Tuesday, May 29, 2007

Video Indictment of the Market-Driven Churches

With the following from the Christian Research Network, I present to you a worthy work from Gary Gilley:

"This video is the first part of a four part series on the damning indictment of the market-driven churches that are so popular today. This first video is an introduction to the church in the age of entertainment. Dr. Gilley contends that the church has sold out to our culture so that the influences of the culture have become the influences in the church. The most significant forces pressing against the church are entertainment, market driven philosophies and psychology. These three are largely absent from the Bible, yet are startlingly prevalent in evangelical churches. The leaders and issues he concentrates on most are Rick Warren and his book The Purpose Driven Church, Bill Hybels and Lee Strobel. In the fourth part of this series, Dr. Gilley will explain what the Emerging Church is and how it is dangerous to the Evangelical community."

Part 1 from GodTube:


Part 2.
Part 3.
Part 4.

Friday, May 25, 2007

Benny Hinn Shenanigans Exposed

While I do not take joy in reporting the, shall we say, wanderings in the name of American-contemporary Christianity, I believe that it is our responsibility to expose willful error for what it is. Over the years, I have known a few individuals who are faithful to Benny Hinn and his "ministry". I found this report last evening via Christian Research Network. Do you know people that send money to this charlatan? Then take a look at where their money may be going.

Wednesday, May 23, 2007

A Sword, not a Feather Duster.

These are days of wonderful opportunity to reach the lost for Christ. In America, at least for now, we have freedom to share the gospel openly. While we have this freedom, let us learn the "tools of the trade". Don't go into battle with the "feather duster" of contemporary evangelism methods. Reach the lost with the real gospel, as Jesus did.

Here is a list of the first 26 episodes which can be viewed free online:



"THE WAY OF THE MASTER EPISODE 1"
The Firefighter
Note: The foundation series DVD #1 includes this clip.


"THE WAY OF THE MASTER EPISODE 2"
The Mirror of The Ten Commandments

"THE WAY OF THE MASTER EPISODE 3"
The Motive of the Sinner

"THE WAY OF THE MASTER EPISODE 4"
The Summary of Salvation

"THE WAY OF THE MASTER EPISODE 5"
Practice What You Preach

"THE WAY OF THE MASTER EPISODE 6"
Idolatry

"THE WAY OF THE MASTER EPISODE 7"
The Beauty of a Broken Spirit - Atheism

"THE WAY OF THE MASTER EPISODE 8"
What Did Jesus Do?

"THE WAY OF THE MASTER EPISODE 9"
Blasphemy, Sabbath and Parents

"THE WAY OF THE MASTER EPISODE 10"
Murder

"THE WAY OF THE MASTER EPISODE 11"
Adultery


"THE WAY OF THE MASTER EPISODE 12"
Theft

"THE WAY OF THE MASTER EPISODE 13"

Lie and Covet

"THE WAY OF THE MASTER EPISODE 14"

God's Wonderful Plan

"THE WAY OF THE MASTER EPISODE 15"
Conscience

"THE WAY OF THE MASTER EPISODE 16"
Alcatraz Al Capone and Alcohol

"THE WAY OF THE MASTER EPISODE 17"
True and False Conversion

"THE WAY OF THE MASTER EPISODE 18"
When Things Go Wrong

"THE WAY OF THE MASTER EPISODE 19"
The Satanic Influence

"THE WAY OF THE MASTER EPISODE 20"
How To Witness To Someone Who Is Gay

"THE WAY OF THE MASTER EPISODE 21"
Evolution

"THE WAY OF THE MASTER EPISODE 22"
How To Witness to a Family Member

"THE WAY OF THE MASTER EPISODE 23"
The Fear of God

"THE WAY OF THE MASTER EPISODE 24"
Ice Breakers - Gospel Tracts

"THE WAY OF THE MASTER EPISODE 25"
The Greatest Gamble

"THE WAY OF THE MASTER EPISODE 26"
How To Get On Fire For God

Nicely Done!

From Christian Research Network:

"This video produced by Cross TV does an excellent job of showing the errors of the current crop of popular preachers. This includes Benny Hinn, Ken Copeland and even Rick Warren."

I'll add this link to today's "Grace To You" broadcast to offer a direct contrast.

Monday, May 21, 2007

One Big Happy Purpose Driven Cult

Make no mistake about it; the picture to the left is that of a heretic.

