Bio

Dr. Mike Halsey is the chancellor of Grace Biblical Seminary, a Bible teacher at the Hangar Bible Fellowship, the author of Truthspeak and his new book, The Gospel of Grace and Truth: A Theology of Grace from the Gospel of John," both available on Amazon.com. A copy of his book, Microbes in the Bloodstream of the Church, is also available as an E-book on Amazon.com. If you would like to a receive a copy of his weekly Bible studies and other articles of biblical teaching and application, you can do so by writing to Dr. Halsey at michaeldhalsey@bellsouth.net and requesting, "The Hangar Bible Fellowship Journal."

Comments may be addressed to michaeldhalsey@bellsouth.net.

If you would like to contribute to his ministry according to the principle of II Corinthians 9:7, you may do so by making your check out to Hangar Bible Fellowship and mailing it to 65 Teal Ct., Locust Grove, GA 30248. All donations are tax deductible.

Come visit the Hangar some Sunday at 10 AM at the above address. You'll be glad you did.

Other recommended grace-oriented websites are:

notbyworks.org
literaltruth.org
gracebiblicalseminary.org
duluthbible.org
clarityministries.org

Also:

Biblical Ministries, Inc.
C/O Dr. Richard Grubbs
P. O. Box 64582
Lubbock, TX 79464-4582

Thursday, September 21, 2017

THE JEWS GET SERIOUS

Jerry Seinfeld, Mel Brooks, Groucho Marx, Carl Reiner, Billy Crystal, Woody Allen, Jack Benny, Don Rickles, and Sid Caesar are just some of the American comedians who are Jewish. From way back when, they made us laugh and they still do today. But there is a time when all Jews around the world get serious and we're right in the middle of the time when they do.

We're in the holiest of the holiest times of the Jewish year, what's called "The Days of Awe" which climax with The Day of Atonement. During the Days of Awe, for some of the Jews, this is so serious that it's the only time of the year that they will attend synagogue, like those Christians  who attend church on Christmas and Easter.

WHY SO SERIOUS?

What's drawing them to their synagogues is the seriousness of the Days of Awe. According to Dennis Prager, the rabbis' sermons on these days are their most important of the year, so important that they begin preparing for them months in advance.

Prager says, "One of the themes of these High Holy Days is an 'accounting of the soul. Jews ask themselves: What type of person have I been this past year, and how can I be a better person next year? That is why the days between Rosh Hashana and Yom Kippur are known as "The Ten Days of Repentance." Some variation on this subject is what rabbis have most often talked about for as long as they have given these sermons.

According to their belief, depending on the outcome of their deeds during the year and the outcome of the Ten Days of Repentance, their names will either remain in the Book of Life or be removed therefrom. Prager points out that "their liturgy repeats and repeats one overwhelming theme: On this day, God judges humanity -- yes, every single human being."

Serious to the max, that's what those days are for them. Therefore, the rabbis need to get serious too; according to their theology, they're dealing with life and death matters. The rabbis should have no difficulty preparing their sermons for these days. "So, what will they talk about?" Prager asks.

SAY WHAT?

Outside of the Orthodox synagogues, the Conservative and Reform Jewish congregants will hear their rabbis speak of global warming, racism, sexism, transgender issues, immigration, dreamers, food insecurity, single-payer health insurance and the like.

They will hear sermons against the President of the United States whose election they consider a national sin. Prager, a member of a Jewish congregation, reports that many of the Jews ritually fasted and mourned ("sitting shiva") at Trump's election, as they would have done if a family member had died.

In other words, what they're hearing in their synagogues is what they would hear on the evening news, by reading "The New York Times," tuning into the Academy or Emmy Award shows, or taking classes at a university. No need to attend a synagogue service to hear that. So their buildings are being left deserted by degrees as attendance declines.

You say that those aren't "religious" issues. Yes, they are to them, because they are progressives and to progressives global warming, racism, sexism, transgender issues, immigration, dreamers, food insecurity, single-payer health insurance is their religion.

NO MONOPOLY

Our Jewish friends have no monopoly on such nonsense. One "church"listed two of their recent sermon titles as: "My Summer with Mr. Rogers," "Ubuntu (not a typo), and "What I learned from Selma 50 Years Later." At another church, the topic was "Be a Better You."

