....and there were GIANTS

 "How do you defeat the giants that are keeping you from being the man God wants you to be?" 

                                                            ~Rick Warren, Daily Hope with Rick Warren, Steps to Defeating the Giants By Rick Warren — January 30, 2015 

How do you? You can read his article, here.

He is being metaphorical, right?  As one contemplates the "giants" that are keeping them from being the man or woman that God wants them to be, that would be your first thought.  Warren must have forgotten that David's giant in 1 Samuel 17 that Rick refers to in this devotional, was quite real.  A taunting, bloodthirsty "giant" wasn't metaphorical for David.

And what did David do? He killed Goliath.  With one small stone loaded into his slingshot, he hit the giant of a man squarely in the forehead and knocked him out dead cold and then he cut off his head. 

Rick  has some wrong ideas.  David's experience with Goliath was not about the giant keeping David "from being the man God wanted David to be."  David didn't have an identity crisis about who he was. He was a shepherd who tended sheep and protected them from danger.  David was a man with faith in God. 

Rick does point out that David had faith and God, and that you should too.  He even puts several bible verses in this devotional page, but unfortunately, they are all used to prove Rick's points.... not the other way around.  Also,Rick neglects to mention Jesus Christ and no mention of our biggest, most enormously giant  problem that plagues us all.... sin.  

Sin is quite a giant.... in fact it is so big and oppressive that it makes us all, even the best of men, "fall short of the glory of God."

Instead of using the story of David and Goliath to reveal who Jesus is and what he has done for us, encouraging readers to see Jesus in some way, Rick relates the story a completely different light.  He says that if you want to be "great" like David, if you want to be a person with a great faith, a great dream and a great lifework.... all you got to do is... do the very things that David did.  David did four things and you can do them to:

1.  Remember how God helped you in the past. 
2.  Use the tools that God has given you now.
3.  Ignore the dream busters
            and 
4. Expect God to help you, for His glory.
 Then you storm the battlefield shouting, and slay your giants.

Notice that with Rick, it's all about you.... your greatness your great faith, your great dreams and your great lifework... and about you slaying the "giants" that keep YOU from your potential.

And notice how that giants, (in fact, all things big,) are a bit of theme with Rick.

 At the implementation of Warren's P.E.A.C.E. Plan, Rick's "global mission" was to slay the five evil giants  that plague the world.  This would be accomplished by listening to Rick and doing the five things  that, Rick said, he believes that "Jesus wants us to do" ... (under the leadership and direction of none other than... Pastor Rick!) 

Referring to Jesus, Rick said, 

 "He wants us to go into all the world and Plant faith communities, Equip servant leaders, Assist the poor, Care for the sick, and Educate the next generation. These five things make up what I call the PEACE Plan."

That's odd.  The part about "going into all the world" sounds familiar; Jesus did say "go unto all the world and".... but what Jesus reportedly said to his disciples was, "Go unto all the world and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit."  (Matthew 28:19)  Rick takes a bit of liberty in using those same words that are familiar and changing the directive that follows in order to tell us the things that "Jesus" wants us to do today.  Apparently, Rick has been having personal conversations with Jesus, conversations that have lead Rick Warrren Jesus new directive into, what Rick calls, "the PEACE Plan!

The P.E.A.C.E. Plan would attack the 5 evil GIANTS of spiritual emptiness, egocentric leadership, poverty, disease, and illiteracy. How is this done?  According to the plan, it's done by:

1.  Planting  faith communities. 

By "faith community" does he mean Christian church?  The word is broadly applicable. Churches have, all along been planting churches long without the help of Rick.

2.  Equipping  "servant leaders."  

Isn't this modern business term, a bit of an oxymoron? 

