THRU THE BIBLE EXPOSITION

Psalms: Living By Faith In God

CXXXVIII. God’s Path To A Secure Ministry

(Psalm 138:1-8)

Introduction: (To show the need . . . )

Today, we need to identify the right path to enjoy God’s sure blessings in our church ministry. We explain:

(1) It begins with our reviewing the errant beliefs of recently slain evangelical Charlie Kirk: (a) We noted last Sunday that Charlie had held to the Seven Mountain Mandate of New Apostolic Reformation (NAR) Charismatics that backs reconstructionism (Taylor Seely, Arizona Republic, “Charlie Kirk wanted Christian faith to be his legacy. What did he believe?”, September 14, 2025; msn.com). NAR reconstructionists claim the Revelation 17:8-10 seven mountains on which the future Tribulation Period’s false religion “Babylon the Great” sits refer to the seven cultural spheres of religion, family, government, education, media, arts/entertainment and business that the Church must dominate to control world governments. Actually, the Revelation 17:8-10 mountains are hills where the city of Rome sits and where the future false world religion will be based (Justin N. Poythress, “How Evangelicals Lose Will Make All the Difference,” July 10, 2023; thegospelcoalition.org), so Charlie had regrettably adopted an errant belief system!

(b) We also noted that NAR reconstructionists try to get the general public to accept spiritual truths behind their political views so as to gain control of world governments. However, unbelievers cannot to accept God’s truths (1 Corinthians 2:14-15), so Charlie’s effort to push spiritual truths on unbelievers fueled hatred in some against him!

(c) We noted further that reconstructionism arose by the non-literal handling of Scripture at the ancient School of Alexandria, what Augustine later used to develop Amillennialism. This view holds that the Church is to control world governments so Christ can return to earth (John F. Walvoord, The Blessed Hope and the Trib., 1976, p. 12-14; Brannon Howse, Rel. Trojan Horse, 1012, p. 483, 106). In contrast, Scripture interpreted literally teaches that Christ will set up His own Kingdom at His return, so we believers are to disciple people to trust in Christ, not set up a Christian empire (Charles C. Ryrie, Disp. Today, 1970, p. 9-205; Brannon S. Howse, Marxianity, 2018, p. 191-192).

(2) However, just how the Seven Mountain Mandate view even arose concerns us with regard to our ministry: (a) Problem: in 1975, Loren Cunningham, the evangelical founder of Youth With A Mission and Bill Bright, the evangelical founder of Campus Crusade (now CRU) learned they had separately come to the same new idea on how better to disciple the world – by focusing on cultural spheres. Later that year, evangelical leader Francis Schaeffer separate from them stated the same idea and listed seven cultural spheres – family, religion, education, media, art, economics and government. In time, the NAR called those spheres seven mountains and held the Church must come to dominate them to rule the world as a Christian empire so Christ can return (Chuck Sigler, “The Road to the 7 Mountain Mandate,” April 22, 2025; faith-seeking-understanding.org). (b) Bigger problem: the “Seven Mountain Mandate is eerily similar to the goals laid out by occultist Alice Bailey. Bailey claimed that her personal demon, the Tibetan, was a member of a group of Ascended Masters which ‘each have a special contribution to make towards human progress in one of seven fields of world work: political, religious, educational, scientific, philosophical, psychological or economic.’ Notice the similarity between those seven fields and (noted reconstructionist C. Peter) Wagner’s seven mountains of ‘religion, family, business, arts & entertainment, government, education and media’?” (Howse, op. cit., p. 126-127, citing Alice Bailey, “The Spiritual Hierarchy,” lucistrust.org, and citing C. Peter Wagner, May 31, 2007, letter as chancellor, Wagner Leadership Institute) The question then rises: How did prominent evangelical leaders Cunningham, Bright and Schaeffer in 1975 each separately produce a list that was similar to what demon-guided Alice Bailey wrote before she died in 1949? (Ibid., p. 15) The follow-up question is: If each of these prominent evangelical leaders were somehow misled, how can we know God’s sure path to blessing for our ministry?

Need: So we ask, “In view of the danger of spiritual pitfalls in ministry, how can we enjoy God’s secure blessing?”

I. In speaking of the SECURITY of his MINISTRY as king, David said he would praise God before all false gods for His love and faithfulness, for God had exalted both His name (reputation) and His word, v. 1-2:

A. The Hebrew noun that is translated “word” in verse 2 is ‘imrah, and it means “saying” (B. D. B., A Heb. and Eng. Lex. of the O. T., p. 57; Joseph Addison Alexander, The Psalms, 1975, p. 536).

B. This saying “applied specifically to the divine promise” of God’s 2 Samuel 7 Davidic Covenant where He promised to bless David’s ministry as king, Ibid. Since this saying is now part of Scripture, David essentially taught that God has exalted His name, His reputation as God, and with it, His written Scriptures!

