Serving Women Sensual Word Soup | An Ann Voskamp Message Review

Thoroughly Equipped

Subscribe

Download

Share

00

00:00

who did not spare his own son but gave him up for us all how will he not also with him graciously give us all things this is a wonderful verse there's so much miss foskamp can dive into from this verse i'm telling you there is no greater joy than to see your people walk with jesus and there is no greater anguish than to see your people walk away from jesus and wonder if it's because the way you're walking she proclaims that at any point there may be times when we are desperate for someone to hand us a compass to show us the way through because we don't know how to change who we are but you have a way -making god who runs after you like a mother not to rain down wrath on you but to shower you with kisses but there's strange you talk to typical evangelical coming into the church that we need to be on our guard and looking out for that's what repentance that's what soul growth that's what finding the way looks like every single day except that you are accepted and found the wayward turn inward turn and accept being found is the only way to be a wayfinder turn and fall madly in love with the way maker who turns everything around is this true this is what the scriptures mean by repentance or it's how we find our way do we find the way maker by surrendering and accepting that we are accepted no and this is a huge problem it's really entirely a different gospel ann voskamp is saying that we are accepted by god when we and accept being accepted by him repentance is confessing our sins acknowledging that we are deserving of god's righteous wrath and then in this knowledge crying out for mercy welcome to the thoroughly equipped podcast where we compare the teachings from popular women's ministry books conferences bible studies etc to scripture our focus is 2nd timothy 3 16 to 17 that all scripture is god -breathed and is useful for teaching rebuking correcting and training in righteousness so the man or woman of god may be thoroughly equipped for every good work i'm your host melba toast may this episode bless you and bring glory to god hello ladies welcome back to another episode of thoroughly equipped i thank you for joining me and am impressed if you have stuck with me on this journey through the if gathering conference i honestly am questioning my own sanity right now and we haven't even gotten into some of the real issues with this ministry in this part of the series but well if you're new welcome for those of you who are new i'll just say a little background into the season of thoroughly equipped and how we got here and back in february of 2022 i had planned to go through rachel hollis's book girls stop apologizing when i got the promo clip for the 2022 if gathering conference in season one of te i had done a critique on jenny allen the founder and visionary of the parachurch women's ministry on her book get out of your head a study in philippians i had a big issue with how she brought in positive psychological tools such as cognitive behavior techniques and mind mapping the use of awe to diminish the self and implementing so -called weapons such as intentionality connection humility etc all these as tools to sanctify our thoughts spirals it bothered me greatly that she one imposed her psychological ideas within the text of philippians and two that she undermined the authority and sufficiency of scripture to sanctify god's women and their thoughts by incorporating these techniques into our book and encouraging the to read it to implement them and with that in my mind i decided to check out the f conference finding out i had access to watch the last couple of years conferences i dived right in and boy was i troubled by what i saw and heard i decided that it was time to tackle this deeply and thoroughly and that's basically what i'm doing at this point i have watched 40 hours of conference sessions that's three years of conferences 2020 2021 and 2022 and most of 2023 and some of 2024 and just because i'm a glutton for punishment i went on to watch some of 2017 2018 2019 and 2020s if lead conferences as well i will address some of the if lead conferences in this series there's a lot we will be discussing in these coming episodes of te but to lay out the way i am attacking this critique i've split it into portions or parts if you want to call it that the first part was addressing the purpose of the f ministry itself the second part i address the speakers that are popular and repeatedly teach at this conference i also give a short synopsis of these women's ministries and look at their titles at the churches that they minister to i want to present a litmus test for you to be able to see just how authoritative they believe scripture is determining if they submit to the clear directives given to women in scripture on their roles in ministry is a clear way by which we can judge whether we should come up under their teaching for they make disciples after either themselves or christ that is the effect of their work it was clear for most of these women's ministries that they have no qualms about undermining the instructions given to women by god that they are not to teach or hold authority over men in the church congregation for most of these women they not only claim that god called them to preach the word over a mixed congregation on the lord's day but also most call themselves pastor now in this part of the series we're looking at how these popular female speakers who are prominent leaders within the typical evangelical women's ministry we're looking at how they handle scripture and the if gathering 2020 conference was a great way to assess this as jenny allen had each speaker give a message on a portion of romans 8 she rightfully described this chapter in romans as one of the most theologically rich chapters in all of scripture and whether you've known jesus for a long time or you're just checking him out we're not going to water him down here we're going to romans 8 i don't know that there's a deeper theological piece of work in the bible so we're going here and what you will leave with i believe is more of jesus so if this is the case we should be learning a lot about god christ and the holy spirit but i have to say the theology has been very lacking we have heard a lot about we uh what we should do and shouldn't be doing such as you know acknowledging that god satisfied our greatest need so we can live our lives with no condemnation never actually going into the how god satisfied our greatest need uh we've heard how we need to take control of our negative thoughts that we need to cherish what is in us so we can live supernatural lives that we are not slaves to our fears but are to open our inheritance to accomplish our callings to not count our resources and trust christ and uh even when we feel lost in our callings and that we are to be on guard for what god wants to do in our lives and know that we are more than conquerors in this life today's message is given by ann voskamp on romans 8 32.

