Journey of Cross and Quill

Fire Breathing Christians: The Common Believer’s Call to Reformation, Revival, and Revolution by Scott Alan Buss (R3VOLUTION PRESS, 2010)

This particular book caught my eye recently, mostly due to the fact that its author, Scott Alan Buss, sent me a friend request on Facebook, but I had seen it previously while perusing the offerings on The Apologetics Group website. Taking a gander at the table of contents solidified my interest in purchasing, and now reviewing, this book. What Christian could possibly pass up reading Fire Breathing Christians with a chapter entitled “The Goat-Driven Church” or even a whole section dedicated to “The Rise of Mr. Potato Jesus” ?!

What I especially enjoyed about this book is the way it is divided. There are seven sections and in this review I’d like to go over each one, include an excerpt from the parts I find most fascinating, and offer up my take on the message within.

The author begins with an introduction, laying the foundation for the chapters to follow. It is simply named Intro to Fire–The Power and Purpose of the Common Believer Buss includes a poignant quote by Blaise Pascal revealing the source of the book’s title:

“FIRE…God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, the God of Jacob, and not of the philosophers and savants. Certitude. Feeling. Joy. Peace.”

Buss presents a very personal account of his experience with the illness and death of his beloved bride and his journey into a divinely inspired clarity in which he realized that God’s plan “was not merely perfect in a broad, general sense, but it was flawless perfection for each and every one of us on an individual level–even for me.” He moves on to explain through the stories of Blaise Pascal and the Pentecost, the God-given fire all Christians have been given and the purpose by which he has undertaken in writing this book.

“The first aim of Fire Breathing Christians is to identify the God-given fire in every Spirit-filled believer so that they might actively and enthusiastically fan its flame. From one Common Believer to another, my initial goal is to impress upon every Christian man, woman, boy, and girl who may read these words that they have both an amazing power and a unique, individual purpose, regardless of their place, position, title, or role in this fallen world. There is nothing in your past–no failing or flaw–that alters this truth in the least. Every Christian has been called to otherwise impossible heights and equipped to attain them.”

It is the Common Believer, filled with the Spirit of God, who will take this fire, and accomplish otherwise impossible tasks as we are called to battle and assured victory in Christ Jesus. The Common Believer, as defined by Buss, is expressed thusly:

1. Common in status as adopted sons and daughters of God the Father.
2. Common in submission to God the Son as Savior and Lord.
3. Common in submission to biblical truth as authoriative in all things.

One particular quote stood out for me, defining both the problem and solution to the culture war we as Christians are facing: “We cannot wait for God to miraculously do what He has called and equipped us to do.” We cannot wait for a good and godly leader, we cannot wait for someone else to take up the mantle and the lead the charge. In Christ, we are more than conquerors and the Scriptures are more than sufficient to provide us with the direction and ammunition we need to fight the good fight in Post-Christian America against the encroaching slums of paganism. As Buss notes, the church “has surrendered to the lethargic, lazy spirit of this age, her enemies have advanced on all fronts.” We have no one to blame but ourselves. The only reason the myriad elements of paganism have advanced is because the people who in word bear the name of Christ have put up the white flag of surrender, content to eat from the scraps of humanism while turning up their noses at the feast of God.

Buss notes that our nation is in open rebellion against truth and its author. The one true God, the God of Christianity, is hated and despised here, and this is what we must contend with. This is our great challenge. Christ has equipped us with everything we need to face the ongoing onslaught and we must press forward and engage the culture at every turn, in every area, and with the furvor of an already victorious people.

Not only are we faced with an ememy without, but an enemy within. The church has been compromised, and as Buss so succinctly puts it, “has given herself over to a Mr. Potato Jesus brand of religion that encourages adherents to add or remove any accessory from their cutomizable little pseudo-god in pursuit of personal acceptance and corporate relevence.”

