Leaving Beyond – Grounded In Scripture

“Be not deceived: the world may appear united, but unity apart from Christ is always dangerous.” ~ Charles Spurgeon

“Men may agree in sorrow, but unless their hearts are fixed on God, their understanding is corrupt.” ~ Jonathan Edwards

“Truth is the foundation of our faith; compromise is the first step toward destruction.” ~ John Owen

Though at first there may appear common ground in grief and anguish, we soon see that our theology drives our response. Be careful that moments of unity in sorrow do not lead to compromise in doctrinal conviction. Here is where our convictions are tried, and where some find their theology bankrupt, others hold fiercely to false beliefs, others grow hardened toward God, and few are the faithful who persevere by God’s grace.

Some will mention prayer and needing God, but they are merely cultural Christians. They have no real understanding of who God is, and they live as though God needs them. They see such moments as though they believe in a distant deity, who spun things into motion but now it’s all up to them. They believe there’s a god, and they see similarities in different religions—they may even distinguish the God of Christianity from other gods—but they see Him as having gotten things going and then stepping back, leaving it up to us.

We see those arise who confuse politics with Christianity and think that anyone who aligns morally with Christianity and fights for those beliefs politically must be saved. They believe or in their practices show themselves to believe that, “To be a Conservative means to be a Christian.” These think they are good with God because they share in common with Christians certain moral beliefs. Common ground can be good and restrain evil, but it can lead to compromise and to assuming some are saved simply because they agree with us on moral issues, though they remain enemies of God. When they make statements and call for unity that requires Christians to compromise biblical conviction, many follow. They seek to win the world by means of the world.

Then there are those who have been prophesied over their entire lives that they are special, that they are going to do big things for God, and that they are going to be world-changers. Tragedy may temporarily cause a wrestling in their mind over what they believe to be true, but they recall what has been spoken over them and they believe they are the answer and that they are going to do big things. This is their moment. They are quite dangerous. They don’t read Scripture and see those like David and his sin, which ought to reveal who they truly are. Rather, they read of David’s heroic moments and dream of themselves as the hero. They don’t see that Christ is the greater David. No, every “hero moment” is pointing to them. They are the next David.

Few are the faithful. They remember Christ. They continue through it all, steadfast and faithful, pointing to Christ. Though there may be moments of agreement in sorrow, these recognize the dangerous doctrines of those who claim Christ but do not know Him, and of those who are deceived and following after false teachers. They bring truth to bear on the hearts of men even amid tragedy. The deceived may agree, but their understanding is corrupted, and they filter the words through their own corrupt beliefs about who God is and who they are.

Truth divides!

The faithful will stand firm in the truth. They point to Christ and find their hope and refuge in Him.

Friend, we need not be famous; we need only to be faithful. Trust God! Stand firm in the truth. Test everything according to sound doctrine. Be not deceived by moments of what appear to be unity, for while we may use some of the same language, we do not mean the same thing. Test everything, and hold firm to what is good.

Truth is constant. Compromise is costly. Stand firm dear saint in the truth. Stay faithful.

Grace and Peace, y’all
Soli Deo Gloria

April J. Buchanan

 “It is God alone who subdues sin and Satan; we must labor in prayer and truth, not in presumptuous exercises of power.” ~ John Owen

“Do not attempt to command the devil; he is under the Lord’s dominion, not yours. Trust in Christ and His Word.” ~ Charles Spurgeon

borders spiritual abuse.

Perhaps some of the most egregious doctrines are targeted at children. A failure to see them as sinners in need of salvation (Romans 3:23; Ephesians 2:1-3), parents blame the devil for their children’s behavior and go to war with Satan.

Sometimes, this is in their prayer closet, where they scream, shout, decree, declare, bind Satan, and put him in his place. Their children hear it and are impressed at how powerful their parent (usually a deceived mother) is over Satan.

Sometimes it is worse than that. The parent seeks to go toe to toe with Satan, but they do so by looking into the face of their precious child and talking to Satan.

Now, if someone is talking to Satan inside their child, we are now claiming that child is not saved and indwelt with a demon.

At this point, the Gospel is not shared (Romans 1:16). The child is looking into the eyes of their parent that they love and trust, who is talking to Satan in them.

I’ll be honest, this upsets me greatly!