 Rick said of this "evil giant" to be tackled:

"Not only have these leaders not gone to seminary or Bible school, they haven’t even gone to high school or primary school. They have no training whatsoever -- and yet they lead the church. This must be remedied." ~ Rick Warren, Peace Plan Unveiling, Nov. 2003, Notes\

So we see how these  "egocentric," "self serving" and "corrupt" leaders were not really described as evil, just uneducated.  Their crime is that they "lead the church."  It's odd, isn't it, that Ricks description makes this "evil giant" looks a lot like Peter and John.... you know, "ordinary" "unschooled" men.  (See: Acts 4:13.)  Rick wanted to remedy this situation by training them to be "Purpose Driven."

and it's rather remarkable to note that the next three things has been done by Christian mean and women for years... without Rick's plan or leadership.  He, however complained that the church was nothing but a big mouth, (unless of course, you were Catholic Relief Services.)
3.  Assist the poor  
4.  Care for the sick
5.  Educate the next generation.

In short, his plan for killing those giants (all five of them) was and still is a daunting task.  All he needed to do was to get the church behind his plan  and he would have it harnessed, working together, hand in hand with the rest of humanity, and together they could save the world.

Unfortunately, his plan was not to make disciples and baptize them.  He did mean that he wanted to plant churches.  Having noted publicly, that the church was the greatest distribution method for aid and material distribution, (since there was already a church to be found most everywhere on the planet.) What Rick wanted was to build "Faith communities," and make no mistake, a "faith communities" can refer to any religion on the planet.   Now that he is selling diet books, he pushes the notion that this great  distribution center called church is a great place for people get healthier... by doing the Daniel Plan.

In reality, (not metaphorically speaking here) there are big problems that plague the world.  The ultimate being our complete separation from God in our death.  But there is good news!  Jesus Christ, the one who died and rose again, an put and end to evil by dying on the cross.   Jesus Christ, God's promise made and kept, is God's plan of peace as he freely gives his love and offers salvation to a dying world. People can have more than purpose when the gospel is not hidden or obscured.  They can have a Savior with a promise, one who is with them always and gives them a real hope when facing "giants"of any kind.  By trusting in God and believing in the one whom he sent, Jesus Christ, we can not only be courageous when facing difficulty, but have peace, because of Jesus, and Jesus  has overcome the world. (John 16:33)

"You don't need to be a giant to slay one.  You just need to shoot straight.  Remember David.

Rick Warren tweet, Jan 21, 2011

No. 
Lets set the record straight.  David had faith and the Lord was on his side. The Lord gave David victory over Goliath, not his ability to shoot.   Also, you don't need to be  a person with a great faith, a great dream or even a great life work...to be GREAT, like David, all you have to do is believe in Jesus through the preaching of the Word.

As for your great lifework.. Your works won't save you no matter how great or good they are.
For by grace are ye saved through faith; and that not of yourselves: it is the gift of God: Not of works, lest any man should boast. For we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus unto good works, which God hath before ordained that we should walk in them.    Ephesians 2" 8-10

As for those great dreams.... Don't let those big dreams make you forget the truth about your God.
Which think to cause my people to forget my name by their dreams which they tell every man to his neighbour, as their fathers have forgotten my name for Baal.  Jeremiah 23:27
 
As for that great faith...  How big a "faith" do you need before it's great? 
And the apostles said unto the Lord, Increase our faith. And the Lord said, If ye had faith as a grain of mustard seed, ye might say unto this sycamine tree, Be thou plucked up by the root, and be thou planted in the sea; and it should obey you   Luke 17: 5-6

"I am the vine, ye are the branches: He that abideth in me, and I in him, the same bringeth forth much fruit: for without me ye can do nothing." ~ Jesus....                                                        John 15:5

What Rick Warren Thinks of Christians

"Most Christians today couldn't even define "protestant' much less name one."                                                                                ~Rick Warren tweet, 10/10/12

"Most Christians clam up and shut up because they're afraid to even stand up." ~Rick Warren,                                                                     

Rick Warren Emboldens Christians, Says Not

 to Apologize for Voting in Line With the Bible

 christainpost.com

"The greatest need in the world today is to release the latent energy bottled up in believers who are doing nothing for the kingdom of God."                                                      ~Rick Warren

Rick Warren: The Church Must Take Action. MinistryToday article, ministrytodaymag.com

"Okay. I mean I went to a Bible university, and I went to two seminaries, earned a Doctorate, how did I miss 2,000 verses in the Bible on the poor....Well, evidently, I just had on cultural blinders. And this is true with everybody, we always see what we want to see. We see what we've been taught to see. And, when I began to look at what Jesus did, I began to think, there's an entire missing part of my ministry. And so the answers to the prayers actually became the, steps of action. And that's how we came up with the PEACE Plan."