09:00

before we dive into the message let's take a quick peek at voskamp's ministry so ann voskamp hails from canada and has been a speaker at the youth gathering for at least four years running she is an author of four new york times bestsellers titled the greatest gift unwrapping the greatest gift a family celebration of christmas the broken way and probably her most popular book one thousand gifts while ann does not call herself a pastor nor speaks at the brethren bible chapel she attends she has spoken at saddleback church good morning saddleback for their christmas message back in december 2021 as well as hillsong church australia could we stand across our whole church and welcome ann to hillsong church as a guest speaker she has given a sermon to both male and females in the congregation she's been on the better together tv show as well as the life today show and praise on tbn she has connected and associated with other speakers such as christine kane lisa harper beth moore lisa turkish and many more her speaking and writing reminds me of rob bell mysticism emotionalism and lots of questions without answers lots of talk on brokenness relaying her own experiences with tragedy but never clear talk on sin talk of god being for us not much on being for us even despite our transgression against his holiness lots of talk about god working things out for our good but not much about our call to be like christ and the call to holiness in our lives and this message that we're going to look at today is going to be a very good example of this there's been talk about the language she has used in her books questionable language such talk centered on the idea of making love to god and yes she means the making love as that form of interaction between a husband and a wife i fly to paris and discover how to make love to god chapter 11 of ann boskamp's 1000 gifts that was just the intro sentence and believe me when i tell you it just gets worse these are red flags that many in the christian community have rightly questioned so because she has rebelliously preached and taught over men at church on the lord's day we should question her submission to christ's authority because she aligns herself with other women who preach over men on the lord's day this should cast doubt not only on her discernment but her willingness to contend for the faith which exposes her lack of maturity in it because she brings in inappropriate language to the faith we should be wondering how she handles scripture and her dedication to teaching her disciples about god rightly and so by reviewing this message my hope is to look deeper into this to help you discern her teachings but before we dive into our session let's look at the verse in context and we are going to go way back to the end of romans 7 and the beginning of romans 8 to really get the context of this verse all has just explained how no man is righteous before god that all have sinned and are destined for god's wrath and then he looks inward at his own life seeing the war that wages between his flesh and his spirit and acknowledges that he does not have the ability within his flesh to obey the law of god like he desires to after identifying the sin that is within him he states this wretched man that i am who will deliver me from this body of death thanks be to god through jesus christ our lord so then i myself serve the law of god with my mind but with my flesh i serve the law of sin there is therefore now no condemnation for those who are in christ jesus for the law of the spirit of life has set you free in christ jesus from the law of sin and death for god has done what the law weakened by the flesh could not do by sending his own son in the likeness of sinful flesh and for sin he condemned sin in the flesh in order that the righteous requirement of the law might be fulfilled in us who walk not according to the flesh but according to the spirit for those who live according to the flesh set their minds on the things of the flesh those who live according to the spirit set their minds on the things of the spirit for to set the mind on the flesh is death but to set the mind on the spirit is life and peace for the mind that is set on this flesh is hostile to god for it does not submit to god's law and deed it cannot those who are in the flesh cannot please god you however are not in the flesh but in the

14:24

Spirit, if in fact the Spirit of God dwells in you. Anyone who does not have the Spirit of Christ does not belong to him.

14:32

But if Christ is in you, although the body is dead because of sin, the Spirit is life because of righteousness.

14:40

If the Spirit of him who raised Jesus from the dead dwells in you, he who raised Christ Jesus from the dead will also give life to your mortal bodies through his

14:49

Spirit who dwells in you. So then, brothers, we are debtors not to the flesh, to live according to the flesh.

14:56

For if you live according to the flesh, you will die. But if by the Spirit you put to death the deeds of the body, you will live.

15:03

For all who are led by the Spirit of God are sons of God. For you did not receive the Spirit of slavery to fall back into fear, but you have received the

15:12

Spirit of adoption as sons, by whom we cry, Abba, Father. The Spirit himself bears witness with our spirit that we are children of God.

15:21

And if children, then heirs, heirs of God and fellow heirs with Christ, provided we suffer with him in order that we may also be glorified with him.

15:32

For I consider that the sufferings of this present time are not worth comparing with the glory that is to be revealed to us.

15:40

For the creation waits with eager longing for the revealing of the sons of God. For the creation was subjected to futility, not willingly, but because of him who subjected it in hope that the creation itself will be set free from its bondage to corruption and obtain the freedom, the glory of the children of God.

16:00

For we know that the whole creation has been groaning together in the pains of childbirth until now.

16:06

And not only the creation, but we ourselves who have the firstfruits of the Spirit groan inwardly as we wait eagerly for adoptions, as sons, the redemption of our bodies.

16:19

For in this hope we were saved. Now hope that is seen is not hope, for who hopes for what he sees?

16:25

But if we hope for what we do not see, we wait for it with patience. Likewise the

16:30

Spirit helps us in our weakness. For we do not know what to pray for as we ought, but the Spirit himself intercedes for us with grounds too deep for words.

16:40

And he who searches hearts knows what is the mind of the Spirit, because the Spirit intercedes for the saints according to the will of God.

16:48

And we know that for those who love God, all things work together for good, for those who are called according to his purpose.

