A Request for Prayers and Petitions

Yesterday I had the opportunity to meet with an old deacon friend of mine. He still attends my old church. A few years ago, they began chasing the purpose-driven rabbit. And my friend is about the only one there who is trying to stand up for the truth.

Yesterday he let me know that the pastor's wife came to him, crying, and saying "Please don't leave, we can work something out."

Well, repentance would be a good start ma'am, but I don't think that is going to happen. Besides, do you represent church leadership?

Anyway, he said all he really wants is for them to be willing to just read the material he has on Warrenism and where it is going, not to mention the issue of Rick Warren's character. But that doesn't appear to be in the works. Once you've eaten the "purpose driven mushrooms" you get so tripped out you don't care much for reality.

Anyway, I remember at my new church they said "you never mention the name of the church you left in your testimony". Oh yeah, we can't offend anyone, can we... Oh well, this isn't my testimony, and even if it were, I would take that statement for a walk down to "Frankly, my dear" park. (Ok, that dates me. Think "Casablanca").

Here's a link to the all knowing - all serving "Purpose Driven Church Finder".

Look for "Village Baptist Church". And please remember that there is a guy there who is fighting a lonely battle for biblical Christianity.

Blessings to you.

Are You Part of the Majority or the Remnant?part 2.

In this post, I linked to an article which addressed this question. And it's a great article.

But I've been wanting to add a second part to this. A warning to those who profess Christ but may not really be his.

I remember reading a book some time ago that told a story of a man who videotaped a skydive event. He was part of it. He watched the others dive from the plane, and then he followed -- his camera running. They all fell earthward and as they did, the other skydivers held hands, made formations and did stunts. Then they began opening their parachutes. The camera kept rolling.

One by one, the parachutes opened. What a beautiful sight! But then something apparently went very wrong. Suddenly, the camera began swinging wildly. It became obvious that there was great panic by the way the camera kept moving. Then nothing.

What happened? The found that the person with the camera had failed to put on a parachute! He thought he was just as safe and secure as the other skydivers. He enjoyed the fall and watched the show. He really believed he had nothing to worry about. But he found out, too late, that he was falsly assured about his safety.

Jesus says in Matthew 7 that there will come a day of great catastrophe for many who profess Christ. They will expect to enter heaven, only to hear "...depart from me, I never knew you...", and that will be an eternal catastrophy. Even while those words are shocking them, they will sink into an eternal hell from which they will never emerge. Their "spiritual experiences" will prove to be false evidence of a salvation they never had. They really thought (or should I say 'think' because some of you reading this may be among that number!) they were converted because "God Stuff" happened to them, only to find out experiences prove nothing.

See, conversion is not found in a profession of faith. Conversion is not found in walking an isle, signing a card, or praying a prayer. It isn't even found in martyrdom. It is not, according to John 1, by human decision but by a sovereign act of God.

Salvation is, as Paul said, by grace through faith and even faith is a gift of God (we know that because the Greek word for "that" is feminine as is the word for "faith").

So, what is my point? Simple. Look for fruit. Look for the fruit of obedience. Look in Romans chapters 1 and 16. Both chapters tell of "the obedience of faith". In other words, "the obedience that comes from faith". Don't agree with me? Read Hebrews 11. Here you see the repeated working out of faith in demonstrated obedience. James would say they were showing their faith "by their works". And they did.

Read John's first epistle. The entire epistle was written to help John's readers tell those who profess Christ from those who really possess Christ. The "if we sayers" are the unsaved and the "if we doers" are the saved.

True Christians continue to love the bretheren. Do you love those who preach the pure unadulterated Gospel? Or do you merely tolerate them or maybe even become angered by them because they are "offensive" or "narrow". Be careful; you may not be shunning mere people. You may be refusing the real Gospel.

Do you continue to find excuses for sin patterns in your life? Then you have little or no right to assurance of salvation. Why? because John tells us that, on the negative side, a true convert will not practice sin. John adds that a true Christian cannot "continue to practice sin because His seed abides in him...". As he later says, a true Christian will "continue to purify himself". That is the positive side.