~Rick Warren

Interview with Alison Rostankowski, 2006

Finding Christians, to be uneducated, inept, and doing nothing for "the kingdom of God," Rick has decided to convince Christians to follow him so they can do something productive. Rick who is never unknowledgable about anything related to faith, never slack in knowing everything about church, even made public statements that he was ignorant of what the Bible said.  Now he is building bridges to connect people "of faith"

What faith?

Your faith ...and forget the first and greatest commandment of loving /god with allyour heart and mind.  All you need is your faith, any faith that "causes you to love others."

 (Not the faith you have in Jesus, the Savior of the world.... (John 3:16)  not the gospel of Jesus Christ, that of having your sins forgiven by God and receiving the gift of eternal life.)

Rick Warren's grandiose idea is P.E.A.C.E. (a program he apparently invented all by himself.  See his bio at www,danielplan.com.) 

This P.E.A.C.E. Plan, does not offer peace with God through faith in Jesus Christ.... but the peace of the world here on Earth and it is quite similar to the PEACE offered by the United Nations.

To Rick, the hope of the world is not Jesus, It's the world-wide "Church.".  To facilitate this peace he has set about the work of building "bridges."  

"I am looking to build bridges with the Orthodox Church, looking to build bridges with the Catholic Church, with the Anglican church, and say 'What can we do together that we have been unable to do by ourselves?' "

Read more: http://old.post-gazette.com/pg/05316/605324.stm#ixzz2unRny52Z

In A Conversation with Rick Warren at Ancient Faith Radio October 11, 2013 Rick spoke with Fr. John Parker, the chair of the Department of Evangelization of the Orthodox Church in America, about Orthodoxy, Evangelicals, evangelism, and ....himself.


"I just got back from Jordan, where I met with 80 Orthodox patriarchs and priests and bishops from Eastern Europe, Russia, and the Middle East. It was primarily Arab-speaking leaders, Armenian were there, though, Russian were there, but it was primarily Egypt and Syria and Palestine, and the Patriarch of Jerusalem was there. It was an amazing time. I’ve actually invited the Patriarch of Russia, Patriarch Kyrill, and the Patriarch of Jerusalem to come to Saddleback before Christmas. I’ve asked them to come and speak to my staff. I haven’t received an answer yet back, but I’ve invited them both to come."                                             ~Rick Warren

" I don’t call myself a Protestant, because I’m not protesting anything; I have more in common with an Orthodox who believes in the authority of Scripture than I do with a liberal Baptist or a liberal Methodist or Presbyterian who denies the authority of Scripture, and things like that. "     ~Rick Warren



"Today, a lot of churches are what I call “tumbleweed” churches. They’re not rooted in the fact that God has been at work in the Church for 2,000 years."   ~Rick Warren

"The number one thing Evangelicals need to learn from Orthodox is spiritual formation. I would say they can help us on spiritual formation, and we can help them on evangelism. I said, “If you’ll teach me about spiritual formation, I’ll teach you everything I know about reaching contemporary Americans."

~Rick Warren

"Saddleback Church speaks 69 languages.... 69 different languages. So we call ourselves an “all-nation congregation,” and we really intentionally reach out to different cultures. That has taught me about: “What’s the best way to say this?” But the process that we use for disciple-making at Saddleback, which is known to the world as “purpose-driven,” there’s absolutely nothing new about “purpose-driven” that hasn’t been done for 2,000 years in historic Christianity. We simply call them catechisms."                                              ~Rick Warren

Fr. John: "Yes, indeed. Tell me: when we were speaking a few moments ago, before we started to record this, you said that the Evangelicals are lacking the mystery."
Pastor Warren: "I do."
Fr. John: "Say a little bit about your thoughts on that."
Pastor Warren: "I was brought up in a Baptist background, which, in a Baptist background, in worship, it’s all about the sermon. It’s not about communion, the Lord’s table. It’s not about the sacraments. It’s about the word."    