If this parent believes their child is a Christian and they are talking to Satan inside their child, then their child is not a Christian. Never mind that Satan cannot be everywhere at once because, unlike God, he is a finite creature and is not omnipresent.

If their child is not saved, they need the Gospel, not their parent having a battle with Satan as they look in their eyes.

How traumatic for that child!

I ignore a lot that I see and hear, but I often cannot ignore it when it involves children, and deceived people celebrate what they perceive is a victory over Satan but is a failure to share the Gospel with these children. They need to hear that their bad behavior is a result of them being sinners (Romans 3:23)—and what an incredible missed opportunity to share the Gospel with them. If the child is saved, what an incredible opportunity to remind them of the Gospel that compels us to live godly in Christ Jesus (Titus 2:11-12).

Consider this with me, please. If I were to tell you that my child was misbehaving and I looked at my child and talked to Satan inside my child and told him to leave my child alone, would you say that is biblical? If you appeal to verses about demon possession (Luke 9:1; Mark 1:23-26), then we are now talking about the need for the Gospel (Romans 1:16), because clearly they are not saved, and if demon-possessed, then they need to hear the Gospel. If you say they are saved but are being attacked by Satan, then should I not be using the weapons God has given me, to pray to God—not Satan—for my child—and remind them of what God’s Word says? I’m not instructed anywhere in Scripture to talk to Satan. I’m warned against that in Jude 1:9 and 2 Peter 2:9. If you say I have authority over Satan, Jude and Peter said the opposite. I’m not Jesus! He has that authority!

Some of the worst, most dangerous, and most cruel doctrines are taught to parents who do love their children and will fight for them, but they have been taught how to fight in direct opposition to what God commands!

Parents, I plead with you: test your beliefs against what God’s Word actually says (Acts 17:11). Those passages about Jesus are not about you.

Children behave sinfully because they are sinners! (Psalm 51:5; Romans 3:23) Stop blaming the devil for everything and look that precious child in the eyes, tell them you love them, take them to Scripture, and share with them the Gospel. If they are saved, do the exact same thing! And pray for them—not declarations or decrees. Your words have no such power or authority. Trust God! Pray to Him for them.

Grace and peace, y’all

Soli Deo Gloria

April J. Buchanan

“No man can be happy until he forsakes the paths of sin and follows the Lord in humility and faith.” ~ Thomas Watson

Oh wicked man, you cling to this dust. In your path is but a cloud that throws those in your path into disarray. Man chokes on your wisdom and dies from dearth of knowledge. You wretched guide of the poor, desperate man who seeks not the wisdom, power, or grace of God.

Death will be scorn to the man who awakes to behold such glory that he cast off to follow such a miserable guide, to his desperate soul that longed for what was temporal and put off what was eternal.

But the man who hears the call of God and abandons his ways—your wisdom as the world’s temptations—he cries out against his own foolish heart and finds grace and mercy in a Savior who bore his wrath and clothes him in a righteousness not his own.

He lives as a pilgrim seeking a better home and warns all on your path to repent and believe on the Lord. You mock him, you blind guide, but while his days be full of persecution, wrestling against his own sinful nature, carrying his cross, and proclaiming the kingdom of God, he will be much rewarded.

And what better than that he may see his Lord face to face?

Meditation

Grace and Peace, y’all
Soli Deo Gloria

April J. Buchanan

 “There is no truer love than that which reproves sin; soft words that flatter are often the greatest enemies of souls.” ~ Charles Spurgeon

Priding oneself on doing nothing and “just loving everyone” is contra-Scripture. Some take no stand against evil and boast in their position to “just love everyone.” But that is not love—not as Scripture commands us to love. Refusing to stand in the truth against the evil that seeks to infiltrate churches is not something of which to boast, but something to be ashamed. Refusing to resist evil by proclaiming the truth—while embracing useless mystical practices from the new age and other false religions—is not something of which to boast.

Many abandon truth. Why? Because it is hated. It calls men to repent. It does not feel good. It exposes our sin. It does not promise all we desire. It does not flatter us with how great or wonderful we are.

Many pastors and professing Christians do not proclaim the truth. Instead, they preach a message that offends no one, saves no one, and brings no persecution. They flatter themselves and one another with how loving they are and what great things they are doing. They boast in their love and their works while forsaking Christ’s work and His love. They sacrifice truth! They allow the world to infiltrate the church with its ideologies. In doing so, they perform the work of Satan—redefining the church and her mission in the world.

