David Platt

This is a follow up to an entry from September 23rd.

Again let me say, David Platt is fine young man, learned young man with tremendous knowledge of the WORD of God, pastor of the Church Of Brookhills. He has done a wonderful job. Recently after I had listened to one of his Sunday sermons (http://www.brookhills.org/media/page_audio_chrono_2008.htm ) I wrote an entry about being confused about some statements he made. The statement went like this, " if you are not feeding the hungry and clothing the naked then you ... are ...going...to hell." Ok, I have listened to the other messages and I have yet to hear him explain in detail what he was trying to say. I was in B'Ham this weekend and was able to worship at Brookhills. A good experience, very worshipful. My feeling about David's statements about where some intend to spend eternity were reinforced as he took us through the old testament sighting verse after verse relating to caring for the poor. Like I said before, "That might be clear to you but I'm a little slow." You see it's not that I don't understand the statement, it's that I don't understand the statement relating to people going to hell because they don't feed and cloth the poor.

Now David, I understand that you have had lots of experiences the I will never have and you are far far above me in your intellectual skills and powers, but could we define "the poor" and talk about the results of Christ being in a person's life and the relationship to these scriptures saying that folk are going to hell and the Christian being saved ?

Now I'm Sure you who have a personal relationship with Christ can identify with what I'm gong to say next so hang on. IGNORING THE POOR WILL NOT SEND YOU TO HELL. NOW LET ME QUALIFY THAT STATEMENT FOR DAVID AND ALL "GOD'S PEOPLES." When Christ comes into your life, God the Holy Spirit indwells your life. The result of you allowing the Spirit to control you (take control of your life) is something the Bible calls "fruit of the spirit". Not fruits but fruit. You wouldn't say "fruits juice" would you?" It's fruit, a mixture of all the qualities mentioned in the Bible. Ga 5:22 "But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness," When this fruit begin to exude from your life the change is drastically different that the life you lived before. A person who knows Christ will do for the poor because of their changed life, not to keep from going to HELL. It is the result of Christ in our lives that causes us to do more than just feed and cloth the poor. It is the result of Christ being in a person's life that gets them into heaven. You are save by grace and grace alone. Eph. 8 For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith--and this not from yourselves, it is the gift of God-- 9 not by works, so that no one can boast. 10 For we are God's workmanship, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do. Christ's death was ABSOLUTELY enough payment for ALL sin. Now let's not cheapen our savior's death with some talk of going to hell if we don't feed the hungry or cloth the poor.

As for David Platt, have my feeling about him changed? Well, not much but since I'm not there to talk with him and since my e-mail has been blocked. I'll still listen to his messages from i-tunes, but I'll leave it him and his burden to lead those of his faith family to understand this critical principle.

Glory to God, Amen and Amen!