Today, we hear a popularized "gospel". It really has nothing to do with the true Gospel. It basically says "Hey, wanna be happy and fulfilled? Pray this prayer and you're in!" That isn't the biblical Gospel, but a false Gospel that is known by a very wide gate. Jesus said the gate is narrow, as is the way. The contemporary gospel knows nothing of repentance. After all, that would alienate "seekers".

Well, I have news for you. If anyone is really seeking Christ, you need to tell them how to get to Christ. And Jesus said it's by denying yourself, taking up your cross (death to self) and following (obeying and conforming to) Him. Nothing more. Nothing less. And it begins with repentance.

If you leave this out, you have a false gospel. And you really need to, as Paul said in 2 Corinthians, "examine yourself to see if you are in the faith."

There is only one thing that matters. That is "What does the Bible say about salvation".

We live in days of great apostasy. Many are those in prominence who are gathering many around them. They have charismatic personalities. They say great things. And they appear to be so noble. They promise happiness in this life. They promise to solve the world's problems. The problem is that God never promised these things. Not in this life.

One promise that Jesus made was that "...those who seek to live godly in this present evil age shall suffer persecution." So, I ask you, when was the last time you took a pounding for a legitimate expression of your faith? And yes, I have to ask myself that as well.

So, I ask you to take a serious look at your life. Do you really know Him? I remember a song from years ago; "Hey You, I'm into Jesus". I hate that song. I don't care if you are into Jesus any more than I care if you are "into" stamp collecting. What I want to be sure of is "Is Jesus Into Me?" It isn't "do I know Jesus". It's "Will Jesus say He Knows Me?"

Let us ask that question daily.

We Have a Winner!

You will remember that we had a contest going on. Well, today's the day I am supposed to announce the winner.

Well, actually, we only had two entrants. Not sure what that says about the contest. I'm sure that the prize (Ray Comfort "Living Waters" tracts) are very popular. Oh well.

Anyway, I had said something about sending tracts to the winner and also maybe the second person with the right answer. Well, that's what I've decided to do.

Pastor Ken Silva was the first to answer correctly that the guy in the picture is Steve Camp. Blaurock was the second (and last one). I sent a copy of the full image to Steve, but never heard from him. Tough luck Steve, you coulda nailed it and walked away with some great tracts! Oh well, at least I'm sure that the image of the bulletin brings back some great memories for him.

Click here to see the entire sheet that Steve's picture was scanned from. That puppy is dated 1978! Steve was at a place near Morton named the "Jesus Barn". It has since been torn down. Fortunately for us, Steve is still standing!

Congratulations to you both. Ken has sent me his mailing address and I'll be boxing the tracts up for him tomorrow. I'll need Blaurock's real name and address as well. You can email me at tjbrown527@insightbb.com.

Blessings.

Five Solas Warrior's Code for Christ

Can't think of one thing to add to this!
If I think of anything, I'll post it!

Get Yer Seeker Sensitive Contracts Here!(a personal challenge)

Hey, we've all run into those who believe it is far more important to make a lost -- err, unchurched -- person feel good about him or herself. Evangelism? No rush!

Next time you have a discussion about evangelism with a member of the "seeker"movement, just smile and give them one of these -- after you've printed them out, of course.

Just do a right click and save the file. It's in Word format.

Have fun!

Just Say "NO" to Warrenism

It's like a bad drug that's taken over the mind of the church. Spiritual junk food that impoverishes the Body of Christ. Rick Warren and "Purpose Driven". I say, "Just Say No". Why? Here are a few reasons:

1. Rick Warren isn't even an example to follow from a pastoral standpoint. Why? He seems to be perfectly happy having a pornographer in his church. Ever heard of Rupert Murdoch? He's the guy who printed Rick's books (Rupert also owns Zondervan).