"I believe that the Eastern Orthodox Church particularly, and also Catholics, could see a revival in America, because the new generation is craving more mystery. I see this in the next generation. "                                                                                             ~Rick Warren

   

Now this is weird.... Rick would have people "craving more mystery."

Rick apparently had not only overlooked the bible verse about helping the poor, but has not read Ephesians 3; .about how God made known the mystery in the person of Jesus Christ.

"For this cause I Paul, the prisoner of Jesus Christ for you Gentiles, If ye have heard of the dispensation of the grace of God which is given me to you-ward:

How that by revelation he made known unto me the mystery; (as I wrote afore in few words, Whereby, when ye read, ye may understand my knowledge in the mystery of Christ)  Which in other ages was not made known unto the sons of men, as it is now revealed unto his holy apostles and prophets by the Spirit; That the Gentiles should be fellowheirs, and of the same body, and partakers of his promise in Christ by the gospel."  Ephesians 3:1-5

Promoting the notion of "mystery," and a "Protestant" return to it, Rick Warren says, 

"But there’s great mystery in the Church. There’s mystery in the elements of communion. There’s mystery in baptism. There’s mystery in the Gospel, and the Bible talks about this. I also think that Protestants, when they were reacting to what may have been some true excesses of the Catholic Church in the 1500's, went to the extreme and got rid of a lot of helpful worship aids: icons and pictures and symbols."                                                                                   ~ Rick Warren

Oddly, this and other strange things, are coming from someone who is supposed to be a Protestant, Southern Baptist minister.  

Rick obviously thinks Christians are not very bright people.  He snookers everyone he possibly can.  He believes that the people who gave their lives to give the world the gospel and the scriptures in written form, are inept, spineless, foolishly clinging to the wrong "unhealthy" foundation.   According to Rick, Protestants need to turn back to the notion of "mystery" like other forms of the Christian religions and all Christians need to do more than they are doing.

Of course they all should stop their useless Bible studies.. and listen to him pontificate about how to save the world, and buy his books where they can learn to better serve the world.  Someone who teaches pastors, not the importance of preaching the word of God, but rick's own sermons and campaign projects and stresses the importance of meeting people's "needs"

"The last thing many believers need is to go to another Bible study. They already know far more than they are putting into practice. What they need are serving experiences in which they can exercise their spiritual muscles." ~Rick Warren

We Are Commanded to Serve God By Rick Warren 8/19 2009

Martha didn't approve of Mary sitting at the feet of Jesus instead of serving either, but Jesus told her, Mary had chosen the better thing.

Developing "People, Not Programs"

"Purpose driven churches focus on developing people not programs, on building character not cathedrals."
                                                                                                                                                                 Rick Warren, Tweet, March 28th 2012 
Does this mean they are man-centered?     You have to wonder.  And seriously, for someone who is not into building programs.. whose church is focused on developing people, not programs.., building character into people, not cathedrals," Rick sure has a lot of programs which he and his church staff and his partners not in the church have put together for you to implement.  He apparently wants to give you the impression though, that he is not about programs.  Apparently "Purpose Driven" churches with his trademark all over them are not about programs either, but they all have implemented some of Rick's.

The programs Rick offers churches are not cheap or free either.  His latest "Program," the NEW and "improved"  (the "Purpose Driven Life" book, with a new twist,)  What on Earth am I Here For,  has lots of stuff for you to buy in order to do the "program" at your church.... including:

What on Earth Am I Here For       Study Guide... $9.99 $6.99

What on Earth Am I Here For        Campaign (Program) Kit... $140.00  $69.99

What on Earth Am I Here For        Small Group DVD...$23.99  $14.99

What on Earth Am I Here For       Bookmarks  $9.99  $4.99
(This price is for a package of 25.  It's obviously designed for the church hosting the "Campaign." (program.)

            "Campaign" items for your church to purchase are available from  http://www.saddlebackresources.com/What-On-Earth-Am-I-Here-For

This is only one of many programs... or are they "campaigns"?