Here's an excerpt from the USA Today article:

Warren is part of the ultra-conservative Southern Baptist Convention, and all his senior staff sign on to the SBC's doctrines, such as the literal and infallible Bible and exclusion of women as senior pastors. Yet Warren's pastor-training programs welcome Catholics, Methodists, Mormons, Jews and ordained women. "I'm not going to get into a debate over the non-essentials. I won't try to change other denominations. Why be divisive?" he asks, citing as his model Billy Graham, "a statesman for Christ ministering across barriers."

Hmmmm.... so Rick Warren doesn't want to be "divisive" by not training those in cults which, by the way, he refers to as mere "denominations". He's a "statesman for Christ"?

Which Christ?

"...And I will keep on doing what I am doing in order to cut the ground from under those who want an opportunity to be considered equal with us in the things they boast about. 13For such men are false apostles, deceitful workmen, masquerading as apostles of Christ. 14And no wonder, for Satan himself masquerades as an angel of light. 15It is not surprising, then, if his servants masquerade as servants of righteousness. Their end will be what their actions deserve." 2 Cor. 11:12-14


Saturday, May 19, 2007

Courageous Christians

The following was posted by Sam Guzman, a 19 year old, over at Slice of Laodicea. It is with pleasure that I post it here and direct you to the entire article. Let it be an encouragement and a challenge to each and every one of us.

"I hope that my mom won’t mind, but I am hijacking her blog for a post. I would like to direct this post primarily to the younger readers of this blog; to those who, like me, are facing the tremendous moral pressures and temptations of the time in which we live.

This is the age of easy-believism; when being a Christian costs nothing. It is just another label that we apply to ourselves and it means nothing more than being a blonde or brunette would. Oh sure, there are some stereotypes, but nothing that can’t be proven wrong. With a little effort, the world will see that we Christians aren’t as boring as they think.

Such is the attitude of most of the young people today that call themselves Christians; even in — dare I say it — so-called fundamentalist or conservative circles. They like to throw around Christian terms, put “Jesus” under religion in their myspace profiles, and go on missions trips. But at heart, theirs is a carnal Christianity; a Christianity in name and in resemblance, but not in reality. They look just like the world in their ethical, speech, and entertainment habits, all the while claiming to be different. There is never a thought of self-denial or of giving up anything for God. They want their cake and they want to eat it too; for they think that Christ’s death has atoned for their flirtation with the world. They are silent when they should speak because they fear what might be thought of them. There is no real love for God or it would not be so.

It is the very ease of calling yourself a Christian today that makes being a true Christian so difficult. But don’t be fooled: this is not the first time in history when it has been hard to truly follow Christ. All through the ages, men have made a choice to follow God, and that choice was not comfortable. Hebrews 11 demonstrates that clearly enough. Think of all the great movers and shakers for God that God used to shape our modern world. Calvin, Tyndale, Luther, Huss, Livingston, Spurgeon, and the list goes on. Was one of these men quiet about their Lord? Did they exercise their Christian “freedom” and dabble in the world? No! They shook the world because they feared God more than they feared men and they loved him more than they loved themselves. They proclaimed with their lives that only God matters.

This is not the day and time where we should be quiet, weak, and easy Christians. God calls us to be courageous Christians! It will be hard, but Christ calls us to a hard, rough-and-tumble Christianity which is not daunted by peer pressure or the devil’s far worse things. God will use those who have boldness and who will not deny him by their silence (for silence is denial). Don’t be afraid to be considered a fanatic or a radical. I have feared that far too long, and with God’s help, no longer. Let us go forward together as a generation that is not afraid of the world or our Christian peers; that is not afraid to deny ourselves; that is not afraid to be sold out; and that can proclaim like those that went before us, “only God matters.” Let us see what God can do with such Christians.

-Sam"

Friday, May 18, 2007

Faces of Persecution

For those who think Christianity is some kind of game or "club". If you believe in a seeker-sensitive, "God Has a Wonderful Plan For Your Life" social gospel, let this video from Voice of the Martyrs sink in.

Emerging Church Confusion

The contemporary church is being infected by the leaven of "emergent" thinking. If you look around, you'll see disturbing trends. One example is Bethel Seminary and the Baptist General Conference endorsing emergent leader Erwin McManus. And the BGC isn't the only organization falling into this error -- the SBC, which has long been known for its' conservatism, is being infected by it as well. In fact, the emergent error knows no denominational limits. Whenever you consider a church, I urge you to take this into account very sincerely.