Such men know nothing of persecution that identifies them with Christ, because they cater to the world and reshape the church according to its demands. Many “churches” today are Christian in name only. Yet God still has His faithful few within them, and He has not forgotten His own.

“Every man will suffer. But persecution can be avoided . . . all you have to do is compromise.” ~ Voddie Baucham

Many have not walked in the truth, stood firm in the truth, and will never be persecuted for being identified with the truth. They are identified as “accepting,” “affirming,” “loving,” and aligned with the world’s ideologies under a cloak of Christian language. They will not reason according to Scripture. They affirm the world and call it love. They have no real biblical convictions.

Trying to talk to “Christians” who claim to be more loving because they “just have a relationship with Jesus” but reject “doctrine” is frustrating to say the least. They may be agreeable and gentle in tone, but they have made an idol out of love. In their effort to “get people to Jesus,” they remove the truth that offends, building bridges that lead men by another way.

Many “Christians” do not walk in truth, and when challenged they will not stand firm either. They want the praise and glory that comes with being called a Christian, but they do not want to endure the persecution that comes with being identified with Christ. They claim courage, but even in the little things, they stand in opposition to the truth.

Dear saint, we don’t live for the highs—we live to glorify Christ, today and tomorrow.

Grace and Peace, y’all
Soli Deo Gloria

April J. Buchanan

 “Nothing will make men hate sin so much as a holy God; the more we see of His purity, the more our vileness is exposed.” ~ Charles Spurgeon

Prior to picking up this book, I looked to see what others—of the doctrinally sound type—had to say about it. Many love this book and see its benefits to Christ’s bride. Some, however, while recommending it, also have concern that it may lean more heavily on warnings and not enough on grace. With this in mind, I began listening to it. I paused one chapter in, went back, opened it in my Kindle, and read along from the beginning.

This book, for me, followed my reading of Holiness by J. C. Ryle. I suppose that had an effect on my reading it. It also came during the time of the assassination of a husband and dad—the martyr of a brother in Christ.

Seeing such depravity, with some in the world looking for answers and turning to the church, while others desperately work to excuse themselves of any responsibility for the evil in our world—as a Christian, I’m constantly reminded of the evil in my own heart and the beautiful truth of God’s Word. It is there I turn for truth, for answers, for certainty, and for the examination of my own heart. I’m not desperately searching; I know where to turn, and I know “why.”

So, as I began this little book, with these things in mind, my heart already challenged by Ryle’s Holiness, I set forth to see what Bunyan had to say.

I didn’t get far before what to some may read as too heavy, or “for those people,” my own heart was searched and examined. I read this fellow Pilgrim, who walked long before me, leaving behind words that vividly deal with the depths of man’s depravity—wicked man, deceived man, “Badman”—but also words by which any wise Christian must examine his own heart.

Am I a Pilgrim who loves my life so much that my words, echoed in time, would soothe wicked consciences? Or would, and do, my words challenge fellow Pilgrims in their journey and encourage them along their way? What kind of Pilgrim am I to fellow Pilgrims? If my words perish with me, so be it, but I will give an account for each one. My thoughts so often betray my profession of love for my God. Let those wretched enemies be cast down.

I long for holiness, and I thank God for such a desire, which I could never have mustered within myself, but which is evidence of His work in me.

Many stand in pulpits, and many professing Christians never hear holy preaching—words that, as they go forth, the Holy Spirit uses to convict. Instead, they hear words that shield them from holiness, that unveiling beauty which shines in our hearts and minds, exposing remaining sin—those sinful desires that have no place before our Lord. Many hear what merely baptizes their sinful desires in Christian language. They hear words, many words, but they are not holy.

Holiness strips away the veil on depravity and reveals what manner of man we really are. It exposes those things in us that have no place before our Lord. The Christian weeps over remaining sin. And the saint cries out to God against his own heart, praising God for the power He has given over those things, and for the revealing of them, that they may be put to death. He praises God for His grace—so undeserving.

