactly what Jesus had in mind when He preached the Sermon on the Mount:He said, “God blesses those who are persecuted because they live for God, for the Kingdom of Heaven is theirs. God blesses you when you are mocked and persecuted and lied about because you are my followers. Be happy about it! Be very glad! For a great reward awaits you in heaven. And remember, the ancient prophets were persecuted, too.” (Matthew 5:10-12)

Isn’t that interesting? The choice Jesus wants us to make is to “Be happy about it” and to “be glad”. Why? Because it takes away the power of persecution and exposes the misrepresentations of Christianity for what they are. Statements like Rosie’s are designed to get a negative reaction, but imagine if we used it as an opportunity to show the world that radical Christianity is actually about loving our neighbor as ourselves and following the advice of Peter.

Peter wrote, “But even if you suffer for doing what is right, God will reward you for it. So don't be afraid and don't worry. Instead, you must worship Christ as Lord of your life. And if you are asked about your Christian hope, always be ready to explain it. But you must do this in a gentle and respectful way. Keep your conscience clear. Then if people speak evil against you, they will be ashamed when they see what a good life you live because you belong to Christ.” (1 Peter 3:14-16)

If you’ll remember, these words were penned when Christians were being accused- not of being as dangerous as terrorists, but of being cannibals who were also arsons trying to burn down Rome. Peter isn’t advising them to demand an apology from Nero, he is advising them to know what they believe and why they believe it, and approach opposition with gentleness and respect.Imagine if every Christian in America followed Peter’s advice…now that would be something radical indeed!

I was recently asked to explain the doctrine of election. And once again, at the conclusion of my explanation, people looked at me as if I were speaking Swahili. That’s the way it always is when I am asked to explain the infinite mind of God. So then I was asked, “Why didn’t God choose everyone to be saved?” And once again I reached into my deep reservoir of wisdom and replied, “I don’t know. But I do know this— He got more glory for His own name by doing it the way He did it.”

I went on to say, “Let me ask you something—does God ever make a mistake? Is God ever wrong? Of course, not. So, whatever He does fits into his character. And if it’s hard for us to understand, that’s our problem, not God's!”

You may be wondering why God did it the way He did. I wish I could explain it once and for all so that all of us could get the picture. All I know is that all humanity born in Adam are born with the sin nature and doomed to an eternity in hell. This is where the grace of God intercedes and some are saved and some are not.

Herein lies the rub—salvation is by the elect, predestined, purpose of God. Damnation is by the unbelief of men. Now you may ask, “Holland, how do you resolve that?” and my answer is, “I don’t resolve that! I can’t resolve that. But, I know God is perfect and He resolves it perfectly and that’s the best we can do with it.”

Heresies abound today.

Consider Jose Luis de Jesus Miranda; his followers call him everything from apostle to Dad, or simply Jesus Christ Man. One follower of his believes “he is God, he is God.” She also lavishes him with money and gifts. "I don’t have one Rolex,” de Jesus Miranda said, “I have 3 because they want to give it to me. I think they’re great!”This self-proclaimed Son of God is a 60-year old former heroin addict and convict. The divorced father of four was born in Puerto Rico and now lives in South Florida with his second wife. Recently asked if he was able to do some of the things Jesus Christ did like performing miracles, healing the sick and walking on water. De Jesus said not necessarily. “My life is my church and what I’m doing worldwide,” he said.What De Jesus is doing at more than 300 centers in Central and South America, Cuba and the U.S. is preaching a message of "freedom to indulge" because according to this modern messiah, there is no sin, no devil and no hell to pay. de Jesus says, “It doesn’t exist. The devil was destroyed two thousand years ago." The real Jesus had something to say people preach this kind of heresy in Revelation 2:18.

This would be humorous if it wasn’t so sad. It’s sad because hundreds, no, thousands of Hispanic-speaking people are following de Jesus. He fits into the typical mold of a cult leader because he demands complete submission to his authority. Cultists come in a variety of shapes, sizes, genders, etc. However, they all have the same basic message, “Ignore what God said and listen to me.”

Another version of this heresy is a recent Time Magazine article stating that 61 percent of adult Christians in America agree that "God wants people to be financially prosperous.” This gospel is championed by Joel Osteen of Lakewood Church in Houston. “I think God wants us to be prosperous,” he stated. Other influential megachurch pastors including Bishop T.D. Jakes of the Potter's House in Dallas and Creflo Dollar of World Changers in Atlanta embrace the message of prosperity. The problem with the “prosperity gospel” is that it only works in the United States. Such a message doesn’t in Third-World countries. Furthermore, it’s all about creating a false idol. Christians don't measure their self-worth by their net worth. History is full of millions of faithful followers of Christ who lived in poverty.

The prosperity theology wants the positive but not the negative. The problem is, we live on this side of Eden.

Gatetree is a wonderful church with tremendous cultural diversity. I suspect it's a lot like what heaven is going to be. Yet with all the diversity, there is absolute uniformity in one respect, we all believe that Jesus is the only way to God.