Recently, I read the doctrinal statement of one church which was so generic that a Protestant, a Roman Catholic, a Calvinist, an Armenian, a Baptist, a Methodist, and a Presbyterian could easily agree with it and be admitted for membership without giving up any of their beliefs. Basically, the church stood solidly for "Whatever you want." Like the old saying goes, "If you don't stand for something, you'll fall for anything."

As the unbeliever stands under the wrath of God (Jn. 3:18, 36) these are serious times for those serious about the Great Commission, those who seek to reach those that don't know their under-wrath-position which is: "He who believes in the Son has eternal life; but he who rejects the Son will not see life, but the wrath of God abides on him.” 

This is no time for fooling around with "What I Learned from Selma," and "Be A Better You."

Get serious. 






Friday, September 15, 2017

ALL HAT AND NO CATTLE

The Prosperity Gospel promises that if you have enough faith, if you tithe and give enough, if you have positive vibes, and if you plant your seed money, God will bless you with money, promotions, and a powerful position. Sounds good, but it's ruining people.

THE PROSPERITY GOSPEL MEETS HURRICANE HARVEY

The Prosperity Gospel met its match in Texas when Hurricane Harvey hit Houston. It was like Hulk Hogan in a cage match with The Little Sisters of the Poor. It was Godzilla vs. Bambi. The Creature from the Black Lagoon met Lassie. No contest.

The Prosperity preachers, holding the Bible aloft, speak to the gullible masses telling them that God wants them to have their best life now, their "best life" means lots of happy cabbage, periodic promotions, and homes a Saudi prince would envy. There's a cost to get your best life now: it's called "having enough faith," "tithing," and "seed money." Their sermons are infomercials for their books and tapes, that, upon purchase and practice will lead the listener to  success or so they were told until Hurricane Harvey hit.

AN EDITED BIBLE

But they've edited the Bible they hold high and lifted up. They've removed Matthew 8:20 and Acts 3:6; they've blue-penciled Luke 13:1-5; they've excluded II Corinthians 11:23-28; they never let their congregations read John 16:33, Acts 14:22, Hebrews 11:37-38 and Revelation 2:9 et al.

Then here came Harvey crashing into all the Prosperity Promises the preachers proffered, and great should be the fall thereof. The Prosperity Promises didn't work in Houston and they don't work anywhere--try preaching it Albania where people work for pitancies per day. Try delivering a prosperity sermon to those washing their clothes on a rock in Guatemala the night before they go to church. Try waxing eloquent about "Your Best Life Now" to a group of believers huddled in a home meeting for fear of the authorities in North Korea.

Among Harvey's victims were the just and the unjust. The just and the unjust lost their lives or their homes. The just and the unjust had only the clothes on their backs as they surveyed their flattened homes no skilled craftsmen can fix. According to the Prosperity Preachers, Harvey wasn't supposed to happen, not to the just, anyway.

Hurricane Harvey should empty their churches, not because of any physical damage, but because of the damage it wreaked on their false teaching. No one should listen to the prosperity peddlers any longer. Harvey should dim their TV studios and wipe them off the radio dials. 

HISTORY SAYS, "IT DOESN'T WORK"

Even among the best of believers that is, the Apostles, we don't find their living prosperous lives. Tradition tells us Paul was decapitated, Andrew and Peter were crucified, Thomas was run through by the spears of four soldiers, some say that Matthew was stabbed to death in Ethiopia, and James was both stoned and clubbed until he died. John isn't thought to have been killed, but he was exiled to Patmos. Then there's Stephen, the martyr and those unnamed ones of Hebrews 11 "of whom the world was not worthy" who suffered and suffered and suffered.

Their shows us something. The Apostles didn't invent or embellish the story of our Lord: people don't suffer and die for what they know to be a lie.

Harvey has shown us this: the theology of the the Prosperity Gospel is popcorn theology. It's all hat and no cattle.