If what we hear, what we read, and what we meditate on is constantly about how great we are, how much God needs us, and the big things we are going to do, then when the world is confronted with the reality of such depravity, such men have no answers. They believe man is basically good and that he just needs to find the gold within. He has been told how much God needs him. He has not sat under holy preaching that sanctifies. He has not listened to or sung songs so theologically rich and true that his own heart might be sanctified and encouraged in the reality of who God is. Instead, he hears words that teach him morality, self-achievement, and how wonderful he is. His deceived heart hides from that which is truly holy.

When that which is desperately wicked is no longer veiled, he shudders at the vileness of the heart. He has no idea what wickedness dwells in man. For he has only caught a glimpse of depravity. If he were exposed to the holiness of God, he would begin to understand something of the vileness of his own heart. What manner of words do we desire?

Oh dear saint, fellow Pilgrims, Scripture isn’t all about me or you. It’s about God! And He is holy! Are we surprised by holiness? Are we surprised by the depths of man’s depravity? We have yet to behold such holiness as we shall. And many have yet to see how vile a wretch man really is, and that God’s justice is good. Tell him now! Warn him! Proclaim Christ and His sufficient atoning work! Proclaim God’s Word, which is holy, that in so hearing it, the Holy Spirit may convict his sinful heart and he may be saved. Many proclaim an unholy gospel and sing songs that stir emotions but produce no holiness in those who sing them.

God is holy, holy, holy!

Grace and Peace, y’all
Soli Deo Gloria

April J. Buchanan

“The Bible is a book to be read, studied, and understood, not just listened to through another’s words.” ~ J. C. Ryle

I remember my first women’s Bible study group. We were a very small group and we met in someone’s home. One lady would drive about an hour to come meet with us and teach us. I was a baby Christian. I had no idea how to study my Bible, but I wanted to learn everything there was to learn.

Little did I know that what was called “Bible study” was really our learning from a well-respected and very popular teacher of that time—someone I’d later learn had many red flags. I had bought my workbook and couldn’t wait to gather with the other ladies and discuss what we had learned from our guided questions and answers. We came together, prayed, and then sat in front of a TV where we listened to Beth Moore teach us what she said God had revealed to her.

I was so inspired by her. I hung on every word she said. I was amazed at how much she knew and how intimate a relationship she seemed to have with God. I wanted that too. I was doe-eyed, gullible, and Biblically illiterate. What I didn’t realize then was that I was not learning what Scripture says, how to read my Bible, or how to be discerning. I was learning how to hear God outside of Scripture—and that if I wanted a relationship with God like Beth’s, I needed to be willing to be thought crazy in order to have such a relationship. To be thought such was admirable.

In one teaching, I heard her talk about an old man she saw out in public and how she said God told her to go brush his hair. I heard many other stories that sounded strange and seemed to have no real Gospel-centered or Christ-centered point to them. But she had already taught me not to question the experience—just to be obedient to whatever I felt like God was telling me to do, no matter how crazy. If I questioned it, then I’d quench the Spirit and miss out on an intimate relationship with God.

So, I learned very early how not to study my Bible correctly. I learned to obey whatever I felt in my heart, because that was supposed to be God speaking to me—no matter how strange it seemed. That, according to Beth Moore, was what it looked like to have a relationship with God.

Later, I would learn how to correctly study my Bible. I’d learn how to discern truth from error biblically. I’d learn what a real relationship with God looks like. And I’d learn that Beth Moore hadn’t taught me anything worth holding on to.

I was discipled very early on, but it was in false teaching—and it only got worse from there. Later, God would open my eyes to all those false teachings, and it was a very painful experience and loss. But it was worth it! Now, what I have to hold on to is solid, and when tested, it stands firm. The truth does not fear being tested.

Many today are discipled and instructed, but it is with closed Bibles. They may be told that they will go through a book of the Bible, but they are not actually opening their Bibles, going verse by verse through the text, and hearing what God says. They are gathering around books, workbooks, and TV screens. They are not learning how to study their Bible so they can see if what they are being taught is true.

I’m not saying all workbooks are false, or all study materials are bad. But if you have never learned how to correctly study your Bible, you have no way of knowing if it is true or if it is false. You may assume it’s true because they use Christian terminology and cite Scripture. But not everyone who does so is actually bringing out of the text what it means. There are many false teachers.

We must learn how to study our Bible so we may be able to test all things—even our favorite teachers.