"I-I actually learned the idea of a campaign, from the communists." 

                                                                                                                                              Rick Warren, 2009 interview with George Wood 

But that's another story.

Visit "Campaign Central" here and here too!  There is also the "Campaign Store," here, where you will likely learn all the principles of "campaigning" here, just like Rick did!


Other Rick Warren "Campaigns" (otherwise known as "programs") that you could implement at your church (for several fees) include:

Forty Days in the Word   (Note the long list of "essential resources" for implementing this program.)

Forty Days of Community  (<---click church="church" font="font" from="from" highlighted="highlighted" learn="learn" more="more" on="on" saddleback="saddleback" these="these" titles="titles" to="to">

Forty Days of Love

Forty Days of Purpose

But wait!  There are more programs than just these!  There is:

S.H.A.P.E.

Celebrate Recovery

Besides campaign materials for your church to promote the program, you will need to implement the program using an organization manual, a DVD, a folder with eight sermons, a set of four participants using books, songs, a prayer card and a CD.  There are also many related articles to order.  You are supposed to "Nevermind" that it is merely a repackaged Alcololics Anonymous program.  There is nothing original on the part of Rick and friends, all this is is repackaged, (flavored with some scripture references specifically for Christian consumption of the 12 secular steps,) A.A.

                       See: http://www.ccclife.org/pages/page.asp?page_id=112742
                                       See: http://www.thebereancall.org/node/2568
                                       See: http://www.rejoicenow.nl/page/celebrate-recovery-heresy   
                                       See: http://www.saddlebackresources.com/Celebrate-Recovery-Support-Tools-C168.aspx

Oh, and you will need to purchase a Celebrate Recovery Bible too, because.... "it is the only Bible that directly corresponds to the Celebrate Recovery curriculum.  The Celebrate Recovery Bible has been designed to work with the resources developed and tested in the national and international ministry of Celebrate Recovery."
                                              http://www.celebraterecovery.com/about-2/usage-of-the-celebrate-recovery-name/

Life's Healing Choices  (An eight week "Celebrate Recovery-look-a-like program for those who likely would not attend your church's Celebrate Recovery (Rick's AA program for churches,) because they have no drug or alcohol addiction... but who still would benefit from the "step by step" instruction through this Christianized version of Alcoholics Anonymous' 12-Steps of recovery and self-discovery process. )

Managing Finances God's Way (a seven week small-group program you can purchase to learn from Rick)

The Daniel Plan -  a 52 week "program" for physical health and well-being whereby Rick teams up with three men who will teach participants what it means to be healthy.... doctors Daniel Amen, Mark Hymen and Mehmet Oz

Foundations  A program developed not by Rick, but by Tom Holladay and Rick's wife, Kay Warren.  It's a "24 session" program you can implement at your church to let them teach the "Essentials of the Christian Faith" to your small group or church congregation.... if you purchase the 6 CD program for $200.00.  It is said to be a"complete resource " all you will need to learning doctrines and that it provides the theological basis for living a "purpose driven life."  It's a program that they say is "ideal for Sunday Night or midweek series, Weekday bible Studies, Sunday school classes and study groups of any size."
                                                                                                                                            http://www.saddlebackresources.com/Seminar-C153.aspx
                                                                                                                                            http://www.saddlebackresources.com/Small-Group-Studies-C152.aspx

Celebration Station -  a program you can implement for your kids!

C.L.A.S.S. 101, 201, 301, 401

STAFF (This is a let-Rick-Train-your-church staff the "ten values that Saddleback was built-on" program. )

There's even a program for you, if you want to be a  healthy "leader" (instead of a dreary old undesireable "follower."  Don't you want to being out the hidden "leader" in you?)

But remember, just like all those other "healthy" "Purpose  Driven"(TM) churches, we do not want just any kind of "leader." At this leadership training,
"Apprentices will be engaged in at least 40-50 hours of weekly hands-on ministry leadership training and 2.5 hours of weekly classroom training centered on learning and developing healthy personal leadership habits, a healthy philosophy of ministry leadership, and healthy methods or ministry leadership. This combination of tacit and explicit learning combines to create a healthy leader, which is at the heart of a healthy church.""