Friday, September 8, 2017

SATAN'S ADVICE ON EVANGELISM

If you’re into the social media, if you’re into reading the news online, you know that there’s a section for “Comments,” in which the readers let other readers know what they think of the story and/or what they think of others who are also commenting in what’s called, “The Thread.”

As you read those comments, you know that they can get crass, crude, and degrading. The name-calling of runs the gamut from obscene to childish. Conservatives call progressives “libtards,” "wackos,” “loons,” and “idiots.” Liberals call conservatives “Nazis,” “radicals,” and “zealots.” Each side feels justified in fighting fire with fire because they think that's the way to win.

But in the firefight, few seem to notice that ad hominem attacks persuade no one. One problem with such attacks is that they make the user appear childish, unrestrained, uneducated, and unintelligent.

THE POLITICIAN'S PLOY: DIVERT, DIVERT, DIVERT

Another problem is that the crass and the crude divert the discussion from the issue at hand--a favorite ploy of the politician. Each "stupid," "idiot," libtard" prevents persuasion. My personal favorite diversionary tactic is the story of the politician, wanting to distract his audience from the real issues, declared, “And furthermore, I charge my opponent with being a practicing thespian!” (He won the election.)

As one author writes, “If you want to persuade another that their belief is unsubstantiated by the facts, or that it defies reason, calling them a “libtard" isn’t going to help. In fact, it's going to cause them to shut down, and get defensive.”

IT GETS EMBARRASSING

I tired of all reading all of this puerile behavior, so I have a program on my computer that blocks all the Comments Sections. I couldn’t read them even if I wanted to. Ah, the marvels of technology!
But, when I used to read them, it did get me to thinking how such behavior can influence you and  me to become like the world. A case in point was an online debate that occurred several years ago among pastors, theologians, and Christian authors. The debate began to degenerate quickly into gossip, rumors, and hurled accusations. Anyone outside the faith, inadvertently stumbling onto the web page would ask, "What in the world is going on!"

The comments in the debate (I use the word advisedly) got so personal that there were those who began to write to the webmaster, pleading,  “Please! Shut this thing down; it’s embarrassing!”

And they were right. Few in the online blitzkrieg were obeying the New Testament command to “speak the truth in love.” Their main interest was to attack each other personally, attacks that were on the level of the Republicans and Democrats going hammer and tongs at each other.

One author, writing about the current online political debates, says, "There are those who will argue that because many progressives employ ad hominem attacks, conservatives have no choice but to engage in the same way; that we have to fight dirty if we want to 'win.' But what is winning? If winning means making your opponent angry or upset, then insults are the way to go. However, if winning is showing people that what you believe is right, and persuading them to open their minds and think differently, then insults are the exact opposite of a good tactic.

"We’ve been conditioned to see the world around us in terms of wins and losses, friends and enemies, but that mentality (of which I am frequently guilty) does not elucidate, nor does it persuade. . . We need to reach out rather than slap down.”

THIS JUST IN FROM THE CHRISTIAN WORLD

Although he was speaking of political polemics, his words made me think of the pastors I’ve heard bragging about how they made another person angry and upset, touting that as if it was “winning.” I’ve sat through many a sermon in which the pastor thought it a badge of honor that he’s alienated yet one more person. As I listen, I wonder, "Has he forgotten that verse about Jesus, “And the large crowd enjoyed listening to Him..” (Mark 12:37)

A good model for us to follow is the example of the Christian apologist Ravi Zacharias. He was speaking to an audience in which was a philosophy professor, hostile to Christianity, who had brought his students to the lecture. After the lecture, the professor and his students approached, Zacharias and challenged him to meet with him and deal with some issues the professor had, which, of course, would be attacks on Christ and Christianity.

Zacharias wisely said, "Certainly, I'll be glad to meet with you, on one condition--you don't bring your students and I won't bring mine, because you'll want to show off in front of yours and I'll want to show off in front of mine."

The professor agreed and the meeting led to a profitable discussion, one that focused on the issues, not on scoring points, showing off, and calling that, "winning," but on persuading.

Of course, I’m not talking about the gospel’s upsetting people. It does that to some, but not all (II Cor. 2:15-16). But it's the gospel that's upsetting to people, not our calling them, "dumb." What I’m talking about is crass and cruel words upsetting people, and when they do, we think, “I’m the winner.”

