Current Events, Pop Christianity

…Both Will Fall Into The Ditch

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Matthew 15:10-20: “When He had called the multitude to Himself, He said to them, ‘Hear and understand: Not what goes into the mouth defiles a man; but what comes out of the mouth, this defiles a man.’ Then His disciples came and said to Him, ‘Do You know that the Pharisees were offended when they heard this saying?’ But He answered and said, ‘Every plant which My heavenly Father has not planted will be uprooted. Let them alone. They are blind leaders of the blind. And if the blind leads the blind, both will fall into a ditch.’ Then Peter answered and said to Him, ‘Explain this parable to us.’ So Jesus said, ‘Are you also still without understanding? Do you not yet understand that whatever enters the mouth goes into the stomach and is eliminated? But those things which proceed out of the mouth come from the heart, and they defile a man. For out of the heart proceed evil thoughts, murders, adulteries, fornications, thefts, false witness, blasphemies. These are the things which defile a man, but to eat with unwashed hands does not defile a man.'”

For a more complete context read Matthew 15:1-9 to see what started 10-20.

This passage is one of the many passages containing Biblical Satire. Jesus calls the Pharisees blind men leading the blind and points out their absurdity by saying they will all fall into the ditch. I want to relate this and the rest of the above passage to the following news article from last week: Lesbian cleric’s prayer irks legislators

In the lesbian prayer this statement was made, “Holy One, convict those who are using their power not to lead or to guide but to harm the gay and lesbian citizens, a small minority in this commonwealth.”

We now see the rise of homosexual clergy for homosexual citizens coming to the front of American culture and religious practice. As it was in Christ’s day, and so in every generation that has lived, spiritually blind people continue to confuse their physical sight with their spiritual sight and think that they know where they are going and that what they are accomplishing will be for everyone’s own good. Unfortunately, that is not the case…

Can you see it now? As postmodern thought and anti-supernatural modernism continue to propagate, people will continue to buy the idea that God hasn’t really spoke objective truth, therefore leaving each and every one of us to our own finite realities trying to make sense of this world based on our experiences. Come on everyone! Do you or anyone else care about serving a god who hasn’t spoken to us about how it is we should live in this world or, more importantly, how it is we should worship Him? If this god hasn’t revealed himself/herself (or maybe itself) then why would we pray to it? Why would we ask it to convict our hearts and minds about ‘hurting’ people when we don’t even know how to define the word ‘hurt’ because the ‘truth’ is… reality is pluralistic! Right? =)

It really is quite absurd to think that the God of the Bible would actually hear such gobble-ti-goop. This woman’s god is nothing more than an idol created in her own mind to please her sinful desires. And we all know the end result of such people (especially false teachers) and their idols… their end is to be burned as they are now near to being cursed. (Hebrews 6:8)

When you look at the homosexual movement in this country you should look at it this way… Those who defend it and desire its success are just as the Pharisees. They are the blind leading the blind… and both will fall into the ditch.

Take it or leave it, you have to stand against the homosexual agenda or blindly walk in the darkness towards the pit that consumes, for all eternity, all who fall into it.

Remember this day who you will serve. Will it be God or your own fleeting desires?

In Christ and In Defense of the Faith,

Note: For a brief defense of Biblical Satire and “Trinitarian Skylarking” check out A Serrated Edge by Douglas Wilson. It will challenge your future reading of several Bible passages that are typically read with too much reverence and awe, in relation to the tone of voice we use when reading them or the tone of voice we think the speaker used when they said/wrote it. It will also give you a basic understanding of the Biblical pattern for giving offense when offense is needed. It will be well worth your time to read it and study the numerous passages Wilson points out in the book.

Current Events

Cosmic Retribution

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Can you say, “Cosmic Retribution”? I know I can, but I don’t know where the author of the article (the URL linked to the title of this entry) got the idea that such a thing could exist…

On Monday, February 14 (Valentine’s Day), Alan Keyes’ daughter, Maya Keyes, came out of the closet at a gay rights rally in Annapolis, MD. She is a lesbian and obviously proud of it. (note Romans 1:25-32) Alan Keyes called homosexuality “selfish hedonism” during his most recent campaign in Illinois. To quote the above article link, “When asked if he thought Mary Cheney, the lesbian daughter of Vice President Dick Cheney, was a selfish hedonist, he replied, ‘Of course she is.'”

Now, I highly respect Alan Keyes and his stance on many things, especially this one. The odd thing about this article is the following quote: “But for gays and lesbians there’s something particularly satisfying about watching a prominent antigay conservative learn that his or her own child is homosexual. It smacks of cosmic retribution: Mr. Keyes now has to choose between his antigay ‘pro-family’ rhetoric and a member of his own family.”

Of course this article was written by a homosexual who lives with his partner, both of whom are raising a son together. =( The ending of the article points out that “If we [homosexuals] don’t want the same fate to befall us – and I don’t – then it’s only prudent for us not to take too much pleasure in the plight of Alan Keyes. The next time someone like Maya Keyes comes tumbling out of the closet, we should all try to be gracious and not succumb to our baser instincts. Because one day it’s going to be our turn.”

First I must point out sever words used… fate, gracious, baser instincts… Does anyone notice a problem here? Or is it just me?

If anything, this article smacks of unfounded superstitious Cracker Jack card – ism.