Under the heading “Terms of Engagement,” Buss quotes C. S. Lewis from his book, Mere Christianity, as describing the path of the Common Believer:

“The Christian way is different: harder, and easier. Christ says, ‘Give me All. I don’t want so much of your time and so much of your money and so much of your work: I want You. I have not come to torment your natural self, but to kill it. No half-measures are any good. I don’t want to cut off a branch here and a branch there, I want to have the whole tree down. I don’t want to drill the tooth, or to crown it, or to stop it, but to have it out. Hand over the whole natural self, all the desires which you think innocent as well as the ones you think wicked–the whole outfit. I will give you a new self instead. In fact, I will give you Myself: my own will shall become yours.”

Buss goes on to say, and I wholeheartedly agree with him, that Christ wants ALL of you and He wants ALL of me. Every area of life is to be fully submitted to him, not just our personal lives, but the arts, education, economics, government, etc. EVERY area. Although we will “witness the enemy boldy proclaim, exalt, and advocate opposition to virtually every clearly pronounced truth of Scripture,” we must in return be prepared to gain a “crucial understanding” of what the enemies of Chrisitanity are doing and why they are doing it. If we remain ignorant on this issue, we will be at a disavantage. Instead, “with our enemies identified, their strategies understood and the battlefield surveyed, we will then fix our minds on the God-given blueprint for victory.”

Buss then outlines three “essential aspects of the Holy Spirit as evidenced in the life of the obedient Common Believer:”

1. A humble spirit–We must never forget that every slave of the enemy is only acting according to their fallen nature. We were once just as they are now. We must always earnestly pray for their regeneration by God’s sovereign hand and treat them accordingly: with love, patience, and respect whenenver possible. Our boldness must always be “in the Lord,” and not of ourselves.

2. A servant’s spirit–We must always aspire to actively, consciously submit to the will of God the Holy Spirit, who dwells within us. We must serve Him completely and in all areas of life.

3. A martyr’s spirit–We must be willing to pay any price for the sake of advancing the Kingdom of Christ. Any means any.

Buss concludes his intro under a sub title of “The Secular Inquisistion” and endears his readers with these words: “American culture is at war with God, His Word, and His people. The active suppression and silence of all Christian thought is a primary goal of the forces currently guiding secular civilization. We now live in an age of Secular Inquisition and must prepare accordingly.”

Here begins the journey into the meat of the book, beginning with the first section called “Surveying the Field of Battle” in which I will delve into in my next blog entry. Buss sets the stage well, grabbing hold of the reader, shaking him by the nape of the neck and removing him out of his comfort zone, yet with a gentleness and respect of someone who is truly on fire for God.

FIRE.

GOD of Abraham, GOD of Isaac, GOD of Jacob
not of the philosophers and of the learned.
Certitude. Certitude. Feeling. Joy. Peace.
GOD of Jesus Christ.
My God and your God.
Your GOD will be my God.
Forgetfulness of the world and of everything, except GOD.
He is only found by the ways taught in the Gospel.
Grandeur of the human soul.
Righteous Father, the world has not known you, but I have known you.
Joy, joy, joy, tears of joy.
I have departed from him:
They have forsaken me, the fount of living water.
My God, will you leave me?
Let me not be separated from him forever.
This is eternal life, that they know you, the one true God, and the one that you sent, Jesus Christ.
Jesus Christ.
Jesus Christ.
I left him; I fled him, renounced, crucified.
Let me never be separated from him.
He is only kept securely by the ways taught in the Gospel:
Renunciation, total and sweet.
Complete submission to Jesus Christ and to my director.
Eternally in joy for a day’s exercise on the earth.
May I not forget your words. Amen.