Jesus said the healthy do not need a physician. (Mark 2:17;Matthew 9:12, Luke 5:31) Rick's solution, for the "unhealthy," is a Purpose Driven," Saddleback produced, dare we say, "program."

"Purpose driven churches focus on developing people not programs, on building character not cathedrals."

                                                                                                                                                                 Rick Warren, Tweet, March 28th 2012 

                                         

What is Church?

"Church is not a place you go to but people you belong to."
Rick Warren Tweet... March 29,2012

Really?  I thought that was family.

" Church is the people you belong to." 
                                                Rick Warren

Funny, the Bible teaches that the church consists

of those who belong to the Lord.

Rick's Acronym for "church".... (The Church, the Hope of the World, 2009)


Care for and support those infected and affected;
Handle testing and counseling;
Unleash a volunteer labor force;
Reduce stigma;
Champion healthy behavior;
and
Help with medication and nutrition.

C.H.U.R.C.H.

While acronyms are sometimes helpful, this one offered by Rick 

deserves to be scrutinized by thinking individuals who would call themselves the church.

We can assume he is speaking in reference to AIDS....

but there are more problems than AIDS in this world.

and there is one solution....

Jesus Christ and him crucified for sin.

The solution is not the church as a group of concerned people who  volunteer their labor in testing for AIDS or counselling or who champion "healthy" behavior by offering condoms helping with medication reminders and advocating good nutrition.  No.  The church while concerned and caring stands looks to one greater than even John the Baptist....

and it's not Rick....(even as "great" as he makes himself and his care

  and compassion for the world and for those suffering with AIDS to be...)

The solution is Jesus Christ and we belong to Him

He bought us with a price and He paid for our sin. 




See also http://rickwarrenquotes.blogspot.com/2011/03/church-hope-of-world-rick-warren-and.html

Every Word That Proceeds From the Mouth of God

"Jesus demands greater allegiance than any dictator would dare ask. But as God, he deserves it & no one will ever love u more." 
Tweeted by  Rick Warren, January 2012  

 "Demands" greater allegiance than a dictator?

Jesus is not a dictator, nor should he be compared as to one.

Jesus is not a tyrant taskmaster 

DEMANDING anything of you.

(Satan , on the other hand, is demanding and he hate's God's Word.)

By the way, just how much allegiance  "dare" a dictator ask anyhow? 

Do you know any dictators who have the scruples to be careful 

as to how much allegiance they "ask" of you 

or rather, how much they demand? 

"Fake Christianity is just a bunch of words, REAL Christianity is love in action."
Tweeted by Rick Warren, January 2012

"Just" a bunch of words?   

A Christianity that  preaches  words... reads words and believes God's Word, 

 might seem like "nothing but a big mouth" to some people, 

but Jesus told Satan, "Man does not live on bread alone."

Must have been a reason for that.

As as for action...

Love in action is best displayed and seen in Jesus,

His love in action,

 dying on the cross,

 forgiving,

 and raising from the dead

according to the very word

 and promise of our God.

"The glory of God is a human being fully alive!"

St. Irenaeus

Tweeted by Rick Warren, January 2012

Is this tweet intended to promote some kind of radical

Christian humanistic thinking, or faith in the person of Jesus Christ?

One can only  assume or guess.

Ireaneas, bishop of Lyons,

taught about Jesus and Christian doctrine 

from the writing of the apostles

available to him in his day.

Why is Rick even tweeting this "quote" of Iraneuas?

"Pain is the mother of change." 

Tweeted by Rick Warren, January 2012

Some people embrace that teaching,  but... 

God does not change, like shifting shadows.

No.  he is the same, yesterday today and forever.

Pain didn't change Jesus as he hungered in the wilderness for 40 days

or when he died and ugly death on Calvary's cross.

We have also seen Christian martyrs, 

refusing to "change" what they believe about God..

under the influence of pain....

 tortured for their faith in Christ,

dipped in oil, 

sawed in two,

 beheaded... 

not for a crime of sin, but simply for their faith in Jesus.