Come now, do we really think that there is somehow a universal scheme of retribution going on in the cosmos (assuming an atheistic/naturalistic worldview)? I don’t think so… But then again, we could be living in a world where every person born is born into a sin nature regardless of who their parents are and the only way to get rid of that nature of slavery to sin is by a sovereign act of the Triune God showing mercy upon an individual according to His good pleasure alone. What if that were the case? =)

I think that anyone who uses the term ‘cosmic retribution’ from a non-theistic worldview is looking for a way to feel more comfortable acknowledging a deity without acknowledging a deity. Kinda like Buddhism or something similar. Nevertheless, God does not respect a superstitious adherence to ‘cosmic retribution.’ He will do as He pleases and convert the heart and mind of anyone He so chooses.

Here are two Biblical standards to live by if we are ever going to help anyone understand who God is and that He alone is worthy of devotion, glory, honor, and praise:

1 Peter 3:15-17: “But sanctify the Lord God in your hearts, and always be ready to give a defense to everyone who asks you a reason for the hope that is in you, with meekness and fear; having a good conscience, that when they defame you as evildoers, those who revile your good conduct in Christ may be ashamed. For it is better, if it is the will of God, to suffer for doing good than for doing evil.”

2 Corinthians 10:3-6: “For though we walk in the flesh, we do not war according to the flesh. For the weapons of our warfare are not carnal but mighty in God for pulling down strongholds, casting down arguments and every high thing that exalts itself against the knowledge of God, bringing every thought into captivity to the obedience of Christ, and being ready to punish all disobedience when your obedience is fulfilled.”

Let us therefore pray, study, and seek God’s Kingdom above all earthly things so that we might take part in the ministry of reconciliation and the consummation of all things when the fullness of God’s Kingdom has come. Then we shall see the wicked go off into eternal death and the righteous into eternal life.

In Christ and In Defense of the Faith,

Current Events, Theology

Now You Will Pay… Mr. Harvard President…

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Genesis 1:26-27: “Then God said, ‘Let Us make man in Our image, according to Our likeness; let them have dominion over the fish of the sea, over the birds of the air, and over the cattle, over all the earth and over every creeping thing that creeps on the earth.’ So God created man in His own image; in the image of God He created him; male and female He created them.”

Genesis 2:18: “Then the LORD God said, ‘It is not good for the man to be alone; I will make him a helper suitable for him.'”

In case you missed why this post is titled the way it is… Their is a URL link attached to the title if you haven’t noticed. =) So, that should explain why the entry is named like that.

The modern day ‘feminist’ hates the Triune God. She looks at the creation and does not seek to give Him glory. She only strives to belittle and castigate anyone who would tell her that men and women are of equal value (based on the imago Dei) yet CREATED for DIFFERENT roles.

The reason I say they hate the Triune God is for this… Bear with me a moment… The Father, the Son, the Holy Spirit are all of one essence/being. Yet the person of the Father is not the person of the Son or the person of the Spirit, the person of the Son is not the person of the Father or the person of the Spirit, and the person of the Spirit is not the person of the Father or the person of the Son. God, who IS (not having beginning or end), exists eternally of one substance and in three distinct persons (His tri-unity). Let me say it this way too… God exists eternally as three distinct persons in one Godhead, that is ONE divine nature/being.

See The Creed of Athanasius for one of the greatest doctrinal statements on the Trinity. He said, “And the Catholic Faith is this: That we worship one God in Trinity, and Trinity in Unity, neither confounding the Persons, nor dividing the Substance.” I must say that ultimately we cannot comprehend the Trinity, but we must be careful how we describe the nature of God so as to not enter into heresy or overly inadequate expressions of His existence.

Let me clarify, finally, what I mean by their hatred of the Triune God. A man and a woman are two different beings with singular personhood each. They are created for different roles. Now, the feminist who rejects the distinct roles of a man and a woman does not acknowledge the distinct roles of the Godhead in all things, especially the salvation of mankind.

For the feminist to understand reality, she must understand the Trinity. All three persons of the Trinity are co-equal in glory, majesty, and worth. They are inter-loving, co-eternal, and all the attributes of the Godhead are held in fullness of unity with each other. Once the feminist understands this fact she can go on to realize the beauty of men and women serving distinct roles just as the three Persons of the Godhead carry out unique roles in history.

We must give the example of the salvation of God’s people for a final understanding of this truth. In Eternity the Father gave to the Son a people. The Son came into the World to save all whom the Father gave Him. And the Spirit (throughout history) has applied the work of the Son in the lives of the individuals the Father chose before the foundation of the World, who’s names are in the Book of Life. (Scripture references: John 6:35-40, Matt. 1:21, Titus 3:5, Ezekiel 36:24-29)

We see the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit each carrying out different roles in the Salvation of the World. Thus we can realize that it is not an inferior thing for a man to lead the household and for a woman to submit to her husband. If we are to honor God and His reality then we must submit to the truth of His word and obey His commands. By doing this we will find everlasting joy and pleasure in everything we do in this life that is glorifying to the Trinity.

I love the Trinity because the Trinity first loved me. I hope you will consider these things and seek to apply this truth of how God created man and woman to your own lives. If we believe that God is honored in this way then joy should flow as we live our lives as God created them to be.

In Christ and In Defense of the Faith,

Devotionals, Songs

Wedding Dress

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If you could love me as a wife

And for my wedding gift, your life

Should that be all I’ll ever need?