Dear saint, learn how to study your Bible. It is one of your greatest weapons against Satan’s devices.

Grace and Peace, y’all
Soli Deo Gloria

April J. Buchanan

“A profession of unity that silences truth is no profession of Christ at all.” ~ Charles Spurgeon

Horizontal calls for unity at the cost of vertical reconciliatory truth are merely man’s attempt to bring peace in a fallen world apart from the objective commands of God.

To minimize sin, to call for unity, and to fail to define what is meant by unity is to be dishonest in one’s appeal to a superior unity than what God commands.

Many men come to the foot of the cross, but not all men repent. Many hear that Christ died for them, but they do not hear the command of a King to repent. Many hear that God loves them, but they do not hear that God is just and that they deserve the holy, righteous, undiluted wrath of God.

Many men come together at the foot of the cross and sing Jesus Loves Me, but they walk away worse than before—not having heard the message that confronts them in their sin, the wrath they deserve, the holiness of God, and thereby the exceeding beauty of grace. They do not grasp what they do not deserve, nor are they amazed that God would save a wretch like them.

Many men unify at the foot of the cross and hear much of the correct Christian language, though it is never vertical but entirely horizontal, whereby the death and resurrection of Christ are made man-centered. Love is redefined. Truth is suppressed. Unity is redefined. All becomes subjective. God’s Word is not authoritative. Christ is stripped of His authority and kingly role. He is brought low. Love, peace, and unity are made idols, set above and against God’s Word.

To fail to address man vertically is to fail to honor our King.

Grace and Peace, y’all
Soli Deo Gloria

April J. Buchanan

We must remember that convictions can be as firm as concrete, and this is good when those convictions are built upon Scripture. Yet pride so easily reveals its ugly head in our corrupt hearts. When confronted with God’s Word, instead of humbly receiving correction, we are tempted to dig in our heels and double down. This danger is not for a few—it is common to us all.

Therefore, we ought never to rejoice when a brother or sister wrestles with Scripture exposing their convictions. Instead, we should pray for them, just as we would want them to pray for us—that we may all see clearly what the Word of God says, and when necessary, repent. Sometimes that repentance must even be public, that our convictions might be shaped by the truth and not by stubbornness.

It is far more grievous to harden ourselves and double down against the truth than it is to hold a conviction in ignorance. May our hearts and minds be continually informed by the truth of God’s Word. And may we be quick to repent when confronted, lest pride lead us deeper into error.

Today it may be me, tomorrow another dear saint. Praise be to God for His Word and for fellow believers who love it and faithfully proclaim it. As Scripture reminds us, “All Scripture is breathed out by God and profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, and for training in righteousness” (2 Tim. 3:16).

And we are not without the wise reminders of saints who have gone before us:

“He that is proud of his knowledge, is ignorant of the nature of true knowledge; for true knowledge makes a man humble, and gives him a greater sense of his own ignorance.” ~ Jonathan Edwards

“Do not think it is a shame to repent; it is a shame not to repent. A proud heart scorns correction; a gracious heart yields to the Word, and blesses God for it.” ~ Thomas Watson

“The true test of spiritual maturity is not how much we know, but how much we are willing to submit when the Word of God confronts us and demands change.” ~ John MacArthur

Grace and Peace, y’all
Soli Deo Gloria

April J. Buchanan

“Do not place your confidence in any man, however faithful he has seemed; test all against the Word of God, for a man may fall, but God’s Word cannot.” ~ Charles Spurgeon

One of my great concerns is how easy it is for us to find someone with a microphone, a platform, and a message that helps us in a specific time. But when they begin to show themselves in error, their “followers” remain loyal and defend them in error.

This isn’t isolated to those who follow false teachers. It can even be those who once taught sound doctrine but sinned in such a way as to be disqualified. Their followers are so loyal to the person that they put away all they have learned—even from this “influencer”—and commit their loyalty to them rather than loving them enough to call them to repentance (Galatians 6:1; James 5:19–20).

We see it also when one changes their convictions from what Scripture commands to what feels right in the moment. Their loyal followers do not take them back to Scripture but pledge allegiance to them as they go in opposition to what God clearly says (2 Timothy 4:3–4). This is even true of followers of what may be known as “discernment ministries.”