Blaise Pascal

Be thou my vision O Lord of my heart
None other is aught but the King of the seven heavens.
Be thou my meditation by day and night.
May it be thou that I behold even in my sleep.
Be thou my speech, be thou my understanding.
Be thou with me, be I with thee
Be thou my father, be I thy son.
Mayst thou be mine, may I be thine.
Be thou my battle-shield, be thou my sword.
Be thou my dignity, be thou my delight.
Be thou my shelter, be thou my stronghold.
Mayst thou raise me up to the company of the angels.
Be thou every good to my body and soul.
Be thou my kingdom in heaven and on earth.
Be thou solely chief love of my heart.
Let there be none other, O high King of Heaven.
Till I am able to pass into thy hands,
My treasure, my beloved through the greatness of thy love
Be thou alone my noble and wondrous estate.
I seek not men nor lifeless wealth.
Be thou the constant guardian of every possession and every life.
For our corrupt desires are dead at the mere sight of thee.
Thy love in my soul and in my heart –
Grant this to me, O King of the seven heavens.
O King of the seven heavens grant me this –
Thy love to be in my heart and in my soul.
With the King of all, with him after victory won by piety,
May I be in the kingdom of heaven O brightness of the son.
Beloved Father, hear, hear my lamentations.
Timely is the cry of woe of this miserable wretch.
O heart of my heart, whatever befall me,
O ruler of all, be thou my vision.

English Translation by Mary Byrne, 1905

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Be thou my vision, O Lord of my heart,
naught be all else to me, save that thou art;
Thou my best thought by day or by night,
Waking or sleeping, thy presence my light.
Be thou my wisdom, thou my true word,
I ever with thee and thou with me Lord;
Thou my great Father, I thy true son;
Thou in me dwelling, and I with thee one.
Be thou my battle shield, sword for the fight;
Be thou my dignity, thou my delight;
Thou my soul’s shelter, thou my high tower:
Raise thou me heavenward, O Power of my power.
Riches I heed not, nor man’s empty praise:
Thou mine inheritance now and always;
Thou and thou only first in my heart;
High King of Heaven, my treasure thou art.
High King of heaven, my victory won,
May I reach heaven’s joys, O Bright Heaven’s sun!;
Heart of my own heart, whatever befall,
Still be my vision, O Ruler of all.

English Versification by Eleanor Hull, 1912

Fret not yourself because of evildoers, and be not envious of the wicked, for the evil man has no future; the lamp of the wicked will be put out. (Proverbs 24:19-20)

There are days I stop to peruse the celebrity gossip and as I read I’m caught in a dilemma of whether I should laugh or cry. Sadly, our culture hangs onto every last vestige of Hollyweird, incorporating it into our lives and allowing it to permeate society right down to the last fiber. It is infectious and destructive. I am ashamed to think of how accustomed we have become to injesting the drivel that proceeds from the mouth of that ungodly beast, setting aside the Holy Scriptures, which should be our first and last thought as we hold every thought captive to our Lord Jesus Christ.

Do not envy the ungodly! Without God’s saving grace, they are marked for destruction, and although it appears that the wicked flourish, their end has been written before the dawn of time and indeed, they will perish. The glamour, popularity, and wealth they so enjoy will be destroyed with them. The wicked cannot and will not prosper. Rather, what God has given to them will be but a snare and a cause for judgment.

There is nothing this world can offer but heartache and destruction. As Matthew 16:26 states: “For what will it profit a man if he gains the whole world and forfeits his soul? Or what shall a man give in return for his soul?” Do you not remember that friendship with the world is enmity with God? (James 4:4) What does the Hollywood culture offer us but sin? Sexual immorality (including promiscuity, adultery and homosexuality), love of money (1 Timothy 6:10), materialism, glorification of self and other idolatries, and the myriad fruit of god hating paganism. The list is endless.

Come out from among them. The pagan lives in a cesspool of waste, dutifully calling it beautiful. They run after the corrupted, the broken down and rusted bits of filth, displaying it with self-righteous furvor. They shake their fists at us as though we who keep to the narrow path were the ones who settled for less, decrying us with their insults. It would be laughable if it weren’t so sad. Keeping and defending God’s holy standards is nothing to be ashamed up and I for one refuse to compromise. It no longer bothers me to hear and read reports of celebrities lambasting biblically minded Christians for setting up residence on that City on a Hill. The more the pagan culture bloviates the surer I am of my position in Christ. Who really wants what the world has to offer? The earth and everything in it belongs to God Almighty. Every good gift is from above. I’ll take God’s feast over the maggot infested scraps of paganism any day. What’s on your menu?