Now, I've heard it said "Big Deal, so Rupert Murdoch published his books. And what is wrong with allowing a pornographer in your church?". Well, regarding the books, I'd probably be kind of concerned about who is getting my money. And as far as allowing a pornographer in the church, that is fine! Pornographers are sinners, just like all other sinners including me. But this isn't about Murdoch. It's about Warren. And Rick Warren apparently thinks there is something humorous about having a pornographer as a part of Saddleback. And because Rick says he is Murdoch's pastor, that implies Murdoch isn't merely a visitor. So Rick, when are you going to ask him to repent? And if he doesn't, when will you bring on church discipline as outlined in Matthew 18? Again, if Murdoch is going to a church to seek the truth and is seeking salvation, great! But Rick should give him the truth and expect repentance -- and if that doesn't happen, church discipline should be the result.

2. Rick Warren's abuse of God's Word. Now, if you just pick up "Purpose Driven Life" and read it, you don't really notice anything wrong. Why is that? Because he uses paraphrases to make it look like the scriptures support his point. Worse, he uses various versions. Why? Because only a given translation or paraphrase will support his point! This is becoming more and more prevalent in the church. If "The New Living" renders a verse in such a way that it supports your argument, then it is "the most accurate translation". I've actually heard that excuse at my own church -- while we were using some of Warren's material.

The proper way to handle God's Word is to read the verse in question and use the original languages to give a proper interpretation for the verse, taking it literally and also incorporating what we know about the verse in the contexts of history, culture and the rest of scripture. A good rule is to ask "What would this verse mean if I were dead". In other words, kill any self-interest in any meaning other than the true one. The one God meant.

But Rick Warren doesn't do that. He uses The New Living and "The Message" (which sometimes even reverses the original intent of a passage). Does he know better? Well, he's formally trained as a Pastor in the Southern Baptist Conference -- so I'd hope he knows better. I'm sure he does. And there is no excuse for this because there are plenty of biblical language tools out there that are simple enough to use by even the newest believer in Christ. But yet, Rick Warren will flip from version to version, paraphrase to paraphrase depending on which one serves to support his arguments.

3. Rick Warren's teachings include New Age elements. Ever heard of "Discovering your life metaphor"? "The way you see your life, shapes your life." Just listen to Rick in PDL. He'll tell you all about it. He uses the writings of Anais Nin who is a writer of female erotica (another pornographer, Rick?). "We don't see things as they are, we see them as we are". We change reality by changing our thinking. Uh. Hello? This is right out of the human potential movement and it is certainly not biblical.

Now, I can just hear someone saying "Hey, there are some good things in the human potential movement." Well, I'm not going to go there. All I'm going to do is ask you this: Do you really believe that the scriptures are sufficient? Is it or is it not good enough that God has told us what He wants us to know about church growth and how He wants it done? Or has man somehow improved on God's ideas? Am I saying we have no need for books and preachers? Of course not! But we are to examine everything we hear ("Test the spirits") to be sure that what we are hearing accurately represents what God has said in His Word. If we don't do that, we do it at our own peril because God's Word is the only objective standard we have.

4. Rick Warren denies the true Gospel. Don't think so? Ok -- If you and I were sitting in a room with those who oppose the message of the Gospel -- such as Orthodox Jews, Buddhists, etc., and you heard me tell them that I can't or won't tell them what beliefs are true, what would you think of me as one who professes Christ?

I thought so.

And here is Rick Warren (on video) addressing a group of Orthodox Jewish leaders at Synagogue 3000. And if that doesn't bake your cookies, here's a quote from the Jewish Journal: "Warren told Wolfson his interest is in helping all houses of worship, not in converting Jews. He said there are more than enough Christian souls to deal with for starters."

If that doesn't ruffle your feathers just a little, I'd urge you do ask yourself if you really know Christ.