16:56

For those whom he foreknew he also predestined to be conformed to the image of his Son, in order that he might be the firstborn among many brothers.

17:05

And those whom he predestined he also called, and those whom he called he also justified, and those whom he justified he also glorified.

17:16

What then shall we say to these things? If God is for us, who can be against us?

17:21

Now here's the verse Voskamp is to teach on. He who did not spare his own son, but gave him up for us all, how will he not also with him graciously give us all things?

17:36

Who shall bring any charge against God's elect? It is God who justifies.

17:42

Who is to condemn? Christ Jesus is the one who died. More than that, who was raised, who is at the right hand of God, who indeed is interceding for us.

17:52

Who shall separate us from the love of Christ? Shall tribulation, or distress, or persecution, or famine, or nakedness, or danger, or sword?

18:03

As it is written, for your sake we are being killed all the day long, we are regarded as sheep to be slaughtered.

18:10

No, in all these things we are more than conquerors through him who loved us. For I am sure that neither death, nor life, nor angels, nor rulers, nor things present, nor things to come, nor powers, nor height, nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God in Christ Jesus our

18:31

Lord. Now the reason I wanted to go back that far into the text was because Paul in this portion of the epistle is laying the foundation of our problem, the lack of righteousness we have.

18:43

He's laid that out using himself as an example so he can point back to what

18:48

God did through the giving of his son. And how Christ gave his life for us and all things that come with Christ.

18:58

Basically explaining what God did to fix our problem. These details were given through the whole chapter.

19:06

They are the good news. I brought us all the way back to chapter 7 because it's the backdrop for Voskamp's verse which she is supposed to teach on.

19:18

So keep this in mind. We see that we are set free from condemnation because God gave us his son who willingly came to live a perfect life of obedience to the

19:30

Father and in that same obedience go to the cross to become sin for us.

19:36

And he is raised for our justification, conquering sin, death, and the devil. And we who are in Christ are conquerors over sin, death, and the devil as well.

19:49

For those whom he foreknew, he predestined to be conformed into the image of his son.

19:55

God predestined his people. He calls his people. He justifies his people and glorifies his people.

20:03

God by the Holy Spirit indwells in his people to put to death the deeds of the body to comfort and guide them in this sin infested world, to pray and intercede for them when they are weak and then one day raise them up with new bodies glorified and without sin.

20:24

God really does give us all things. All things needed to reconcile us to God.

20:31

All things needed to thoroughly equip us for every good work. All things needed to overcome sin.

20:39

All things needed to fight this evil age. And all things needed to bring us into the next, into eternity.

20:48

Now, let's look specifically at the verse that Ann Voskamp is to teach on, Romans 8, 32.

20:55

He who did not spare his own son, but gave him up for us all, how will he not also with him graciously give us all things?

21:07

This is a wonderful verse. There's so much Ms. Voskamp can dive into from this verse.

21:14

First, she can talk about how God did not spare his own son. She could talk about the sending of his son, the plan from eternity past to give his son, 1

21:25

Peter 1, 20. For there is one God and there is one mediator between God and man, the man

21:34

Christ Jesus, whom gave himself as a ransom for all. The testimony that was given at just the right time, 1

21:42

Timothy 2, 6. She could talk about God's giving of the son, why

21:47

Christ was given and what for, that he had no form or majesty that we could look at him and no beauty that we should desire him.

21:58

He was despised and rejected by men, a man of sorrows and acquainted with grief.

22:04

And as one from whom men hid their faces, he was despised and we esteemed him not.

22:12

Surely he has borne our griefs and carried our sorrows. Yet we esteem him stricken, smitten by God and afflicted.

22:19

But he was pierced for our transgressions. He was crushed for our iniquities. Upon him was the chastisement that brought us peace.

22:28

And with his wounds we are healed. All we like sheep have gone astray. We have turned everyone to his own way.

22:35

And the Lord has laid on him the iniquity of us all. He was oppressed and he was afflicted.

22:42

Yet he opened not his mouth like a lamb that is led to the slaughter and like a sheep that before its shearers is silent.

22:50

So he opened not his mouth. By oppression and judgment he was taken away. And as for his generation, who considered that he was cut off of the land of the living, stricken for the transgression of my people?

23:04

And they made his grave with the wicked and with a rich man in his death. Although he had done no violence and there is no deceit in his mouth, yet it was the will of the

23:15

Lord to crush him. He has put him to grief. When his soul makes an offering for guilt, he shall see his offspring.

23:25

He shall prolong his days. The will of the Lord shall prosper in his hand. Out of the anguish of his soul he shall see and be satisfied.

23:34

By his knowledge shall the righteous one, my servant, make many to be accounted righteous.

23:40

And he shall bear their iniquities. Therefore I will divide him a portion with the many.

23:46

And he shall divide the spoil with the strong. Because he poured out his soul to death and was numbered with the transgressors.

23:54

Yet he bore the sin of many and makes intercession for the transgressors. Isaiah 53 2 -12

24:02

She go into this and from it show us since God the Father sent forth his Son to pour out his wrath upon him and the

24:10

Son willingly went to the cross to pay for our iniquities. There is nothing

24:16

God will not do to keep his people. He will give them all things to equip, guide, instruct, strengthen, etc.