The easiest thing to do is nothing but it comes at a cost and therefore it merely becomes a prelude to indifference. What, then, can be said of ourselves who profess Christ yet live in bondage to the ways of the world? We refuse sin in word yet wear it proudly for all to see, participating regularly in our own pagan fashion show, clasping our hands in delight and gasping in awe as sin struts by in all its adornment. Sin is an addiction, more powerful and destructive than any force. The more we partake of it the more we excuse ourselves for pandering to our own self interests and readily approve of others who share in the feast. It is gluttony of the worst sort. Were we left to ourselves we would have no hope. The Holy Spirit works in us, convicting us of our shortcomings and cutting us to the quick. It is painful but necessary. All too often we have wandered off without realizing how lost we are, preferring instead to read the world’s manual, and refusing to pick up the Holy Scriptures.

Have you lost sight of the Son? Have you lost the will to expose the deeds of darkness and live as a City on a Hill, thinking it more comfortable to wade in the wastelands? Examine yourself against the Word of God. Where are you at?

I’ve neglected this blog on a regular basis and in fact you could probably say I’m pretty good at it. So as to not appear completely abandoned, at least once a month I’ll offer up a quote or two just so that anyone who happens upon my page will know I’m still alive and kicking. I’m pretty bad about organization as my husband will attest to but even so I know what needs to be done. There is much that has been weighing on my heart and without taking the time to sit and write out my thoughts on a regular basis the words have knotted up. The longer I stay away the more tangled it becomes. So here I am attempting to unravel a string or two in order to facilitate a return to blogging.

I’ve been grouchy lately. A little more than usual. I’m not sure the reason for it but I’ve been on edge. I am angry with myself, for my lukewarmness, with fellow Christians for waltzing with the pagans, and for the reprobates whose hatred for God is so blatantly glaring. Today I was responding to an article posted on Facebook in which I referenced a comment that declared “religion and politics don’t mix.” Rather than actually read and comprehend what I wrote I was pounced on as if I were the one saying it. Excuse me, did you not see the question mark at the end of the phrase? I then went on to explain Rushdoony’s position that religion is inescapable. Culture is religion externalized. The source of law in a society is its god. Apparently all anyone saw was “religion and politics don’t mix.” I attempted repeatedly to point out that they had misunderstood me and all I got in reply was, “No I didn’t.” Then I was told I was being disrespectful. Ok, so now merely pointing out that what I wrote was misunderstood and trying to explain is being disrespectful? What do you want, a basket of kittens? There are many days I prefer to contend with the godhaters than with a brother or sister in Christ. You’d think we were battling it out to win top honors as the best Christian in a pagan style competition.

I’m a staunch Calvinist. I don’t deny this, and as my closest Facebook “friends” can attest, I defend its biblical principles vigorously. But I’m not out to earn brownie points by winning an argument just for the sake of argument. I’m contending for the truth. Sometimes truth is brutal. It will sting. I do it for love of Truth, for love of God. If you think I’m wrong, by all means tell me but be prepared to back it up, to engage in debate wholeheartedly. Don’t tell me not to judge. God calls us to judge with righteous judgment. I’m not going to cover a steamy pile of dung with flowers and call it sweet smelling and beautiful. Where are the faithful Christians who fearlessly proclaim the whole counsel of God, engage the pagan culture, and expose the deeds of darkness? I strive to be one of them, though the good Lord knows I fail considerably. My heart and my head are not always on the same page. I know what is right yet the flesh fails me. Grace is beautiful because I deserve it not. I do not know why Christ has called me. I am an utter failure. There is nothing good in me. I deserve damnation. But grace, oh grace. I know He has begun a work in me and He will see it to completion. I’ve set my eye on the prize and I race toward it, stumbling much of the way. Isn’t this true of all of us who are called His own?

There is much to be done and rather than embracing my P.h.D in Procrastination, God willing, I will pick up the mantle and return to writing. I still have plans to research and write on the Influence of Christianity on the Constitution, although I agree with the anti-federalists that it indeed set the trap for centralized power of government. I will continue to battle with Christians who believe government education is fine and dandy, in addition to spending more time on biblical government and law. I have a lot of projects in mind. The best part is balancing my blogging ambitions with homeschooling my three kiddos and learning the homesteading life as we settle into our new home out in the country. God bless and stay grouchy for Him!