5. Rick Warren is a serial liar. This is public knowlege. It came to light with his visit to Syria a while back. He went there and gave praises to Syria for being "moderate". He was caught doing this on video. He then lied about a video being made and blamed "Christian Bloggers" for "trusting the Syian press" (funny, I thought he had good things to say about Syria...what happened?). The video was pulled by Saddleback, and Warren kept saying it's all about bloggers telling untruths. He claimed that there was no video. Oddly enough though, he showed it at his "AIDS Summit" at Saddleback! What? Rick? How can you show a video that doesn't exist? To this day, he maintains this is all misrepresentation by bloggers. He just can't deliver the truth that the rest of us can hear and see.

(Article in progress, check back later for updates)

Are You Part of The Majority or the Remnant?

Those of us who have, in one way or another, been trying to sound the alarm regarding compromise in the church have been facing a spiritual "slog". Of course, Jesus never promised things would be easy.

Many of us have been pushed out of churches for not "going along to get along", deciding instead to stand for what God has clearly said, rather than hear the world's oldest lie: "Has God Really Said...".

If you have found yourself fighting for a return to the simple faith of "read it, believe it and DO it", please read this and be encouraged.

Another Contest??? --Yes! Another Contest!

Did I hear you say you really could use 100 tracts from Ray Comfort? I thought so. Here's your chance! And this may not even be much of a contest!

Ok, here ya go.

The other day, I was going through a bunch of old papers and I found a sheet of paper announcing an event. I won't say what the event was, what the date was or anything else. Besides, I have to save those for hints later, don't I?

I will say that the person in the picture was/is well known. But who is it?

Contest winner will be announced on December 27th.
If you won our last contest (that's you, Dan from Tennessee!) sorry you are not eligible. Time to scoot over and let someone else have some goodies! In case of multiple correct entries, the earliest submission will be considered the winner. Or, maybe I'll send the first two correct ones tracts. Hey, I'm moody, who knows!?!

No anonymous entries will be accepted (and believe it or not, we got them on our last contest....as if you can send tracts to "anonymous"! -- hey, maybe they were emergent???) so make sure you have a name on your entry. One entry per person.

Have fun!

Yup, It's Happening -- Growth in the home church movement

Not a bit surprising.

According to this news article from religionlink.org, home churches are gaining ground.

I am rather amused by one statement in there, referencing how some "...question their theology because they have no trained clergy." To which I reply "Given how so many seminaries are buying into emergent and PDL, how is seminary a guarantee against anything"? Indeed, Rick Warren went to a seminary. My conferences seminary is Bethel in Minnesota, and it's buying into the new age marketing techniques of Erwin McManus.

While I'm not against formal training for ministry, I don't see it as a requirement. The closest I've seen to an argument for requiring seminary is "Paul was in the wilderness for three years". To which I reply "...and?".

Then there is the faux argument (not in the article) that you need conferences so you can send missionaries. Uh, yeah....right. I've actually heard that one.

It seems that the reason so many are starting home churches is because they want to get back to the basics. How was it done in the first century? And I'll admit bias -- I think it should be done that way too.

And you know what? Mark my words -- this will continue as traditional churches buy into the PDL/Seeker baal worship. People will eventually see it as empty. The soul can tell the difference, you know. If you eat enough cotton candy, you learn that you are still empty.

Also, as true believers become more marginalized, we will see more of an "underground church" movement. No, I haven't "had a vision", but it is going to happen barring some mercy of our Lord Jesus Christ.

The Answer to a Culture in Decline --an article by Steve Camp

It's easy to get very depressed when you look around and see what's going on spiritually in our country, and even in the visible church. Having done so much research on Warrenism has been a challenge to me personally. Add to that the fact my involvement in discipling an individual who is attempting to bring even one or two minds around in his (my former) church. It gets tiring. Then to add to that, the endless "discussions" with those who give absolutely no evidence of knowing what the Bible teaches about evangelism, repentance or faith -- just what Warren told them in his book about "building relationships" -- misrepresentations of Biblical texts.

Here, beloved, are the basics. Here are some non-negotiables that we would do well to review and reinforce.

The Odd Couple -- Or Not? Rick Warren and Rupert Murdoch

Wow. That's all I've been able to say since I found this stuff tonight. Wow.