Or is there more I’m looking for

And should I read between the lines

And look for blessings in disguise

To make me handsome, rich, and wise

Is that really what you want?

(Chorus) ‘Cause I am a whore I do confess

But I put you on just like a wedding dress

And I run down the aisle, I run down the aisle

I’m a prodigal with no way home

But I put you on just like a ring of Gold

And I run down the aisle

I run down the aisle to you

So could you love this bastard child?

Though I don’t trust you to provide

With one hand in a pot of gold

And with the other in your side

‘Cause I am so easily satisfied

By the call of lovers so less wild

That I would take a little cash

Over your very flesh and blood

(Chorus)

Because money cannot buy

A husband’s jealous eye

When you have knowingly deceived his wife

(Chorus 2x)

————

Words and Music by Derek Webb
Copyright 2002 Niphon, Inc.

————

Well, what do you think? Can you honestly make this confession to God? Can you admit that your sin against God is whoring around? Have you ever really considered what sin is? And just how horrid and detestable to God it is? Do you know the holiness of God? How He cannot look upon sin or let it go unpunished?

These are some things that everyone must consider if they are ever to have the chance to understand reality and the situation humanity is in.

“for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God, being justified freely by His grace through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus, whom God set forth as a propitiation by His blood, through faith, to demonstrate His righteousness, because in His forbearance God had passed over the sins that were previously committed, to demonstrate at the present time His righteousness, that He might be just and the justifier of the one who has faith in Jesus.” (Romans 3:23-26)

This is how we know that God is holy and just and a punisher of sin and at the same time full of grace and mercy unto His precious people whom He foreknew and sought to redeem for Himself – God’s unrighteousness in passing over sin (Proverbs 17:15) was made righteousness in Christ and His death on the cross.

“For He made Him who knew no sin to be sin for us, that we might become the righteousness of God in Him.” (2 Corinthians 5:21)

The Gospel is so precious to my eyes. For once I was blind but now I see and once I was lost but now I have been found! I once was dead, but Christ said, “Live!” and I came to Him and received eternal life! I cannot turn back, I cannot be condemned, I cannot be ashamed – for Christ has saved me, He has justified me, He has done that which I could not do for myself! He made me, who was unwilling and unrepentant, to be willing and one who diligently seeks after Him – turning away from my sins and loving Him with all that I am.

If God is for me, then who can be against me? If Christ has satisfied the wrath of God for me, then how can wrath still be upon me? No one can and it cannot be, I respectively answer.

After writing Hebrews 11, the author says this in 12:1-3, “Therefore we also, since we are surrounded by so great a cloud of witnesses, let us lay aside every weight, and the sin which so easily ensnares us, and let us run with endurance the race that is set before us, looking unto Jesus, the author and finisher of our faith, who for the joy that was set before Him endured the cross, despising the shame, and has sat down at the right hand of the throne of God. For consider Him who endured such hostility from sinners against Himself, lest you become weary and discouraged in your souls.”

Therefore, let us draw near unto the Throne of Grace – with a true heart that has been sprinkled clean from an evil conscience and our bodies that have been washed with pure water! For all who are in Christ know and trust Him in all that He has promised. But for all who are outside of Christ, there is nothing but wrath and indignation in which to await.

On the day of judgment I hope your conscience is clean and that eternal joy in Christ is your sole comfort! Therefore, be patient in this life until He comes or until you pass from this earth, and seek always to be found in Him on that great and awful Day and great will be your reward!

In Christ and In Defense of the Faith,

Pop Christianity

The Mantra… I mean Prayer of Jabez

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“Do you want to be extravagantly blessed by God? Are you ready to reach for the extraordinary? To ask God for the abundant blessings He longs to give you? Join Bruce Wilkinson to discover how the remarkable prayer of a little-known Bible hero can release God’s favor, power, and protection. You’ll see how one daily prayer can help you leave the past behind – and break through to the life you were meant to live.” – From the back cover of The Prayer of Jabez“Do you want to be a kipper for God? Are you ready for the most profound sort of immaturity? Just chant the Jabez mantra, and God will make you into something like a little canned fish, vacuum sealed from temptation and ready to be eaten without satisfying anybody. Soon you too will feel an adrenaline rush that you can call the Holy Spirit and use it to justify any fool thing you want to say. It’s, it’s, it’s like Harry Potter for modern Evangelicals!” – From the back cover of the Mantra of Jabez

Well, by now you should know more or less how I feel about such things as The Prayer of Jabez. But I just wanted to recommend this little parody of the prayer to you. =)

The Mantra of Jabez is by Douglas M. Jones, senior editor of Credenda/Agenda magazine. The book is part of the “Upturned Table Parody Series” from Canon Press in Moscow, Idaho. The full title of the book is…

The Mantra of Jabez: Break on Through to the Other Side

As opposed to Bruce Wilkinson’s The Prayer of Jabez: Breaking Through to the Blessed Life.

I really want to encourage anyone who has read the Prayer of Jabez and thought it the most wonderful thing to consider just how important it is to grow in the Christian Faith and to move on to maturity in Christ.

