Here we are back for week five of this blog entitled "Who Can We Trust? Rightly Dividing The Word of Truth!" We've been discussing who we can and can't trust in mainstream evangelism today. I've had some questions about the blog so I'd like to address them before we start today. I specifically list things the untrustworthy Evangelical have published and stated but not so much on the trustworthy side. The reasoning is that every solid preacher gets some things wrong and every heretic speak some truth at times. With the positive I try to list published works and websites where the person's doctrines and teachings can be found so the reader may research them thierselves. On the negative I list published heresies or false teachings so the reader can see the foundation on which the person's doctrines are built. With that said, this is NOT personal! Heresy must be pointed out and false doctrine that may not be heresy but still wrong should be warned against as well. Please note that there is a difference between heresy and false doctrines, all heresies are agregious foundational false doctrines but non-heretical false doctrines are falsehoods concerning biblical doctrines that aren't foundational (what we call adiaphora) and such aren't as serious but still important. Heresy is a serious offense to the Gospel and should never be brushed off no matter who speaks it! People's eternity lie in the balance! At the end of the day, it's your job as a Christian to compare what people say and teach with the Word of God and to guard young converts and disciples from heresy, false teachers, and false doctrines that damage the faith and I feel that with the mere Christianity, easy believism, and ecumenical interfaith fellowship we are failing miserably. Please take the Word and the call upon your life seriously.
Today is on the positive and we'll be focusing on Dr. Steven J. Lawson. In case you missed the first few weeks worth of entries I do suggest that you go back and read them as well when you're finished here.
We can all agree that we live in a generation and culture(if you're in America) of easy believism where people have the ability to get their message out to millions with just the click of a mouse. With that said, there is a slew of theological information at our fingertips. One quick google search and you can get commentary and scripture interpretation from Billy Graham to Benny Hinn and everything in between. With so many choices and the deceitfulness of our own hearts we're apt to listen to whomever we "like" or whomever our friends listen to or whatever makes us feel good. In light of this reality let us be diligent in determining who we let speak into our life! Every heretic speaks some truth sometimes or no one would listen. My goal over the next few months is to do two blogs a week, both critiquing prominent evangelicals in our day, one on someone who is trustworthy, someone who rightly divides the Word, someone who doesn't twist the scriptures, and the other on someone who is untrustworthy, possibly deceived, and even possibly an apostate, who for filthy lucre, distorts the Gospel. Let me say up front that there may be some of these critiques that you absolutely agree with and some you may vehemently reject and at times you may think that I'm being judgmental, harsh, or you may even think I'm crazy but I challenge you to research the Word and the person and then decide. I will praise some of these men and I will reject others, it's not personal but as a Pastor with a Pastor's heart I feel compelled to protect the flock from wolves and to lead the flock to spiritual food that will equip them for this life and the next, that is the sole intent behind these blog entries! Lets get started!
This week's trustworthy Evangelical is Dr. Steven J. Lawson.
Per OnePassion's website - (Dr. Steven J. Lawson is President and founder of OnePassion Ministries, a ministry designed to equip biblical expositors to bring about a new reformation in the church. Dr. Lawson hosts The Institute for Expository Preaching in cities around the world. Dr. Lawson is also a Teaching Fellow for Ligonier Ministries, where he serves on its board. Moreover, he is Professor of Preaching and oversees the Doctor of Ministry program at The Master’s Seminary, where he also serves on its board. Further, Dr. Lawson serves as the Executive Editor for Expositor Magazine published by OnePassion Ministries.
Dr. Lawson has served as a pastor for thirty-four years in Arkansas and Alabama. Most recently, he was senior pastor of Christ Fellowship Baptist Church in Mobile, Alabama. He is a graduate of Texas Tech University (BBA), Dallas Theological Seminary (ThM), and Reformed Theological Seminary (DMin).
Dr. Lawson is the author of twenty eight books, his most recent being The Cost and Philippians For You. His other books include The Kind of Preaching God Blesses, The Heroic Boldness of Martin Luther, The Gospel Focus of Charles Spurgeon, Foundations of Grace, Pillars of Grace, Famine in the Land, Psalms volumes 1 and 2 and Job in the Holman Old Testament Commentary Series. He is the series editor for The Long Line of Godly Men series with Reformation Trust.
Dr. Lawson’s books have been translated into many languages, including Russian, Italian, Portuguese, Spanish, German, Albanian, Korean, and Indonesian. He has contributed articles to such magazines and theological journals as Expositor, Tabletalk, The Banner of Truth, The Master’s Seminary Journal, The Southern Baptist Journal of Theology, Bibliotheca Sacra, Decision, Discipleship Journal, and others.
Dr. Lawson’s preaching ministry takes him around the world, which has included throughout the United Kingdom, Germany, Switzerland, Italy, Ukraine, Russia, New Zealand, Japan, Brazil, the Dominican Republic, South Africa, Mexico, and Canada. Likewise, he speaks at conferences throughout the United States, including Shepherds’ Conference and Ligonier Ministries National and Regional Conferences.
Dr. Lawson and his wife, Anne, have three sons, Andrew, James, and John, and a daughter, Grace Anne.)
In my opinion, Dr. Lawson is a GIANT in the reformed movement! His love for expository preaching, church history, and his ability to present the lives of the reformers in such vivid detail is rare and the church needs more of this treasure!
To learn more about this great man of God go to www.onepassionministries.org
God bless and keep the faith!
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