THINKING BACKWARDS

Let’s think backwards like C. S. Lewis did in The Screwtape Letters and examine ways that Satan would advise us to witness for Christ:

1. Interrupt often. This is how they do it on the cable news channels when discussing a political issue. They spend their time interrupting each other and yelling at each other.

2. Ask no questions. This is because you don’t care what he thinks about anything and he needs to know that you don’t care.

3. Get irritated and upset. Vent your emotions at him. Call him an “idiot,” and “stupid.” It helps to get impatient with him.

4. Forget about persuading him. Your mission is to get him angry and irritated with you. When you do that, you win.

I have a friend in the ministry whose vocal witness is accompanied by love and patience. Recently, he wrote to tell me that someone to whom he’s been saying a word “in season and out of season” has trusted Christ. How long has his love and patience been going on: nine years! That’s right, nine years. That new convert would have been turned off long ago and would have refused to listen if my friend had stooped to the puerile practice of name-calling.

I like what Dr. Charlie Bing says, “When you bait your hook with your heart, you will always catch fish.”


Friday, September 1, 2017

A GUNS-BLAZING ATTACK


Listen to the following guns-blazing-no-holds-bared-attack that occurredin August 2017. The following words are the sum and substance, but not all of the blitzkrieg:

“I cannot think of something more tone-deaf, hurtful, and callous than releasing this statement . . .”

“This statement is a vile, hateful, and deeply unchristian piece of trash.”

“The fruit of this is suffering, rejection, shame, and despair.”

“Really? With all the pain, chaos & cataclysm right now, you thought now was the time for this __________?”

“How could you expect sensitivity from anyone who could spew forth this tripe?”

“It doesn’t reflect my values. I’m disgusted by this statement.”

What in the world has caused this verbal onslaught? Did somebody advocate throwing babies off the Empire State Building? Perhaps someone advised the wholesale slaughter of pedigreed puppies? Or did someone suggest placing a statue of Hitler in Tel Aviv?

No. The following is a list of some the statements that prompted the above vitriol:

“WE AFFIRM that God has designed marriage to be a covenantal, sexual, procreative, lifelong union of one man and one woman, as husband and wife, and is meant to signify the covenant love between Christ and his bride the church.” Eph. 5:22ff

“WE AFFIRM that God’s revealed will for all people is chastity outside of marriage and fidelity within marriage.”

“WE DENY that any affections, desires, or commitments ever justify sexual intercourse before or outside marriage; nor do they justify any form of sexual immorality.” Heb. 13:4; I Thess. 4:3-4, 4:7; I Cor. 6:18-20; Col. 3:5.

“WE AFFIRM that God created Adam and Eve, the first human beings, in his own image, equal before God as persons, and distinct as male and female.” Gen. 1-2

“WE AFFIRM our duty to speak the truth in love at all times, including when we speak to or about one another as male or female.” Eph. 4:15

“WE DENY that the grace of God in Christ is insufficient to forgive all sexual sins and to give power for holiness to every believer who feels drawn into sexual sin.”

The statements on marriage and chastity quoted immediately above are from “The Nashville Statement,” a response to the current moral chaos of relativism wreaking its devastation in Europe, England, and America.

The over-the-top responses against The Nashville Statement are an indication that in the current milieu to quote Jesus about marriage is to get yourself labeled as a hater of the human race. In analyzing the attacks, we see that there are those who are calling what Jesus says, “Tripe,” “Hateful,” and, of all things, “Unchristian.”
 
It’s an example of the principle of Romans 1: when a society rejects general revelation and exchanges the worship of the biblical God for what He created, and make that an object of worship, then “their foolish hearts are darkened,” and, “thinking themselves to be wise, they become fools.” It is only a fool who would call the words of Christ, “unchristian.”

A short time ago, the statements of “The Nashville Statement” would have brought forth because they were recognized as both true and obvious, so obvious as not worthy of mention. “The Nashville Statement” would have elicited words like, “Everybody knows and believes that” and, “Of course.”
But not today. The Nashville Statement is controversial; its concepts are under attack with guns blazing.