I am often asked, “How can you say that Jesus is the only way to heaven? How can you actually make such an arrogant statement? That is so narrow. That is so insensitive.”

We live in a pluralistic society, and I am glad that people of different cultures, nations, and even religious beliefs can come to this country and practice their faith as they choose to. That is one of the great things about the United States of America.

But this global community says that there really are no differences between us, that we are all one. And this kind of fuzzy, feel-good thinking sometimes finds its way into the church. But let’s not get sucked into this vortex in which everything blends together.

Let’s remember the unique claims of Christ and statements of the Bible.

The Bible asserts that Jesus Christ is the only way to the Father. Jesus said, “I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through Me” (John 14:6). He said what He meant and He meant what He said. And if I say anything less, then I am not honestly representing the God who forgave me of my sins.

The Bible teaches that God created man in His own image, loves us, and wants to have a personal relationship with us. The Bible teaches that Jesus Christ, the Son of God, died on the cross for our sins, and if we will turn from our sin and follow Him, then we can be forgiven and know that we are going to heaven.

He has given us His message, and we are not to add to it. Nor are we to take away from it.

Judging from the trends in most popular preaching today, the question of what Scripture means has taken a back seat to the question of what it means “to me.” The difference may seem insignificant at first. However, the obsession with the applicability of Scripture reflects a fundamental flaw—many Christians have adopted practicality as the ultimate judge of the worth of God’s Word. Many preachers find themselves pressured to be buried with passages that overtly relate to daily living, and ignore those that don’t.

Early in my ministry, I made a conscious, basic commitment to biblical preaching. My first priority has always been to answer the question, “What does this passage mean?” After I’ve explained as clearly and accurately as possible the meaning of a passage, then I call people to obedience through application in their own lives. I’ve often said, “It doesn’t make any difference what it means to you or to me—all that counts is what it means to God.” The Bible speaks for itself to the human heart; it is not my role as a preacher to try to tailor the message.

The heart of all that is really practical is bound up in the teaching of the Bible. We don’t make the Bible relevant; it is inherently so, simply because it is God’s Word. And after all, how can anything God says be irrelevant?

Revelation 3:7:“These things says He who is holy, He who is true, ‘He who has the key of David, He who opens and no one shuts, and shuts and no one opens.’ ”


Last week, Mary Ann and I went over to the City (San Francisco) to see Alcatraz, also known as The Rock. On our tour, we were able to view the various cells where famous criminals like Al Capone were kept. At one point, we also were able to walk into the tiny cells. It was such a horrible place to be. They said that no one ever escaped alive from that island prison. It was truly a place of isolation.

Not only does the Bible compare hell to a garbage dump, but it also compares it to a prison. One of the clearest pictures Jesus gave of hell was when he described it as a prison. He told a parable about the king’s servant who was sent to jail for cruel and unforgiving behavior. Then He added this warning: “So My heavenly Father also will do to you if each of you, from his heart, does not forgive his brother his trespasses” (Matthew 18:33). Jesus was saying that going to hell was like being cast into prison.

I recently received an email from a man who is an inmate at a minimum security prison in Arizona. He wrote of his hope of getting out soon and having a changed life. The hope of getting out is the only thing that keeps him going.

But for those who have been condemned to hell, they won’t get out. Once they are in, they are in for good. Once they are there, there are no other chances.

Last week, our church faced a hearing on an application we had filed with our city planning commission. We were met with less than an enthusiastic response from the commissioners. Furthermore, there were a number of people there who spoke against our application with attitudes that demonstrated anger and distain for our ministry. To say the least—it wasn’t pleasant. After I got home and allowed Mary Ann to soothe my wounded spirit, I opened the Bible to a similar experience in the life of Nehemiah.

Nehemiah 4:6— So we built the wall. And all the wall was joined together to half its height, for the people had a mind to work.

Do you remember the old saying, “Sticks and stones may break my bones, but words will never hurt me”? I think we understand the point behind that saying, but it’s absolutely untrue, isn’t it? We all know how much words can hurt.

That's what Satan wants to do to us—discourage and hurt us. And the way he does this is by telling lies to us and about us. With him, the truth doesn’t matter. He’s simply out to ruin your reputation and shake your confidence in Christ.

This is exactly what Nehemiah was going through as he and the people of God were working to rebuild the walls of Jerusalem from rubbish. Satan sent people to tell him, “You can’t possibly make this rubbish into a wall of defense.” But Nehemiah proved them wrong! We can’t let Satan steal our victory by believing him and doubting God.

In Matthew 16:18, Jesus tells us that He will build His Church and that the best Satan has to throw at us can't stop it. But let me add a word of warning, just when you start believing God, Satan will come and say, “This church won’t grow, I AM going to stop it.”

DON'T BELIEVE IT WHEN YOU HEAR SATAN SAY "WE CAN'T" WHEN GOD HAS SAID "WE CAN!"