I was able to hear Bruce Wilkinson preach, back in the summer of 2000 before this whole thing blew into what it is today. He preached about his new book and what the prayer meant to him. He talked about how he had used it for well over 20 years and that it had changed him and given him many opportunities to witness and minister.Basically he was telling us to amend the prayer of Jabez in the Bible to pertain to asking God to increase our borders of ministry so that we can be more open to sharing our faith with others. Back in those days when I heard Wilkinson preach I was a different person and not as critical or thoughtful as I am today. Some may say that I’ve changed for the worse, but I don’t think so. The shallowness and cheap grace that I have grown up with in the realm of modern day Evangelicalism is something I will never return to, Lord willing. And I hope that I may be used of God all the days of my life to encourage others to do the same in seeking to know Christ more fully and deeper than they ever thought possible.

My point is this… Do you really think that all your personal ministry, as a Christian, is missing is this prayer of Jabez? Do you really think that Jesus missed the boat when He taught His disciples how to pray? I don’t think so! But The Prayer of Jabez would have you think that, based upon some man’s mystical experience, you can say this prayer each day and God will undoubtedly bless your life. But if you don’t pray this prayer, well, I’m afraid you’ll just have to settle for a lesser life in the Christian community. Shucks!

I would like to end this entry with the preface for both books. Enjoy comparing and I hope your offense is not too great!

=====================

The preface to The Prayer of Jabez:

“Dear Reader,

I want to teach you how to pray a daring prayer that God always answers. It is brief – only one sentence with four parts – and tucked away in the Bible, but I believe it contains the key to a life of extraordinary favor with God.

This petition has radically changed what I expect from God and what I experience every day by His power. In fact, thousands of believers who are applying its truth are seeing miracles happen on a regular basis.

Will you join me for a personal exploration of Jabez?

I hope you will!

Bruce H. Wilkinson”

The Preface to The Mantra of Jabez:

“Dear Newbie,

I want to teach you how to chant a daring mantra that, unlike burdensome traditional prayers, God always has to answer. It is brief, which is really nifty for modern evangelical attention spans – only one sentence with four parts. You can even shorten it more if you remove all the consonants. Just hum the vowels. It’s tucked away in a silly part of the Bible, but I believe it contains an automatic formula for favor with God.

This mantra has radically changed what I expect from God and what I experience every day by His power. In fact, thousands of believers who are humming it are seeing wonderfully short-term things happen on a regular basis. Many of them are even touching fewer and fewer material things!

Will you join me for a personal exploration of the mantra of Jabez? Anyone can hop on. It doesn’t demand anything of you, just mouthing some words.”

=====================

As you can see above, this parody expresses why I dislike The Prayer of Jabez so much. At the end of the parody there is an explanation of why the author chose to write such a harsh thing and I would like you all to take a moment and read it…

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“The Upturned Table Parody Series

The “upturned table” in our series name points back to Christ’s anger with the merchants in the temple. Our parody series isn’t as concerned with money in the Temple as it is with what modern Evangelicals spend on abject silliness. Now you can’t say that sort of thing or publish parodies without someone pointing out that you’re no genius yourself. And we don’t claim to be. First, we see out parodies as sermons to ourselves before anyone else. For we too are responsible for the lame state of popular Evangelicalism today, even those of us who are from more classical Protestant backgrounds. We, too, exhibit some of the targets of our own barbs. Second, we also don’t claim to sit aloof, all clean and wise, looking down on others’ silliness. We are a part of the Evangelical community ourselves. These are our bothers who write these things; they represent us too. We have no doubts about their sincerity and good hearted goals and wonderful characters, but we all must do light-years better.

The first response from many who love the books we aim to skewer is to be “wounded” and “offended,” but that is the tiresome refuge of every little god who thinks blasphemy restrictions apply to him (oooh, notice the evil gender violation there). We all need to grow up and take the heat. But what about all those for whom these “precious” books have meant so much? One answer is that medieval folks could say the same thing about their relics. Relics made people feel warm and fuzzy too, but they were evidence of sickness.

Christian reality is a rich and fascinating blend of truth, beauty, and goodness. It is an exuberant love of life and light and celebration. Even with some of the glorious heights of Christian culture reached in prior eras, the Church still hasn’t truly begun to plumb the magnificence of the Triune God. We’re only scratching the surface, all the while non-Christian visions are perennially addicted to death. In order to mature, Evangelicals need to move beyond the bumper sticker shallowness of the past four decades and long for the true wisdom. Parodying our silliness is one small nudge in that direction. To whom much is given, much is expected.”

=====================It is my hope that you will take these things to heart and seek to know the one, true God and Jesus Christ whom He sent!

Scripture Alone, The Solas, Theology

Scripture Alone – “sola Scriptura!”

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Do you really believe that the Bible (defined as the Old and New Testament Scripture only) is the sole infallible rule of faith and practice for the church? Or is it simply inerrant and infallible, but not really sufficient for Christian life?Well, let me quote a declaration (the Cambridge Declaration to be exact) so that we may understand what Scripture Alone is all about…

“We reaffirm the inerrant Scripture to be the sole source of written divine revelation, which alone can bind the conscience. The Bible alone teaches all that is necessary for our salvation from sin and is the standard by which all Christian behavior must be measured. We deny that any creed, council or individual may bind a Christian’s conscience, that the Holy Spirit speaks independently of or contrary to what is set forth in the Bible, or that personal spiritual experience can ever be a vehicle of revelation.”