There is only one philosophy that can really unify education and life. That philosophy is the philosophy of Christian theism, What is needed is an educational system based on the sovereignty of God, for in such a system man as well as chemistry will be given his proper place, neither too high nor too low. In such a system there will be a chief end of man to unify, and to serve as a criterion for, all his activities. What is needed therefore is a philosophy consonant with the greatest creed of Christendom, the Westminster Confession of Faith. In such a system, God, as well as man, will have his proper place. This alone will make education successful, for the social, moral, political, and economic disintegration of a civilization is nothing other than the symptom and result of a religious breakdown. The abominations of war, pestilence, and economic collapse are punishment for the crime, better, the sin, of forgetting God.

A Christian Philosophy of Education
pp. 21-22

On The Sovereignty of God:

By virtue of the fact that God has created every thing which exists, He is the absolute Owner and final Disposer of all that He has made. He exerts not merely a general influence, but actually rules in the world which He has created. The nations of the earth, in their insignificance, are as the small dust of the balance when compared with His greatness; and far sooner might the sun be stopped in his course than God be hindered in His work or in His will. Amid all the apparent defeats and inconsistencies of life God actually moves on in undisturbed majesty. Even the sinful actions of men can occur only by His permission. And since he permits not unwillingly but willingly, all that comes to pass—including the actions and ultimate destiny of men—must be, in some sense, in accordance with what He has desired and purposed.

Reformed Doctrine of Predestination

*This is the first post in a new category simply named “Giveaways” in which I will post links to contests and giveaways in support of small Christian businesses and families!*

Titus Keepers is giving one *providential* winner:

one 4 oz. jar of Miracle Cream

one 8 oz. bottle of Facial Astringent

one 5 oz. bag of Wonder Grains

one 3 oz. bag of Herbal Face Steam

one 4 oz. jar raw honey, for facial

Contest ends September 3, 2010. Click here for complete details.

Titus Keepers: Natural Living Supplies came about from a desire to actively live out convictions in a Christian woman’s heart to make money from home, promote caring for God’s world, and encouraging others to care for their family, home and themselves in a safe and natural way.

Started as a home-based business in 2008, Titus Keepers has slowly grown. While the products have held on to the same quality and standards as started out with, the business itself has changed and grown. From a silly stick-figure house with a heart in the middle as a logo made by the owner to a professional logo designed by a family friend (the wonderful logo you see here), to paper labels run through an inkjet in the beginning and now with adhesive labels run through a laserjet printer so the ink won’t bleed if it gets wet, to a handful of folks knowing about the business to now at least a hundred…. Titus Keepers is growing!

All the items - home and car cleaning products, cosmetics, and feminine care items - have been handmade by the owner/operator of Titus Keepers, a single Mom to one energetic child, doing what she can to make money from home and follow the commands of Titus 2:3-5.

If you would like to learn a little more about the owner and her other reasons for starting Titus Keepers and keeping it going strong, you are more than welcome to read part of her life-story.

Where We Are & How We Got Here in 14 parts.

“This is a series which traces the events from 1830 to the present day that have shaped our nation.”

The Abolitionist Revolution Psalm 11:3

The Theological Revolution Psalm 11:3

Political & Economic Issues Psalm 11:3

Biblical Doctrine of Slavery 1 Exodus 21:1-11; Deuteronomy 24:7

Biblical Doctrine of Slavery 2 Genesis 9:20-27

Southern Slavery Part 1 Ephesians 6:5-9

Southern Slavery Part 2 Leviticus 25:44-46

Southern Slavery Part 3 Ephesians 6:5-9

Who Started the War? Part 1 Matthew 7:1-5; John 7:24

Who Started the War? Part 2 Matthew 7:1-5; John 7:24

Where We Are & How We Got Here # 11 of 14 John 7:24

Honest Abe Was Not Honest John 18:37,38

Why the South Lost the War # 1 Psalm 44:1-26

Why the South Lost the War # 2 Psalm 44:1-18; Proverbs 16:7; 21:1