24:25

to keep them and bring them to glory to bring them to himself.

24:32

Nothing can keep us from the love of Christ. All these things could be brought to our attention by Ann Voskamp.

24:39

So is this what she will present to us? Let's dive into her message and find out.

24:45

Miss Voskamp starts her message sorrowfully stating how one of her children confessed to not wanting to follow

24:52

Jesus anymore. With that said she states, I'm telling you there is no greater joy than to see your people walk with Jesus.

25:01

And there is no greater anguish than to see your people walk away from Jesus and wonder if it's because the way you're walking.

25:08

She proclaims that at any point, there may be times when we are desperate for someone to hand us a compass to show us the way through because we don't know how to change who we are.

25:22

And then she talks about her own struggles in the past. Let's listen in because this is her setup for her message.

25:30

I'm telling you, you can be halfway through your life or at about any point in your life and you can be desperate for someone to hand you a compass and show you the way through because you don't know how to change the way that you are.

25:44

I've scarred people irrevocably. I've fought self -harming daily.

25:51

And I've about died by self -loathing repeatedly. And I am the prodigal in the far -off distant land begging

26:02

God to make a way. But the truth is too often we say God will make a way and we want him to make our way, my way, the way that I want.

26:10

Augustine of Hippo coined the term in Latin, and I'm going to butcher it because I'm a farm girl who taught her kids

26:17

Latin. But anyways, in corvitis inse, it means we're inward turned, curved towards ourselves.

26:23

And that's what I've had in corvitis. My road has been turned and curved towards the marriage

26:30

I wanted, the kids that I wanted, the story and the way that I wanted. And when your road is turned towards you, you never arrive where you want.

26:42

Turn inward and you will end up wayward. Okay, she's right here.

26:50

This is what our sinful nature does. This is the curse we who were born of Adam actually have to deal with.

26:59

Always looking inward, always loving ourselves, naturally born to desire our will and not

27:05

God's. This is not just her sin, but the sin nature that we all have.

27:11

Is she going to state this? Is she going to call out how the believers are to wrestle with this sin and how the unbelievers are to repent of this sin?

27:22

Let's keep listening. Turn inward and nothing turns out the way you hoped.

27:29

I'm the pig farmer's daughter who found herself in a far off distant place in her head in very real mire and muck, slopping more than a few metaphorical hogs, maybe a few real ones.

27:40

The way we're a girl who thought she could somehow work her way out of the pit. Who thought she could pay a pound of flesh for the tons of things she got wrong.

27:50

Who thought she could grab a compass and head back to her Abba father and tell him maybe what you've told him.

27:58

I'll hustle and you help. Hustle can make you the hero in the story and make

28:06

God a footnote in the story. We are made to bend the knee and anoint his feet and give him all the glory.

28:13

Amen. So the first thing she states there is that when we turn inward, then nothing turns out the way we hope.

28:22

Basically, the problem of this sinful nature is that it keeps things from turning out the way we hope.

28:28

Not that it is an affront to a holy God. Not that the results of this sin nature to turn inward is death and eternal torment and hell, but is merely a disruption of our hopes.

28:44

But what if our hopes were turned inward too? What if the things we hope for are selfish and self -centered for our comfort and done in love of our sinful desires?

28:59

Now, she relays how we in our sinful nature have a tendency to turn to the law to save us as she says, quote,

29:08

I'll hustle if you, meaning God, help. And it does tend to make one a hero in their story.

29:16

Thinking that one is made right with God by obeying the law, if this is what she means by hustle, will either bring one into despair if they understand the law rightly or pride because they actually think they keep it like the rich young ruler proclaimed in Matthew 19, 16 to 22.

29:36

But is the hustle that she talks about here in regards to obedience to the law, or is it hustling for something else?

29:45

Hustling to accomplish our hopes, perhaps. You know, sometimes it's like, it's like someone who likes the status of their job, but doesn't like the company of their boss.

29:56

We can enjoy the glory of working for God, but not enjoy getting away alone with God.

30:04

You may want to do more for God, learn for God, hustle for God, but no matter what sexy any self -help guru is selling, the wildly radical truth is dead people can't find their way.

30:19

Lost sheep never find their way back to the fold. Lost coin never finds its way back to the purse. Lost and wayward can only find the way when we accept being found by the one who is the way.

30:31

And when I came, when I came to the end of myself, found out that all of my rows were dead ends.

30:42

And I thought about death by self. I began fasting and praying and begging

30:50

God for a sign that he sees the loss and the one who doesn't see the way through. Somehow, God, make a way for the prodigals.

30:58

Make a way for the impossibles. Okay, some of you may be, like, scratching your heads at this point.

31:06

I know I was. And it took me a bit to figure out what she was talking about.

31:12

She's so flowery with her words here, using parables as metaphors and phrases that are confusing and meaning.

31:23

But one of the problems here is that she seems to equate being a lost sheep with being disciples of Christ, whose hopes don't turn out as they planned.

31:34

The parable of the prodigal son is related to the parable of the lost sheep and the lost coin.

31:41

They were told in response to the grumbling of the Pharisees, saying, this man receives sinners and eats with them.

31:49

Luke 15 2. These stories were told to reveal how the Messiah was sent not to call the righteous, but to call the sinners to repentance.