II. David testified that God had answered his call for help in ministry by equipping him to succeed (v. 3).

III. King David then expressed confidence that all the world’s kings will one day praise the Lord, v. 4-5.

IV. David then explained the work of God for which he praised His Lord, Psalm 138:6-7:

A. God looks down on lowly people like David with favor, but the proud He knows from afar in disfavor, v. 6.

B. Though David walked in the midst of trouble in among his enemies, the Lord preserved David’s earthly life by stretching out His hand against the anger of David’s foes, and God’s right hand of ability saved him, v. 7.

V. David was thus sure the Lord would finish what He had begun, fulfilling His Davidic Covenant, v. 8a.

VI. David concluded with a call for God not to abandon His people relative to His covenant to David, v. 8b.

Lesson: David testified that God had kept His Biblical promise of the 2 Samuel 7 Davidic Covenant thus far in his life, so he was sure that God would keep fulfilling that covenant forever for future generations of believers.

Application: (1) May we trust in Christ Who died as our Atoning Sacrifice for sin that we might receive God's gift of eternal life, John 3:16; 1 Corinthians 15:1-11. (2) May we heed David’s witness of God’s faithfulness in keeping His Word to use Scripture as our sole and sufficient source for a ministry of God’s secure blessings.

Conclusion: (To illustrate the message and/or provide additional guidance . . .)

We thus apply written Scripture to the issues of concern in our sermon introduction (as follows):

(1) On the use of Revelation 17:8-10 to support the “Seven Mountain Mandate,” nothing in the context of Revelation 17 indicates that the true Church should conquer seven mountains of the cultural spheres of religion, family, business, arts & entertainment, government, education and the media. In addition, nothing in the same context suggests that the mountains are anything other than the well-known fact in the Apostle John’s day that they were the seven hills upon which the city of Rome was built (J. Dwight Pentecost, Things To Come, 1972, p. 323).

(2) On handling the inability of the unsaved to handle spiritual truths, God directs that we give the unsaved the Gospel, the power of God unto salvation, that they might be regenerated by the Holy Spirit, not reformed externally by the futile human pressure of believers (Romans 1:16-17 and Titus 3:5). Only when the unsaved are regenerated by the Holy Spirit can they understand, appreciate and adopt God’s true theology (1 Corinthians 2:14-15).

(3) On the non-literal interpretation of Scripture behind Amillennialism and reconstructionism, Christ exampled the literal handling of Scripture in Matthew 5:18. He said that the smallest Hebrew letter yod and a tittle, that is the smallest appendage to a Hebrew letter that distinguishes one Hebrew letter from another, referring to the literal meaning of Scripture’s words, will not pass until all are thereby literally fulfilled!

(4) On the efforts of evangelical leaders Loren Cunningham, Bill Bright and Francis Schaeffer to focus on spheres of culture for discipling, (a) nothing in Scripture directs us to focus on cultural spheres, but on unsaved people in whatever cultural sphere they function in the world! (Matthew 28:18-20). (b) Also, we are to follow Christ and He will make us “fishers of men” (Mark 1:17; Matthew 28:18, 20b), for without Him we can do nothing (John 15:4-8). (c) Third, we must use our spiritual gifts to minister and disciple (Acts 1:8; 2 Timothy 1:6-7; 1 Timothy 4:14).

(5) On the similarity between what demon-led Alice Bailey wrote before her death in 1949 of the seven fields of world work and what evangelical leaders Loren Cunningham, Bill Bright and Francis Schaeffer each authored in 1975 of the seven cultural spheres, (a) there is no evidence that these men were taught by demons! Thus, the similarity of their view to what Alice Bailey’s demon taught likely occurred when they yielded to the thinking of the world that is under Satan’s control (1 John 5:19 ESV; 2 Timothy 2:24-26). We state this for two reasons: (i) First, Loren Cunningham was Charismatic, and Bill Bright and Francis Schaeffer were non-dispensational in belief, so all three men did not treat Scripture as authoritative in a consistently literal way (R. Albert Mohler, Jr., “‘Evangelical’: What’s in a Name?”, p. 29-44 in John H. Armstrong, gen. ed., The Coming Evan. Crisis, 1996; Ryrie, op. cit., p. 96)! That left them exposed to thinking independent of Scripture! (ii) Second, I was in seminary when these men came up with their view, and the worldly push to be creative in ministry was all the rage even in some seminaries! Thus, the extrabiblical view of these men who had yielded to worldly thought gave Satan opportunity to deceive via NAR reconstructionists who, under “cover” of seeming to use a view formed by three prominent and thus allegedly reputable evangelicals, altered their view to endorse reconstructionism! (b) However, Christ’s Parable of the Sower (Matt. 13:18-22) predicted that most people who hear God’s truth will not adopt it long term, and that even receptive hearers will show varying responses to the truth (Matt. 13:23). Thus, we believers should rely on Christ to build His Church without our “creative” help (Matt. 16:18) and view Scripture literally to follow God’s lead in discipling.

May we trust in Christ Who died as our Atoning Sacrifice for sin that we might receive God’s gift of eternal life. May we heed David’s testimonial on the validity of God’s faithfulness in keeping His Word to use written Scripture as our sole and sufficient source for all matters of faith and practice.