Dear saint, we can learn from others and be grateful for how they have helped us in times when we needed it and they rightly handled Scripture. However, our loyalty is to Christ, to the Gospel, the purity of the Gospel, His message, and His Kingdom (1 Corinthians 3:4–7). If a brother or sister sins or errs, we do not follow them. We love them enough to warn them and tell them the truth.

Test everything against God’s Word (Acts 17:11; 1 Thessalonians 5:21–22).

There’s no such thing as online church. Yes, we absolutely can listen to podcasts, read blogs, and learn from doctrinally sound and biblically discerning believers. And yes, they may help us grow in grace and knowledge of the truth (2 Peter 3:18).

But if we begin to develop a cult-like mindset whereby they can do no wrong—and we do not love them enough, when they err, to warn them—then we need to examine ourselves. Something is very wrong.

Dear saint, find a doctrinally sound church and commit to it. Those believers will—and ought to—love you enough to help you see when you are in error. If they don’t, something is wrong. I want that! I hope you do too.

Be careful not to develop the mindset that anything someone says in a blog, podcast, or from a big platform must be true. At the same time, do not fall into the opposite error of assuming it must be false or that you can trust no one but yourself—that is perhaps even more dangerous (Proverbs 18:1).

If those of whom you listen to their podcasts or YouTube channels, or follow on other social media platforms have always been otherwise doctrinally sound, but then fall into some disqualifying sin or begin to err in doctrine, practice, or methodology—your allegiance is to Christ, His Word, and His message. If possible, love them enough to share your concerns (Galatians 2:11–14), and guard your own heart against the temptation to abandon what you know to be true because of your “relationship” with this person (1 Corinthians 10:12).

Sisters, we are especially vulnerable to this temptation. If we know this beforehand, we will be armed with the truth and less likely to be swept away in error.

When big events happen in our world we tend to look to certain voices who have been faithful to sound doctrine and have been faithful to stand firmly against error. We trust them to proclaim the truth and stand firm in it. But when they err and we are convicted by Scripture of their error, do we stand firm or do we suppress what we know to be true, change our convictions, and follow them in error? Do we recognize our own weakness and ability to err? Are we learning to think Biblically or have we learned to trust whatever these say because they have always been sound? How is this any different than the one who blindly follows false teachers who tell them “God said” and they believe whatever they say because they felt something?

Test everything according to sound doctrine.

Grace and Peace, y’all
Soli Deo Gloria

April J. Buchanan

“The church is the pillar and ground of the truth. If she does not speak out, who will? If she is not faithful to Christ, who will be?” — Charles Spurgeon

We often think that when Scripture warns not to add to or take away from the Word of God, it is strictly that men will seek to take up their pen and spill ink where it does not belong, or rip pages (as some in history have) from Scripture that go against who they believe God to be.

We woefully, willfully, and ignorantly ignore the more subtle dangers where this is a present reality in many churches and among many Christians.

We don’t have to rip out pages of Scripture to do violence to the text and pervert its purity. We don’t have to pick up our pens and add to the text what we want it to say (as some have).

We merely need to learn—incorrectly—how to study our Bibles from false teachers. They disciple their followers to read Scripture through a narcissistic lens, whereby they remove anything that forces them to see what is in the text (context) and read into the text meanings never before held throughout the history of the church.

All the false prophet has to do is claim new revelation, go to Scripture, find a text he can do violence to by ripping it out of its context and forcing it into his supposed revelation, and then give a mandate for the church that must be obeyed—or else you are in disobedience to God.

Some ask, “Why can’t we all just get along?” Well, dear saint, when there are those who attack the purity of the Gospel, the sufficiency of Scripture, the authority of Scripture, and the heart of evangelism by corrupting the message and mission and anathematizing those who proclaim the true Gospel, it is not we who are causing division. We are obeying God in protecting what is pure, true, and holy. We warn of such blatant attacks against what is pure, and we will not live in a gray area that does not truly exist except in the deceived hearts of men.

Friend, if we fear man and just want peace that makes us feel comfortable, we will quickly find ourselves enemies of God. We cannot unite with that which perverts all that is holy and worship God with a pure devotion at the same time. Such worship is putrid to God, who is holy. Choose where we stand.

Grace and Peace, y’all.
Soli Deo Gloria

April J. Buchanan