31:59

Mark 2 17 and Luke 5 31. The prodigal son parable is about the repentance of the sins this dishonoring son committed and the mercy and forgiveness granted by the father.

32:15

It's not about how God makes, quote, a way for the prodigals, makes a way for the impossibles.

32:23

The goal here is very vague. Make a way for what? Make a way for salvation?

32:31

Make a way to be made right with God? Make a way to end the curse of sin? I mean, what is

32:37

Miss Voskamp's end goal? Is it these things? Or is the goal our hopes and dreams coming to pass?

32:45

And what does this have to do with our walk or the faith of those who observe our walk as stated in the beginning of her message?

32:54

She continues on talking about how in this time of her, in this time of despair, she found herself lost driving a rental car in the middle of Tennessee on the way to a women's conference.

33:10

And in the middle of fasting and praying, I found myself lost driving a rental car somewhere in a winding road in the state of Tennessee.

33:17

When she claims her phone miraculously connects to the rental car's

33:23

Bluetooth and plays a download she was trying to get. And all of a sudden it downloads and automatically is playing via Bluetooth through the speakers of this rental car,

33:34

John 14. It plays John 14 where Thomas asks Jesus, how can we know the way?

33:41

On this ride, she states that she was praying and begging God to show her a sign. And my prayer isn't even finished.

33:49

When I come around a bend on this lost road in Tennessee and see a sign that says,

33:54

Jesus is the way maker. And at the same instant, full blast through the speakers of the car, there's a voice that says,

34:05

Jesus answered, I am the way, the truth, and the life.

34:10

No one comes to the Father except through me. Come on.

34:18

I've been fasting without food for days. I'm thousands of miles away from home.

34:24

I'm lost on a road in Tennessee. Begging for a sign that he's the way. And there it is, an actual sign.

34:35

With the speakers blaring out his word saying, I am the way, the truth, and the life.

34:41

Now I'm not going to exegete her experience. Neither will I question that it even happened.

34:49

But what I will mention here is that she has just confessed, whether she realized it or not, that she was looking for a sign.

34:56

This is equivalent to looking for an omen, which is forbidden for us to do in scripture.

35:04

I'm lost on a road in Tennessee. Begging for a sign that he's the way. And there it is, an actual sign.

35:11

Pagan religions believed the gods communicated through omens, usually some sort of sign relaying something that was to come.

35:20

While hyper charismatic Christianity has prophets adopting this form of futuristic revelation, what is common even among not so charismatic circles is to believe

35:33

God sends signs to give personal knowledge or revelation. Boskamp is relaying here just that.

35:41

Things like this should make us wonder. Wonder why this experience is what brought her hope.

35:47

Why did God's word not bring her the hope and comfort that she sought, but this experience did?

35:55

I do find comfort and my faith does grow in providential experiences.

36:02

And I grant that God and his patience and mercy can display his love in experiences like these that are providential.

36:10

But desiring a sign exposes our lack of trust in the prophetic word already given.

36:18

I played this game with God too, just like Gideon did. And God was patient with me, like he was with Gideon.

36:27

But Gideon's example is not perspec - perspec - perspective?

36:40

Gideon's example is not prescriptive. It shows God's graciousness to a man who doubted

36:47

God's word. While we understand that God is at work in providence and certain experiences can solidify our faith that God is sovereign and does all that he pleases, strong faith does not look for signs, but rests in God's word.

37:05

But instead of scripture, she has chosen to use her experience to encourage women who are lost, who are like the prodigal son and lost sheep.

37:15

Why talk about her experience and not talk about God's word, and especially not talk about the way that Christ reconciled his lost sheep to himself?

37:27

Listen to where she goes here. You know, I don't know what impossible you're begging God for right now, but Jesus sent me to give you a sign.

37:37

You have a way maker. You have a way maker who will not just make our way a maybe way or a possible way.

37:47

You have a way maker who will make the way, because Jesus is the way, the truth, and the life.

37:53

And the moment I saw that sign, I pulled over to the side of the road, and I bawled like a baby, because I could feel it.

38:01

Maybe you can feel it too. Your father kissing you with grace in all your wounded places.

38:08

Your way maker, who is a father who's always out on the porch, neck craning, looking down the road for his wayward prodigals.

38:17

The prodigal father, lavish and wasteful in his love. Okay, now there's a lot going on here.

38:25

So let's tackle this one at a time. Let's address this statement. You know,

38:31

I don't know what impossible you're begging God for right now. This is left open for way, way too much personal interpretation.

38:42

One woman can interpret her impossible to be some worldly thing, a job, her weight, her family issues, some type of political issue she wants to see fixed.

38:54

I mean, this could be all sorts of things to women. The issue is, what did

39:01

Thomas mean by the way? And what does Jesus mean by the way? The way to what?

39:08

Well, let's look at this passage in John 14. Let not your hearts be troubled.

39:13

Believe in God. Believe also in me. In my father's house are many rooms.

39:19

If it were not so, would I have told you that I go to prepare a place for you? And if I go and prepare a place for you,

39:28

I will come again and will take you to myself that where I am, you may be also.

39:34

And you know the way to where I'm going. Thomas said to him, Lord, we do not know where you're going.