Biblical Foundation: 2 Timothy 3:16-17; 2 Peter 1:20-21; note also the implications of Matthew 22:29-32; Luke 24:27; Acts 20:29-32, 26:22-23

In the above noted passage of Matthew we see that Jesus says God spoke to them through what they read (the Scriptures). In Luke, Christ shows them in all the Scriptures what all the Prophets and Moses said concerning Him. In Acts Paul commits them to the Word of God. And again in Acts, Paul says he is simply restating what the Prophets and Moses foretold (in the Scriptures) would happen.

This is paramount to understanding orthodox Christianity and, more over, understanding anything about God with any certainty. If we do not believe this great doctrine then how can any of us know Jesus Christ or trust Him for who He really is? If we don’t believe this, then who was Jesus? Was He an enlightened man after the likeness of Buddha? Was He simply the prophet of Islam? Or maybe He was just a swell teacher… oh wait… we actually have to read historical documents and believe they are true in order to know anything about Him, more over, to even know he existed or taught anything at all! =) Thus my obvious sarcasm.

So, then we must ask what our Authority is… As stated above, the Bible is the sole Authority for orthodox Christianity and fully infallible and inerrant in the original documents. Thus, if we believe this truth, we should have no problem relying on God to preserve His Word for us in reliable copies made throughout history by Godly men seeking to have God’s Word (as we have Bibles in our houses) and help other people know God’s Word by spreading the Scriptures around as much and as far into the world as they can.

Do you know that the New Testament is the most historically attested book from antiquity? And that the Old Testament is the second most historically attested? That simply means that the Bible is the book with the most manuscripts (compared to any other book in antiquity), from many different areas in the world, that all line up with each other and show hardly any variance in the copies that still exist today. We actually have (though few) papyri of a portion of John’s Gospel from the second century, AD, that contains the same text found in the other manuscript copies that contain the full text of the New Testament!

And with a Church that was brutally persecuted the first 300 years of its existence, it didn’t actually have the time or resources to track down or keep up with all the copies that were made of the New Testament. Therefore the idea that the Bible has been changed over the early Christian years will never hold up because there were so many New Testament documents passed around in the known world the first three hundred years that, with no central controlling authority (like Islam), the Church would never have been able to obtain all the copies of the New Testament books, let alone make any amendments to the documents without many copies being left out or hidden from being changed. Besides, we have no evidence throughout early Church history that such a thing took place!

Do you really think that the teaching of the Bible has ever been popular with the non-Christian world?! Look at the first 300 years… the world governments persecuted and killed Christians for their teachings. Even now it’s still hated today in most of popular culture. People by default don’t like the doctrines of hell, grace and Jesus Christ. (Note, the ‘christians’ who don’t subscribe to all those doctrines are not Christians and they hate God) Christianity is not a religion that has ever been popular with the majority of the world, so why would we ever conclude that the Church “tried to change,” or “actually did change,” the Bible (into what it ‘currently’ teaches – Jesus Christ is the only way to heaven and eternal life) when people (as a whole or majority), throughout history, have never wanted to follow what it teaches anyway? They still don’t! And therefore the only way they can place doubt on Christianity is to cast doubt on its Authority, because they don’t like what it says and teaches, just like those who persecuted Christianity the first 300 years! Books like the Da Vinci Code only tell us in the end that all roads lead to heaven and that you can worship what ever gods you want. Do you think that a polytheistic culture like the Roman Empire would care about such RELATIVE teachings that, note this, they already had?! I don’t think so…

Christianity is the only world religion that teaches man can do nothing to change Himself or even work with God to change Himself. But instead, God alone gets to choose who goes to heaven and man has no right to say anything about it! (John 6 & Romans 9) For God “has mercy on whom He has mercy” and God “hardens whom He hardens.” What other world religion teaches such a thing? What other world religion teaches that man is dead in trespasses and sins and cannot resurrect himself to life? (Ephesians 2) What other world religion teaches that faith and repentance is granted to the people of God (Ephesian 2:8-9 & 2 Timothy 2:25) in which they can THEN freely love God and praise Him for saving them from hell and giving them eternal life according to His good pleasure? What other world religion actually doesn’t teach that man has to perform something to merit heaven? I have yet to find one and don’t actually see one existing anytime soon.

True Christianity doesn’t make sense to people (1 Corinthians 1:22-23) and that is why it’s such a deficient argument to think that the Bible has been changed over the years when it still teaches what I have just stated above. Haven’t you seen that people always want to change things, or ignore them, so that they can be more affluent or more accepted? If the Bible has actually been changed over the years then why wasn’t it changed into something more universal like the rest of the world religions?

The Dark Age should tell us enough that the Bible was never changed because it was the Roman Catholic church that kept people from reading it (the common people didn’t know Latin, only the priests knew it) because that church wanted to stay in power and simply wanted people to think they could buy their way into heaven and merit God’s grace by doing something or following some procedure to earn their way into heaven.

Lastly, the fact that Scripture has not been changed over the years leads us to believe that either the writers were liars or actually telling the truth. But if they were liars, then why did Christianity flourish in the face of persecution? It wouldn’t unless they had sufficient testimony that Jesus Christ died and 3 days later rose from the grave! The Bible is that testimony and record of historical facts including what Christ and His Apostles taught and did in the first century, AD.

It should be trusted as such and accepted as God’s revelation to mankind about Himself and what He has done, is doing, and will do in the midst of mankind – namely saving His people whom He loved before the foundation of the world and bringing the greatest Glory unto Himself by creating the best of all worlds in which to do so.