And I've passed the info onto a friend of mine who is fighting "PDL" at his church. Now we'll find out just how dedictated to Warren these people are.

Here are some facts.

1. In this article on his own website, Rick Warren states that he is Rupert Murdoch's pastor. Search the page for "rupert". It's there.

2. In the same paragraph, he states that Murdoch even published his book(s) for him.

3. Rupert Murdoch (for those who don't know) is a pornographer.

4. Zondervan is owned by Murdoch (look under the subheading of "Marketing Tactics")

As I've said to others, this is not "hearsay". This stuff didn't come from a website like "Uncle Eddies Pitstop on the Dock on the Mississippi" or something like that.


So, to those who really, really think that Warren is a "good guy" or a "good pastor", I say "It's time to use some discernment".

Does this touch someone's bubble? I sincerely hope so.

I'm Thankful...

You know, I've had this rolling around in my system for some time and haven't put it in words yet. Maybe it is time to do so.

I remember in 1998, when I was convicted of sin and the need for Christ, I was working at Western Illinois University at the time. Before my conversion, the place was "ok", I guess. Lots of stuff there, things to do. but after my conversion, it became a very dark and scary place. WIU is known as a "Party College". And I mean a "Party College" in the truest sense of the word. The university sits in McDonough County, Illinois which has a very high concentration of witchcraft. My guess is that it's connected with many of the university staff, but who knows.

About a year after my conversion, we moved back to my home town and commuted to Macomb from my town. As I drove into the area down there, I could sense a "darkness". Kind of like going into a tunnel. It was very intimidating. Finding little glimpses of light here and there, the Lord kept me pointed in the right direction, and I'm thankful.

But I hated that time. There were conflicts that the job brought to me -- fixing computers for faculty so they could foist their evolutionary fantasies on the students, fixing printers so the "women's center" could print and spread abortion propoganda. Seeing GBLFA stickers on office doors....you know "Gay Safe Zones". It was a struggle. But, you know, I can now see God at work even then.

I was getting a foretaste of what is happening around our country now that almost a decade (hard to believe) has passed. Some of the things that I saw then on the campus, I now see and hear about as a general matter-of-course in our society. I hear of "hate crimes legislation" and all that on the radio, and I remember all the talk I heard at the university. The solution now is the same as it was then; "Trust in the Lord with all your heart..."

I'm thankful for the experiences I had at the university. I kind of suspected it then, but now I'm more convinced; the Lord was allowing me to be stretched and to get a fortaste of what I'd be seeing and hearing now.

The Lord certainly does "...cause all things to work for the good..." Ultimately, things like this prepare us for the greater trials when they come later.

Rick Warren, Ed McMahonand the Holy Spirit.

TeamPyro always seems to come up with great comparisons. This one is no different.

It's time to review priorities. In the light of all the attention PDL brings to Rick Warren (and that he brings to himself), I think it healthy to review this at TeamPyro. What did Ed McMahon do that Rick Warren doesn't? And most importantly, what the Bible says about the work of the Holy Spirit.

Enjoy.

How Do You Define "Insanity"?

The term "insanity", has been defined (by A.A., I think) as "doing the same repeatedly while expecting different results".

Well, today on "Crosstalk" at VCYAmerica, Dr. Paul Cameron tells us of the folly of the continual attempt to fight HIV/AIDS by education and condom distribution. If this were any other epidemic we'd be changing our strategies after 20 plus years with no results. Newsflash: "Education" and condom distribution doesn't work.

In today's "Crosstalk", he discusses the error of the Church turning its focus on fighting AIDS at the expense of the Gospel. He explains that HIV/AIDS is primarily a homosexual disease and, in fact, is increasing among the homosexual community while declining among heterosexuals.

Here is the link to the broadcast.

Wonder What His Definition of "Is" Is?

Here we go again.

Seems like Rick Warren's machine can't make up its mind.