 Many were killed by men, who thought 

they were doing humanity (or  "God") a favor,

doing something "good," 

believing too the notion that   

 pain....would be the mother of change.

They  were evidently wrong.

"You get God's power IN your life by surrendering to God's purpose FOR your life."

Tweeted by Rick Warren, January 2012

I would appear that Rick Warren, 

the prince of "purpose," wants YOU to surrender 

your life to God's purpose, 

All five of them as defined, explained, outlined,

by Pastor Rick,

who knows all about the stuff...

Then you will get "power."

Let's look at Luke, Chapter 4 where JEsus was being tempted for forty days in the wilderness... and where Jesus God his power.

And the devil said unto him, "All this power will I give thee, and the glory of them: for that is delivered unto me; and to whomsoever I will I give it. If thou therefore wilt worship me, all shall be thine."

 And Jesus answered and said unto him, "Get thee behind me, Satan: for it is written, Thou shalt worship the Lord thy God, and him only shalt thou serve."

The Temporary and the Eternal

 Rick is on a "temporal life" binge with his tweets to people.  Here are the recent tweets I happened to notice on the subject. After you read them, think about them a bit.


1.  "When life gets tough, when you're overwhelmed with doubt, remember that you are not home yet."
Sept. 13, 2011

2.  "You will not be in heaven two seconds before you cry out, "Why did I place so much importance on things that were so temporary?"

Sept 12...2011

3.  "Your identity is in eternity, and your homeland is heaven! " 
Sept. 9, 2011

4.  "Real believers understand that there is far more to life than just the few years we live on this planet."
Sept 8, 2011

5.  "This is not your final destination. You're just passing through!"
 Sept 7, 2011

6.  "Ask God to help you see life on earth as he sees it... Temporary."
  Sept 4, 2011


Rick says,

1.  "When life gets tough, when you're overwhelmed with doubt, remember that you are not home yet."
Rick Warren

Does this seem helpful to you?
Does it encourage you? 
 If you are in doubt, overwhelmed with life...

will you be encouraged to know that you still have a long way yet to go?
( "You are not home yet.")

How is this notion that I am "not home yet" 

going to help me, really,  in a time of despair? 


Why not, something more biblical sounding Rick?

Like, "Don't let your heart be troubled." or"
"Remember, the things God has said and done and that 
Jesus is with you always, even unto the end of the world.?

No.  Instead, what is told to us is,
"You are not home yet."
Really, this is not encouraging.
Yes, it;s helpful to remember this is not a perfect world.... that you
 are not home yet....but where is the promise of God in sentiments like that?
A statement like that is actually quite hopeless.

2.  "You will not be in heaven two seconds before you cry out, "Why did I place so much importance on things that were so temporary?" Rick Warren

Christian, I am wondering, 
do you think that the first two seconds in heaven
 will be filled with regret over temporal things?
I doubt it. I kinda thought it might be more like relief and joy...
maybe  a little amazement or wonderment, not regret.
 Even so, if such was the case, if you, at that point felt regret, then remember, 
the Bible says that  at that time, God wipes away every tear...
 and that there is no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus.


So.... here is a question. 
 Why is Rick emphasizing that  life is temporary?
Why does he stress that such "temporal" things are of 

little or no importance.  

Note also, Rick is not specific about what things are "temporal" here.

So one must ask and wonder, "What "things" is he referring too as unimportant?"
(He could mean a lot of things.)
One must wonder "Why?" is he trying to convince us of  what we already know...  and 
wonder, what it is he is trying to sell us as he talks like this.

3. "Your identity is in eternity, and your homeland is heaven!" Rick Warren

Rick, evidently, doesn't want you to be too attached to
 your citizenship on earth, as he reminds you of your " homeland."


This is kinda funny, because as you know, 
the Apostle Paul was a Christian and he is the 
one who informed of of our citizenship(or is it "homeland") in heaven 

AND he was also a citizen of Rome,
which was also a citizenship he exercised, by the way.
Acts Chapter 22...  verse 25


You might say that Paul had two citizenships.


did Paul have schizophrenia?
No.
Was Paul perhaps too  concerned about the temporal?
Hardly.   