39:41

How can we know the way? Jesus said to him, I am the way and the truth and the life.

39:50

No one comes to the father except through me. If you had known me, you would have known my father also.

39:57

From now on, you do know him and have seen him. John 14, 1 to 7.

40:02

So when Thomas is asking to know the way, he's asking to know the way to where Jesus is going.

40:10

And Jesus says here that he is going to the father. So Thomas is asking for Jesus to show them the way to the father, not just a way to or through the impossible that we are begging

40:24

God for. And this is why her message is going to only get more and more confusing because she will continue to say

40:33

Jesus is the way, but make the goal or the end point of that way the impossible that we are begging

40:41

Jesus for. The end point of the way is subjective and determined by the individual when the way that Jesus is talking about in the scripture is himself and the destination is the father.

40:58

Now, here's another thing about what she said in the last part of this clip. The prodigal father, lavish and wasteful is love.

41:07

Is God's love lavish and wasteful? Lavish means sumptuously rich, elaborate, or luxurious.

41:17

This I maybe would, you know, agree with. I don't like using those type of words.

41:25

But wasteful? No. Wasteful means using or expending something of value carelessly, extravagantly, or to no purpose.

41:39

Everything God does is to accomplish his purposes. There is a reason and there is a goal and all is for his glory, even the works he does in his love,

41:50

Isaiah 46, 8 to 11. I am not fond of the central description of God's love.

41:57

Now, from here, she's going to get even more flowery in her words, describing the father in the parable as defying the patriarchy at the time.

42:07

Defies the shame of a patriarch running in robes. By running to the prodigal and in doing so casting shame upon himself, she describes herself as the prodigal coming back to the game plan to work it all out.

42:23

I've been that prodigal, coming back to the father with my game plan to work it all out, to work my way out of the pit, to work for more good, work better, work faster, work harder.

42:34

And the way maker had a plan to stretch himself out on the cross, complete all the work and take the wayward in his arms.

42:42

You may struggle with self -loathing and self -turning and self -focus, but you have a way making

42:48

God who runs after you like a mother, not to rain down wrath on you, but to shower you with kisses.

42:57

The wayward think they have to find a way or make a way, but you don't have to make a way. You don't have to find a way.

43:03

You only have to accept that it's the way maker who finds you and he makes the way.

43:11

Digging through all the flowery, poetic, sensual speech, and it's really hard to know what she's talking about.

43:20

She keeps talking about the way, but the way to what? It's not clear.

43:26

Using flowery speech may sound good and tickle our ears, but it has no meaning if she's not defining her terms here.

43:34

For some, the way can mean that the Father makes a way through our troubles and pains.

43:40

And that sounds a lot like what she's trying to say here. And I would agree with her looking away if this is what she means.

43:49

But what is the connection to what she's teaching to what Paul is teaching in Romans 8 32?

43:56

Is the way she talks about here the way to the Father? She mentions the way maker as having a plan to stretch out his hands on the cross, complete all the work, and come after you like a mother who will shower you with kisses.

44:13

There is strange new talk, although it's probably not really new, but there's strange new talk to typical evangelicalism coming into the church that we need to be on our guard and looking out for.

44:31

Now, I'm not saying she is speaking in this way, though I have heard her do it in other speeches.

44:40

But it's a very, very fine line to walk here.

44:46

There's this talk about exposing the church to a feminine expression of God.

44:52

And this is what Miss Voskamp has done here. Either in ignorance or on purpose.

45:00

This new talk wants to press on the point that God is neither male nor female and pose a sort of gender fluidity within the text, meaning they take license with it to change the metaphors

45:15

God uses for himself as father and change it to mother in hopes to bring in a more egalitarian view of the

45:24

Trinity in his word. And Voskamp has right here changed the gender description of the father in the parable to being, quote, like a mother running to her prodigals to lavish them with kisses.

45:39

This is a problem. Though God is spirit and has not a body like humans,

45:46

Jesus does. Jesus took on flesh, human flesh, and more specifically, he took on male flesh.

45:54

Jesus describes God as father, as one with all authority and the patriarch, the head of all creation.

46:03

It is no neglect on God's part to use male pronouns when talking about himself in his revelation of himself.

46:14

Each person of the Trinity is described with male pronouns when referring to himself.

46:19

There are occasions in scripture where female pronouns are used to describe wisdom or are used to give metaphors to expound upon a trait, action, or way

46:34

God behaves, but it's not in reference to his person. If you start hearing teachers talk about God as mother run, these are sparks of an egalitarian teaching called the divine feminine and are rooted in New Age and pagan spiritism.

46:56

While Ms. Voskamp has not outrightly changed the parable by using the words like a mother to describe the way

47:04

God comes to us, why did she even change it at all? Why not continue with the parable and describe

47:11

God as Jesus gives in his story a father who runs to us to restore the prodigal to the family?

47:20

Why change the gender? This just causes me to be super suspicious.

47:26

She continues by saying that this is what repentance is, accepting that we are accepted and found.

47:46

Being accepted and found as his beloved, found in the way maker's arms.

47:53

Our greatest act is the act of surrender. Your life is as great as you greatly surrender to a great

48:01

God. Much suffering ends where surrendering begins.