If you've been following the RickCapades, you know that Slick Rick went to Syria and spoke on how nice and moderate Syria is -- you know, the place where the terrorists breed. The place that killed a Christian (just for being a Christian) the day after Warren made his claim about Syria. *cough*

Then, as we read at WorldNetDaily, he said that he never invites politicians to Saddleback to speak (Of course, later in the same email, he listed the politicians that were coming to his church to speak).

Why should this surprise me? This Clintonesque behavior comes from the same guy who says that he isn't "telling us what parameters are right and wrong" when it comes to defining what we believe -- and in context, he's including Buddhists, Catholics, Jews and Christians. And if you can't decide what real truth is, anything goes, doesn't it Rick?

That explains a multitude of behaviors. I guess it depends on how you define "is".

So, Rick, if "not everything can equally true..." please tell me what you believe to be exclusively true. You know, the Gospel. Oh yeah, you can't do that because you'll alienate your product from your potential "customers". Oh well. The truth is only worth so much, isn't it?

Hear it yourself and come to understand Rick Warren the Chameleon; Here, he tells his congregation "We all need Jesus! Left or Right is irrelevant to me. I'm not a politician. I am a pastor, and my calling is to go "to ALL nations and ALL people " with the saving knowledge of Jesus." But here he can't tell other faiths what is true or isn't.

By the way, here is a link to the list of Warren videos at Synagogue3000. Remember -- I didn't post them, they (Orthodox Jewish leaders) did.

Jeremiah on Trusting God

Just a while ago I was reading Jeremiah. I got to chapter 2 and read the following:

" 5 This is what the LORD says:
"What fault did your fathers find in me,
that they strayed so far from me?
They followed worthless idols
and became worthless themselves."

When I read this, I couldn't help but think of how far off the contemporary church is. With the seeker/PDL/PDC/Emergent errors, I can't help but think that maybe, just maybe the Lord is asking us the same question today.

What fault have we, the church, found in God that we should stray from His Word and His Will? We say we love God's Word, but we ignore it. We read it, we don't obey it!

We are following the worthless idols of contemporary "growth" strategies. We bow down and worship numbers. We have the heretical notion that gaining numbers means we are doing real worship and obedience! How far off track we've gotten!

We are the "plastinated church" as Steve Camp has put it. Our vitality is gone, but we have a structure that makes us look alive even while we are dead. The living cells that were led by the Spirit have "died". What has replaced them is activity and human strategy.

I ask you, what did we find wrong with God's Way? Of preaching repentance and faith in Christ alone? Since when did we become wiser than God and decide that His ways are irrelevant and foolish? Our times have changed? I challenge that argument. Our society, really, is no different than the pagan times of the birth of the church. Read Corinthians. Yet they preached repentance and faith. So, when did we become wiser than God?

Augustine said that "If you believe what you like in the gospels, and reject what you don't like, it is not the gospel you believe, but yourself." Well, let this be true for the whole of Scripture. You say you believe the Bible? They why, in our hearts, dare we edit God? We do this when we dismiss any part of what He has said. We repeat the words of the adversary, who said "...has God really said...?".

At what point did the Lord of Heaven and Earth become unworthy of our allegiance? And at what time did earthly wisdom become worthy of our worship?

We are like Israel:

13 "My people have committed two sins:
They have forsaken me,
the spring of living water,
and have dug their own cisterns,
broken cisterns that cannot hold water..."

And again:

23 "How can you say, 'I am not defiled;
I have not run after the Baals'?
See how you behaved in the valley;
consider what you have done.
You are a swift she-camel
running here and there, 24 a wild donkey accustomed to the desert,
sniffing the wind in her craving—"

Must the church be so bent on "sniffing the wind" to see whatever direction it will prefer to go? Are we not simply followers of fads, bowing down to gods of our own making? We want popularity, so we excuse our practices and say we are trying to be 'relevant'. Isn't the truth that we simply want acceptance? The Lord Himself says if we are faithful, we won't find it!

Repent, Church, repent!

Church Growth Mania:It's a choice, not genetic.

Here's a revealing and encouraging article presented by Ray Baumann at Christian Worldview Network. Could it actually be true that someone hooked on "Church Growth Hormones" can turn around?