People just don’t like that, but to those who are being saved it is the power of God by which to save them and bring them into all truth! Amen!

Computers, Misc

Ah, The Tablet…

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Well, for anyone who might like to know, I’m currently writing this Blog entry from my Tablet PC on a wireless Internet connection at my local church. =) The technology that is available these days is just too cool and I am so glad that my graduation gift for college, combined with my birthday present, was a tablet PC.It is my hope that I can edit my web site and Blog all I want from anyplace that has a wireless Internet connection from here on out. Who knows, maybe I’ll be able to keep my web site updated on a weekly/daily basis. But that might just be a little too much wishful thinking. 😉

Either way, the world is changing and one day soon I’m going to be able to get my wireless connection anywhere I’m driving/riding in a car. Until then, I’ll just have to settle for a local business like Panera Bread or Krystal or some nice coffee shop (or my church) to provide me with a place to sit, a drink to drink, and a web to surf or use to my benefit.

Current Events, Theology

Why Did the Tsunami Happen?

Romans 1:18-19 says, “For the wrath of God is revealed from heaven against all ungodliness and unrighteousness of men who suppress the truth in unrighteousness, because that which is known about God is evident within them; for God made it evident to them.”

From this clear passage we know exactly how to understand the natural disasters of this earth and why such destruction and death occur in the world. For since the Fall of mankind in the Garden of Eden the earth has been under the curse of death. Destruction and terror from the natural forces in the earth have plagued men for millennia and will not stop until that great and awful day of the Lord when the earth shall have been burned by fire and the elements melted, by which this world will pass away and the new earth will be reborn by the Word of God.

What then shall we say until these things be? To answer this question I will quote the Lord Jesus to help us readily reply to the dead world what tsunamis and earthquakes and hurricanes and the like mean to them and what they should do in response to such devastation:

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Now on the same occasion there were some present who reported to Him about the Galileans whose blood Pilate had mixed with their sacrifices. And Jesus said to them, “Do you suppose that these Galileans were greater sinners than all other Galileans because they suffered this fate? I tell you, no, but unless you repent, you will all likewise perish. Or do you suppose that those eighteen on whom the tower in Siloam fell and killed them were worse culprits than all the men who live in Jerusalem? I tell you, no, but unless you repent, you will all likewise perish.” (Luke 13:1-5, NASB)

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Until the earth is reborn and the eternal state is realized we must continue to preach the Gospel command, “Repent and believe the good news!” The good news that Jesus Christ came to save sinners! The good news that by faith in the life, death, and resurrection of Christ we may draw near unto God and receive the adoption as sons and the Justification that only comes from God! The good news that through repentance and obedience we may become more like Christ as the Spirit of God transforms us in the sanctification He alone provides!

Do you think that all those who were killed in the tsunami of 2004 were any worse culprits than those who survived in the rest of the world? I tell you, no! But unless you repent, you will all likewise perish! Therefore be zealous and repent, reform, and lay hold of the Salvation that is in Christ Jesus with eternal glory!

This is the message that the church should proclaim with humbleness and kindness to all who are unbelieving and dead in their trespasses and sin. According to His mercy and grace He will call to Himself His people whom He foreknew. “The saying is trustworthy, for: If we have died with Him, we will also live with Him; If we endure, we will also reign with Him; If we deny Him, He also will deny us; If we are faithless, He remains faithful – for He cannot deny Himself.” (2 Tim. 2:11-13, ESV)

God is faithful and true and all who oppose Him will endure His wrath for ever and ever. So let us who trust the Triune God for our salvation proclaim the glorious Gospel of Jesus Christ that has the power to save all the Father has given to the Son before the foundation of the world. And may the Spirit of God quicken to life by the miracle of regeneration all whom God pleases to save according to the eternal counsel of His will.

There is no greater being than God and there is no other Lord but Christ. It is my hope that the Church of Jesus Christ will tell the pure Gospel of the Redeemer who is strong and holy; not watered down by the philosophizing of men and the corruption of false teachers – which is the spirit of anti-Christ.

God is good and God is love and God is spirit. Therefore we must worship Him in spirit and in truth. His revelation, the Old and New Testament, is what defines our reality and unless we seek God through it we will always fall short of Christ and His glory. I leave you with this thought:Jesus said to him, “I am the Way, and the Truth, and the Life; No one comes to the Father but through me.” (John 14:6, NASB)

Devotionals, Pop Christianity

What Is Your Focus?

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Christian’s these days don’t seem to make much of their salvation. They don’t seem to have a focus on the proper thing, namely the Lordship of Jesus Christ. They don’t seem to realize that the supremacy of Christ is suppose to be their ultimate priority and focus in every breath they take. Daily, we go about our lives wondering what exactly the next buzz will be that will allow us to enjoy the season. We are all-too-often seeking our own sensational pleasure instead of being satisfied in and pleased with the God who has saved us. He alone is who we are to live for and anything less than that is sinful and unholy. Anyone who thinks that they will be saved from this fallen world without holiness has not learned from the Father. “Follow peace with all men, and holiness, without which no man shall see the Lord.” (Hebrews 12:14, KJV)But you may then ask why does the Christian “world” (at large today) not seek to be holy and find their fulfillment in Christ and His greatness? Well, the answer is simple… we don’t know God as we should know Him. We have not sought Him where He can be found.