 However he valued the rights of his earthly citizenship for some reason.
And so should we who are  are born in America, land of the free.
  
Also, Paul's identity was not "in eternity."
 (Another claim of Rick Warren... one  intended to pull you into
 the ideas he sets forth for you to believe in as you 
hear him speaking and willingly make Warren your guru guide,
Paul's identity was actually in the person of Jesus Christ, 
as it is also for the Christian man or woman or child.


  
Eternity is nothing you want to be looking forward to, if it doesn't include Christ Jesus our Lord,
 because eternity alone is ....nothing more than eternity and  
"eternity" without Jesus Christ who redeems out life from the pit, is hell..  

.

4.  "Real believers understand that there is far more to life than just the few years we live on this planet."
Rick Warren

"Real believers"?

(This, as opposed to fake ones?)
Well, you either believe or you do not.  You are either hot or you are cold.
Rick hopes you are not just a "believer"... but a "REAL" one.

In all fairness, there may be some truth to Rick's statement, but consider.... it is not simply
the cognitive relaization that there is
"far more" than just the few years we have  on this planet,
 that makes one into a (REAL or fake) "believer".

And not only that...

What if the lives we "live on this planet,"

(be it one day or a thousand days) 

really do matter 

and really do make

a difference? (in "eternity" or in the lives of other human beings.)

What if our temporal  lives and the people we love and know
are important and meaningful
and that what we believe,
and who we believe in ... even our doctrine
and choices do make a difference after all?

What if your life involves saving someones soul by
telling them the good news of Jesus Christ?
What if your life brings joy to a hurting person
 or your life intervenes and saves another human life?
Is life here on EARTH really  "just a few years"
 Does it have some PURPOSE in every moment we do
 live here on earth or should our focus be eternity?
Is your focus to be  eternity?
Should you just abandon your life and responsibilities here upon earth?

5.  "This is not your final destination. You're just passing through! "  
Rick Warren

Yes.  "This" is not your final destination.  
(So, now that you are convinced of this, maybe 
you will not worry to  much when other people want to
 come and take your land and possessions away... enslave you..
 or change your government and Constitution.)


You're just passing through... on your way somewhere else....
Where?
The grave?  


You, if you are like every
other human who is "just passing through," you 
might being going to die someday,
and then where will you be?   
 What, exactly, is your final destination?

You might be going to die someday, 
(Might... right?)


Know this now, 
today is the day of salvation! 

And today, if you hear God's voice, 

harden not your heart.
Believe on he one whom he sent so 
that your sins will be forgiven and 
when you die, you will be in heaven with Him.
Remember, 
Jesus Christ was raised from the dead.

6. "Ask God to help you see life on earth as he sees it...Temporary"
Rick Warren

God sees our lives as "temporary?"
Really?
How so?  

I wonder, why didn't Pastor Rick simply, plainly, tell his listeners,

2 Corinthians 4:18?

So we fix our eyes not on what is seen, but on what is unseen.

For what is seen is temporary, but what is unseen is eternal.

(NIV)

Interesting...

The temporalness of life is pretty obvious...

not something that we really need divine vision to "see." 

Yet we do need a special ability to see 

the things that are eternal and unseen by physical eyesight..  don't we.
Such is God's  perspective... eternal perspective.

If you have not yet seen the temporal-ness of life for yourself, just watch

your untouched  fruit bowl for a week or two

God made all things good, but sin spoiled it and causes decay and death.  Sure, Rick, We live in a temporal and fallen world... but God has redeemed creation , saved us from our sins in Christ.  


What we need to ask god for is not the vision to see life as temporary... 
that is a given... we need to ask for God's forgiveness for 
our disobedience, our sin. 
We can also pray and ask to receive the gift of his one and only son...
Jesus Christ and the reality of his life and death to save us
BY FAITH in him to give us life... eternal life with  him and thereby 
see the things that are eternal.

Keep your eyes upon Jesus, the author and finisher of our faith!

HE endured the cross, died was buried and rose again to life

on the third day, according to the scriptures.

Now, why doesn't "Pastor"  Rick elaborate on  things like this?