48:09

The wayward turn inward, turn and accept being found is the only way to be a way finder.

48:18

Turn and fall madly in love with the way maker who turns everything around.

48:24

It's like I'm being bombarded with word soup. Is this true?

48:30

Is this what the scriptures mean by repentance or it's how we find our way?

48:36

Do we find the way maker by surrendering and accepting that we are accepted?

48:43

No. And this is a huge problem. It's really entirely a different gospel.

48:51

Ann Voskamp is saying that we are accepted by God when we surrender and accept being accepted by him.

48:58

First, there's a problem that there is an underlying assumption that God merely accepts people and that their problem is not their sin and lack of faith in Christ, but that they just don't know that God accepts them.

49:12

Over and over again in scripture, it describes God as being angry at sinners, that his wrath will one day be poured out on all who transgress his law.

49:25

Romans 1 18 and Romans 2 5. More specifically, God's wrath will be poured out on those who do not believe in his son.

49:37

John 3 36. Those who do not accept Jesus as a son of God and his death and resurrection.

49:44

God in his love and justice cannot merely accept a sinner. Justice must be given.

49:51

And that is where repentance comes in. Repentance is acknowledging that God, by his righteous law, has told us what righteousness looks like.

50:02

By this holy law, we are exposed to our sin. Romans 3 20 and 7 7.

50:09

And rightly understand that those who do not keep the law will be held accountable on the day of judgment.

50:16

Romans 2 1 to 29. James 2 10 and Galatians 3 10.

50:23

Repentance is confessing our sins, acknowledging that we are deserving of God's righteous wrath, and then in this knowledge, crying out for mercy.

50:35

If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.

50:43

1 John 1 19. Jesus did not call people to accept that they are accepted.

50:49

He came to call sinners to repentance. Luke 5 32. Jesus is the way to God.

50:56

He is the way because for those who repent of their sin and trust in Christ's work, their sins are placed on him and he bore the wrath of God.

51:06

For our sake he made Christ to be sin who knew no sin, so that in him we might become the righteousness of God.

51:12

2 Corinthians 5 21. Also, our greatest act is not the act of surrender.

51:19

Our greatest act is faith, and without faith it's impossible to please him. For whoever would draw near to God must believe that he exists and that he rewards those who seek him.

51:31

Hebrews 11 6. God rewards those who seek him. It doesn't say that God rewards those who accept being accepted by him.

51:42

No, but those who hunger and thirst for righteousness. Matthew 5 6 will be filled.

51:48

They will be counted righteous because they have faith in the one who fulfilled all righteousness for them.

51:55

Christ is the goal. Those who merely want to be accepted by him without acknowledging their rebellion against him don't actually want holiness and righteousness, don't actually want

52:06

Christ. Because holiness and righteousness are his nature. And is that where Ms.

52:12

Voskamp is going with this? Describing being wayward, prodigal, sinful, and yet telling her audience that God accepts you and wants to lavish you with love and kisses like a mother.

52:24

You just merely need to accept his love. She transitions to telling the audience that she has a compass that she keeps with her at her desk.

52:52

And this word is for those listening. Even if things have not gone the way they've hoped, whether they have gone wayward or not, the

53:01

Lord is with them. And the wayfinder rests in the love of the waymaker.

53:32

Now, that was confusing.

53:40

Wayward, prodigal, doesn't let herself get distracted from God's love.

53:47

I would think that was a sign that one is wayward and is the prodigal.

53:52

That she chases things other than God. But then she renames the wayward prodigal to the wayfinder.

54:01

So I'm going to give her the benefit of the doubt here. And saying that that was probably a misspeak.

54:10

She meant to say the wayfinder doesn't get distracted. But let's continue.

54:16

She states on the other side of her compass, the word God is where north would be.

54:23

Your true north is God. That any other magnetic force placed near the compass will hinder it from pointing true north.

54:33

In the same way, when we are distracted or putting hope in other things, our compass will not point the way.

54:40

But if you hold a compass, this compass too close to any other magnets, magnets and speakers, a magnet and a motor, it won't orient to true north.

54:52

If the compass of your soul is too close to the noise, to the draw of busyness, to the magnetic pull of comparison and competition, you won't find the way.

55:04

Because your soul isn't drawn to the waymaker the most. If you are turned toward the gram more than towards God, toward a hustling spirit more than the

55:18

Holy Spirit, to arriving at some good place then more than you are willing to live in a good

55:23

God, your compass will not take you where you want to end up. If you want

55:30

God to make a way, give him all of your ways.

55:36

Because there is one way, one way and only one way that Jesus will not make.

55:44

The waymaker who died for us, who was raised to life for us, is in the presence of God at this very moment sticking up for us.

55:51

Do you think anyone is going to be able to drive a wedge between us and Christ's love for us?

55:58

There is no way. Amen. There is no way for anything to get between you and your waymaker.

56:07

There is no way the waymaker will let the thing that went down that makes you want to throw up get in the way.

56:13

Not the skeleton in your closet that makes you feel shame in the bones. Not the 1 % that you want 100 % of people never to know about.

56:19

Not the doubts or the questions that no one knows that you ask. Not the prodigal in your heart and not the prodigal in your life.