But then you may ask “where can He be found?” The answer is simple once again… we can find Him in His revelation of Himself, namely His spoken word – the Old and New Testament. The Bible must forever be the Church’s sole infallible rule of faith for teaching, rebuking, correcting, and training in righteousness. (2 Timothy 3:16-17) If it does not hold that position then anyone who claims the name of Christ will never know Him as they should and some may even find out on the Day of Judgment that they never knew Him at all, but even more so, that Christ never knew them. He will say to them, “Depart from me, you who work iniquity, for I never knew you.” (Matthew 7:23)

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Hebrews 3 – NASB

Therefore, holy brethren, partakers of a heavenly calling, consider Jesus, the Apostle and High Priest of our confession; He was faithful to Him who appointed Him, as Moses also was in all His house. For He has been counted worthy of more glory than Moses, by just so much as the builder of the house has more honor than the house. For every house is built by someone, but the builder of all things is God. Now Moses was faithful in all His house as a servant, for a testimony of those things which were to be spoken later; but Christ was faithful as a Son over His house — whose house we are, if we hold fast our confidence and the boast of our hope firm until the end. Therefore, just as the Holy Spirit says,

“Today if you hear His voice,

Do not harden your hearts as when they provoked Me,

As in the day of trial in the wilderness,

Where your fathers tried Me by testing Me,

And saw My works for forty years.

Therefore I was angry with this generation,

And said, ‘They always go astray in their heart,

And they did not know My ways’;

As I swore in My wrath,

‘They shall not enter My rest.'”

Take care, brethren, that there not be in any one of you an evil, unbelieving heart that falls away from the living God. But encourage one another day after day, as long as it is still called “Today,” so that none of you will be hardened by the deceitfulness of sin. For we have become partakers of Christ, if we hold fast the beginning of our assurance firm until the end, while it is said,

“Today if you hear His voice,

Do not harden your hearts, as when they provoked Me.”

For who provoked Him when they had heard? Indeed, did not all those who came out of Egypt led by Moses? And with whom was He angry for forty years? Was it not with those who sinned, whose bodies fell in the wilderness? And to whom did He swear that they would not enter His rest, but to those who were disobedient? So we see that they were not able to enter because of unbelief.

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Now, understand the thrust of this entire passage with all its richness and power… We know that all who hold fast their confidence and hope in Christ to the end of their mortal life have already been made partakers of Christ. But to any who fall away, they prove themselves to have never been partakers of Christ to begin with. Their ‘enlightenment’ was nothing more than a winsome show that inevitably results in greater punishment being delivered to them on the Day of Judgment. This is why we are to encourage one another and fellowship with one another, unless we should find that one of us is not really part of Christ and His people.

It is the failure of so many churches to encourage one another and confront each other when their brother or sister is fulfilling the desires of the flesh. Yet, all-too-often, it is us who is also listening to the sin that is in us and not able to help our brother or sister because of the “plank” in our own eye.

Therefore, we must seek this day to seek Christ through His revelation – the Bible – in order that we may remove the plank from our own eye and exhort one another toward Godliness that we may be holy and blameless on the Day of Judgment, knowing that we have been made partakers of Christ and His Kingdom!

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A Prayer from The Valley of Vision

Continual Repentance

“O GOD OF GRACE,

Thou hast imputed my sin to my substitute,

and hast imputed his righteousness to my soul,

clothing me with a bridegroom’s robe,

decking me with jewels of holiness.

But in my Christian walk I am still in rags;

my best prayers are stained with sin;

my penitential tears are so much impurity;

my confessions of wrong are so many aggravations of sin;

my receiving the Spirit is tinctured with selfishness.

I need to repent of my repentance;

I need my tears to be washed;

I have no robe to bring to cover my sins,

no loom to weave my own righteousness;

I am always standing clothed in filthy garments,

and by grace am always receiving change of raiment,

for thou dost always justify the ungodly;

I am always going into the far country,

and always returning home as a prodigal,

always saying , Father, forgive me,

and thou art always bringing forth the best robe.

Every morning let me wear it,

every evening return in it,

go out to the day’s work in it,

be married in it,

be wound in death in it,

stand before the great white throne in it,

enter heaven in it shining as the sun.

Grant me never to lose sight ofthe exceeding sinfulness of sin,

the exceeding righteousness of salvation,

the exceeding glory of Christ,

the exceeding beauty of holiness,

the exceeding wonder of grace.”

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“Now the God of peace, who brought up from the dead the great Shepherd of the sheep through the blood of the eternal covenant, even Jesus our Lord, equip you in every good thing to do His will, working in us that which is pleasing in His sight, through Jesus Christ, to whom be the glory forever and ever. Amen.” (Hebrews 13:20-21 NASB)

Current Events, Pop Christianity, Theology

The Bible says Michael Harvey is a “Fool”

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Psalm 14:1 says, “The fool says in his heart, “There is no God.” They are corrupt, they do abominable deeds, there is none who does good.” (ESV)Psalm 53:1 says, “The fool says in his heart, “There is no God.” They are corrupt, doing abominable iniquity; there is none who does good.” (ESV)

The Net Bible translates Psalm 14:1-3 in this way:

“Fools say to themselves, “There is no God.” They sin and commit evil deeds; none of them does what is right. The Lord looks down from heaven at the human race, to see if there is anyone who is wise and seeks God. Everyone rejects God; they are all morally corrupt. None of them does what is right, not even one!”