This man's answer is "Yes!"

"Is Moody Really The Name You Can Trust?"--Revisited

In this earlier post, I asked the question "Is Moody Really The Name You Can Trust". Well, from readng this post from "Slice", it would appear that anyone who listens to Moody must be willing and able to use discernment that we used to trust MBI with.

Apparently Dr. Easley, the president of MBI, has a problem with those who question Rick Warren's affiliation with Senator Obama.

So, Dr. Easley, it's ok to join up with a pro-abortionist in the name of "fighting aids" even when they refuse to speak against the things that contribute to its spread -- such as gay bathhouses, the promotion of same-sex marriage, etc., ad-nauseum?

Dr. Easley; Rick Warren says "It takes two wings to fly", which (in view of his alliance with Obama) apparently means "left and right wing". So, are you going to ask your friend Rick Warren to flap his "right wing" and ask for the shutting down of the bathhouses and the unqualified defense of traditional heterosexual marriage?

Pat Robertson Awarded "Meteorologist of the Year" (humor)

Actually, is it all that far off?

Pastors or Human Potential Advocates?

Here's a pop quiz on discernment!

Apprising Ministries has a revealing post which compares PDL/Seeker with contemporary new age marketing techniques. Think you can tell the difference? Give it a try!

The tragedy of this is that the SBC pastor represented in this article is Erwin McManus who “'...partners with Bethel Theological Seminary as a futurist and distinguished professor.' Futurist and cultural architect Erwin McManus is actually involved with a number of other projects as well such as Origins, Awaken Humanity, The International Mentoring Network, founded by his brother Alex McManus and yelo, an awakening of the human spirit to name a few."

Sad. I'm a member of a BGC church. Bethel Seminary is BGC.

Recovering the Sufficiency and Authority of Sola Scriptura

With all the bad news regarding Rick Warren and Purpose Driven, do you have spiritual vertigo? Need some spiritual dramamine? Let us focus on the real solution and not the problem.

Here's a wonderful article at Steve Camp's site.

The father of lies will do what he will. Let us do what we are supposed to do!

My Kingdom for Someone With Discernment: A lesson in duplicity

Is there anyone left who really believes in the proper view of the Word of God?

One really wonders this. Especially after the conversation I had today.

Just a while ago, I had a conversation with someone who is struggling with his church leadership. Now it turns out the problem is far more widespread than he had thought.

He had presented a deaconess (that's a whole other topic) with this article which clearly shows the abuse of scripture in "The Purpose Driven Life".

This person, normally, is one who would stand "for the authority of the Scriptures". Wow! You'd think this article would get some positive support from the individual.

Well, it did. To a point. The deaconess said "Yes, I can see how this is wrong. It gives the wrong meaning, BUT the book has helped so many people!"

Wow. So, in other words, deception is ok as long as it helps someone? And how, in what specific way, has it "helped" anyone? And this is a "leader" in the local church? Deception is ok in the right context? Even if it means misrepresenting the Lord of Glory Himself?

Now, this is my former church. I know the people he's talking about. And it grieves me. I had expected so much more of these people.

There can be no middle ground. When it comes to God's Word, you cannot have it both ways. Either you agree with God, or you don't. And how dare us (myself or anyone) approve of anything that misrepresents what God has said, even if it shows apparent "benefits".

We are told to "...speak the truth in love...". That kind of eliminates falsehood. We are to speak the truth in love but a lie, by its very nature, leaves love out. A lie is merely a verbal tool to get an immediate perceivable reward. How dare us think God works that way! And isn't that what the serpent did in the Garden? He told a lie to get an immediate result.

And so it goes on today.

Beloved, we are called to dedication to God's Truth. To read it, know it, obey it and speak it. It couldn't get any clearer. Or simpler. The outworkings may be difficult but the principle is very, very simple -- Know what God has said and do it -- that is the essense of saving faith!

May the Lord have mercy on us, and help us to be faithful in these dark days.