56:27

There is no way that any of that can get in the way of you being in his arms, fully known and fully claimed and fully safe.

56:38

Did you notice what she did there? She gave a warning that if we are letting certain things pull us, like comparison and competition, then the compass of our soul will not help us find the way.

56:54

She then turns around and says that nothing can separate us from the love of Christ.

57:00

Well, except, you know, being pulled or guided by such things as comparison and competition, right?

57:08

That's what you're talking about, Willis. Or any other thing that would draw our heart away from true north.

57:14

So which is it? I tell you, she is just so confusing.

57:20

These words that she's using, so I don't know if she misspeaks or is twisting around words.

57:30

She says that there's quote, one way and only one way that Jesus will not make.

57:36

And then proceeds to talk about how nothing can separate us from God because Jesus is sticking up for us.

57:43

There is no way that even that thing that went down that makes you want to throw up will not get in the way.

57:52

And my brain is doing flip -flops and I'm not sure that this is her intention or not, but it is just so confusing.

57:59

It is at this point that she quotes Romans 8 32. You know what proves this beyond a shadow of a doubt?

58:09

He, he who did not spare his own son, but gave him up for us all.

58:15

How will he not graciously give us all things? Romans 8 32.

58:22

If he gave you Jesus, your greatest need, can you doubt that he will give you everything that you need?

58:31

He gave you Jesus, who is the way, who is the road. And he provides everything that you need for the way for your road, the fuel, the strength, the sustenance, the directions, the skills, the wheels.

58:44

So Jesus take the wheel. Take all of me, all of us.

58:50

The way maker who guides will provide. That's true. And that's the end of the message.

58:56

Hallelujah. She restates quote, the wayward turn inward, the way finder turns and accepts being found and the way maker turns everything around and then ask the audience to stand lifting up their hands and hold the compass of their soul and let the way maker hold them as they pray, completely surrendered to him.

59:28

The entire message talking about being wayward about compasses, true north and God is way maker.

59:36

And at the end, we get about 45 seconds actually talking about the text. A lot of talk about God making a way, but never actually describing the way he made.

59:47

My brain had to do like so many flip -flops and gymnastics to really grasp what she's trying to teach.

59:58

And it's because she talks in these metaphors and rhymes using metaphors to describe

01:00:04

God. Taking one word, repeating the word, but giving it different meaning and all sorts of sentences and describing

01:00:15

God and Christ as true north and way makers, describing us as wayward prodigals, way finders and souls as compasses.

01:00:27

These may make someone sound so enlightened yet what sense or understanding does it bring?

01:00:35

What meaning and what knowledge have we gained from this message? Just except being accepted by the way maker who has given us all things?

01:00:44

Is that what Paul is trying to communicate to Christ's disciples as well? No, it's not.

01:00:52

Paul's writing to the Christian church, people who are sinners who've confessed that they are sinners and are hungering for righteousness, groaning inwardly for a sinless world, sinless bodies, and a great desire to be with the holy and righteous

01:01:07

God. The quote unquote way that they are looking for is righteousness because they know that that is the way to God and God is their goal.

01:01:20

Christ is the way maker if you wish to use this type of terminology. He is the way, the truth, and the life,

01:01:26

John 14 6, because our sin was cast upon him. We by faith are clothed with his righteousness, making our way to God through it, through Christ's righteousness.

01:01:38

And Paul is saying that because God foreknew us, he predestined that we be conformed to the image of Christ.

01:01:46

God did not spare his own son to accomplish all we need to be made right with him.

01:01:52

The ultimate price was paid and therefore there is nothing else that can keep us from that which

01:01:57

God has predestined for us, the being conformed to Christ's image. For in the end, we will be glorified and like our master.

01:02:07

The gospel is at the center of this verse. When we worry that something, anything has kept or will keep us from the love of God, the gospel shouts that nothing will separate us.

01:02:19

Oh, the understanding that comes from that one statement that God did not spare his son, the greatest act of love displayed on the part of both the father and the son.

01:02:31

How then can we be anxious or fearful that anything will come between us and God?

01:02:38

So much she could have said, so much she could have shown us in just that small statement in just this one verse.

01:02:48

And that's what I pray for you ladies, that you see the great love that God has for his people, that he did not spare his son, but gave him up for us all.

01:02:58

And God then will also give us all things. He will accomplish all his holy will.

01:03:05

And I pray that in this knowledge, your love will bound more and more for this knowledge that God gave his son for us drives us to give back to him.

01:03:16

It is faith in this that we love God and love our neighbor, love our husbands, love our children.

01:03:23

For what can we not give that God has not already given to us? How can we not love our husbands, children, family, and friends when we have been so loved by our creator?

01:03:35

First John 4 19, because God gave his son and the son willingly sacrificed his life so that we can have eternal life.

01:03:44

We can therefore be a living sacrifice for our family. We can give our hands, feet, effort, time, hard work, etc.

01:03:54

to serve God in the roles God has called us to as women.

01:04:00

I pray you rest in his great sacrifice. I pray that you are in his word.

01:04:59

I pray that God of all grace grants you more and more knowledge and understanding of Jesus Christ as the

01:05:06

Holy Spirit thoroughly equips you through his written word for every good work.