I will direct you to this Fox News report on a city council meeting in Tampa, Florida, that granted permission to atheists to speak during the invocation after they ‘scolded’ the city council for praying to “invisible men in the sky.”

Let me start by saying that everyone of us are born into this world with a specific nature. And that nature is best seen in the titles of “Children of Wrath,” “Sons of Disobedience,” and the Biblically implicit title of “Children of Satan.” Now these titles apply to all of us when we are born into the world with a sinful nature. This nature is something that pervades all of us and it is that nature that none of us can overcome left to ourselves.

It is the prominent thing for people these days to say that we can choose or reject God apart from the new birth, namely regeneration. Pop Christianity says that we must first choose God and then when we ask him into our hearts we are born again as a result of that acceptance. But the true teaching of the eternal covenant only involves God acting in accordance with His own nature and man receiving that which is against his own nature. Let us read it in several passages…

Jeremiah 31:31-34 says, “Behold, the days are coming, declares the Lord, when I will make a new covenant with the house of Israel and the house of Judah, not like the covenant that I made with their fathers on the day when I took them by the hand to bring them out of the land of Egypt, my covenant that they broke, though I was their husband, declares the Lord. But this is the covenant that I will make with the house of Israel after those days, declares the Lord: I will put my law within them, and I will write it on their hearts. And I will be their God, and they shall be my people. And no longer shall each one teach his neighbor and each his brother, saying, ‘Know the Lord,’ for they shall all know me, from the least of them to the greatest, declares the Lord. For I will forgive their iniquity, and I will remember their sin no more.”

Ezekiel 11:19-20 says, “And I will give them one heart, and a new spirit I will put within them. I will remove the heart of stone from their flesh and give them a heart of flesh, 20 that they may walk in my statutes and keep my rules and obey them. And they shall be my people, and I will be their God.”

Ezekiel 36:25-28 says, “I will sprinkle clean water on you, and you shall be clean from all your uncleannesses, and from all your idols I will cleanse you. And I will give you a new heart, and a new spirit I will put within you. And I will remove the heart of stone from your flesh and give you a heart of flesh. And I will put my Spirit within you, and cause you to walk in my statutes and be careful to obey my rules. You shall dwell in the land that I gave to your fathers, and you shall be my people, and I will be your God.”

Notice in the above passages that God is the one doing everything and nothing is required of God’s people to which the covenant is applied. In fact God clearly shows us in Ezekiel 36 that if it were not for Him putting a new spirit and heart in us, we could not obey His rules or walk in His statutes. This one thing is clear: Man cannot and will not be saved apart from being born again by the Holy Spirit of God through the working of regeneration and applying to us, against our sinful wills, the eternal Covenant of Grace.

This is echoed by Jesus in John 3:3 and Peter in 1 Peter 1:3-5 where it is clear that in order for us to gain Heaven or Change our ways we must first be born again!

To address one last issue… Pop Christianity doesn’t seem to realize one crucial thing. That just as I claim that we cannot do anything against our natural born natures, God Himself cannot do anything against His nature. This is by no means a ‘bad’ limitation to say that God cannot do something with regard to His omnipotence, but instead it is the truest understanding of reality and how mankind and God exists. Pop Christianity will rightly agree with me that God cannot do something against His nature in terms of.. “God cannot sin.” “God cannot lie.” Virtually all of Christianity will agree on that, but so many of us are so quick to say that we, merely finite humans, can somehow choose something other than rejecting God in full. It is our nature to hate Him and to reject Him! So, how is it that we can present the truth of the Gospel in the form of an option? How can we say, “You have to decide what to do with Jesus!” when we should be asking, “What will Jesus do with you?”

Instead we should do as Christ and the Apostles did when they evangelized and present the Gospel and the universal command that follows it. “Repent, and believe the good news!” “Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ and you will be saved!” The Gospel is a command, not an option! The way we know we are in Christ and born again is because we believe and repent. Not the other way around. This is so integral to evangelism and the Gospel that it is no wonder there are so many false professions and so many nonbelievers in the church today. May God work it in you to see the truth of His word as He has done in me.

So, in establishing the Biblical teaching of the new birth that Pop Christianity so flippantly throws around as the ultimate result of people “asking Jesus into their hearts” as if Jesus were a beggar unable to accomplish what He set out to do in justifying the ungodly, I would now like to address in brief the article that sparked this blog.

We all need to be prepared to deal with this atheistic and secular uprising that is trying to ruin this nation and sensor the open expression of our Christian Faith. This is where everyone of us who can vote needs to be prepared to vote in the upcoming Presidential election or keep their mouths shut if they don’t vote in the election. We who are citizens of this country have been given the right to choose our officials and every Christian who believes in the God of the Old and New Testaments should act upon their right to vote and choose the candidate that best exemplifies the teaching of the Bible.

If we do not vote then atheists like Michael Harvey may end up getting their way in this nation and we will, possibly, once again find ourselves in the midst of full persecution. Think of it this way… What happens when those who are Children of Satan gain the majority in a country and elect who ever they desire… I’m almost certain that if secular fundamentalism and postmodernity come to their fullness in this country and are able to make the decisions then persecution will begin in this country that has never seen a national persecution of Christians so far in its existence. May God show us mercy and may reformation begin again in the churches of America so that this nation might once again worship the Triune God! Amen.

Jesus said, "I am the Way, the Truth and the Life."

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