Did you ever wonder what it's like to hear someone who represents the "emergent" church movement? Then take the time to listen to Doug Pagitt as interviewed by Ingrid Schlueter on VCY America's "Crosstalk" program and compare it to the analysis by Pastor Bob DeWaay.

Prepare to be frustrated as you hear Doug dance around most every question he's asked.


I weep for Christianity.

Rick Warren You Are A Hypocrite:
Saddleback Speaks Out After Rick Warren Called to Discipline Murdoch

Christian Research Network has a new article on the Warren/Murdoch pornography debacle.

Here is an excerpt -- Rick Warren's own words on dealing with sin in the church. Too bad it doesn't seem to apply to Rupert Murdoch, the purveyor of porn, who donates high, wide and handsome to Warren's causes.:

"Sin is to be confessed only as widely as it affects others. Private sin requires only private confession to God. Personal sin that involves others requires interpersonal confession to the people involved. Public sins (those that affect a large group of people in our congregation) regrettably must be dealt with publicly as a warning to others."

The rest can be read here.

Ingrid Scheuter at Slice of Laodicea also has a post at her blog:
"To Rick Warren: Deal With Sin or Resign"

Rev. Ken Silva at the Christian Research Institute has posted on the ongoing hypocrisy at Saddleback where Rick Warren steadfastly refuses to acknowledge his biblical responsibility as shepherd of porn producing Rupert Murdoch. Silva challenges Warren as a former Southern Baptist and does so on the basis of Rick Warren’s own claim that he pastors the media mogul. I second Rev. Silva’s call to Rick Warren to either behave like a true shepherd or resign for engaging in spiritual malpractice. Favoritism is forbidden by Holy Scripture and Murdoch needs to be held accountable for the incalculable damage he is doing to millions through his pornography channels."

Thursday, May 17, 2007

The Satanic Influence

From a 2004 Newsletter by Ray Comfort:

Most people don't think about the subject of Satanism unless there is a grizzly murder, and satanic symbols are found at the crime scene. Many who believe in the devil, usually think of him as being the darkest of figures. What they don't realize is that the Bible tells us that he can also manifest himself as an "angel of light." In reference to false converts within the Church, the Bible says:


For such men are false apostles [spurious, counterfeits], deceitful workmen, masquerading as apostles (special messengers) of Christ . . . And it is no wonder, for Satan himself masquerades as an angel of light; So it is not surprising if his servants also masquerade as ministers of righteousness... 2 Corinthians 11:13-15 (Amplified Bible)


Satan is incredibly subtle. We are warned that he uses professing men of God (ministers of righteousness) to deceive the Church. The Bible calls him "the god of this world," and says that he blinds the minds of unbelievers. Jesus called him "the prince of this world," and "the father of lies."


The Scriptures continually warn the Church against his wiles (his methods), using words such as "be not deceived," and telling us to "be vigilant." Well, has our Satan had any influence on you and me? Is there any deception with the Church? That's what we are going to look at closely. We are going to look at perhaps the greatest and most subtle of Satan's deceptions.


You may not be familiar with the story Jesus told of the Prodigal Son, so let's take a moment to consider what it says. The Prodigal Son asked his father for his inheritance, then went into a far country and spent all his cash on parties and prostitutes. He enjoyed "the pleasures of sin." But after a famine hit the land, his money ran out, and the only job he could get was feeding pigs.


He became so hungry that he found himself desiring the food that the pigs were eating. Suddenly, he "came to himself"--he came to his senses. Realizing that even his father's servants had it better than he did, he decided to return and say, "Father, I have sinned against heaven and in your sight. Take me on as a hired servant." So he got up out of the pigsty and went back to his father.


His father was looking for his son's return, and the Bible says that "he saw him while he was yet a great way off." He ran to his son, fell upon him, kissed him, and rejoiced that he had returned. He freely forgave him and returned him to his former state.


This is a picture of every person before they come to Christ. We turned from God to serve the devil and the pleasures of sin. The Bible says that there is a "spirit" that works in the children of disobedience. 1 John 3:8 says "He that commits sin is of the devil..." Jesus even told the religious hypocrites of His day that their father was the devil:


You are of your father the devil, and the lusts of your father you will do. He was a murderer from the beginning, and abode not in the truth, because there is no truth in him. When he speaks a lie, he speaks of his own: for he is a liar, and the father of it. John 8:44


Unsaved people live in the Kingdom of Darkness. It's as simple as this, if we are serving sin, we are serving Satan. Our appetites are unclean. We desire pig food. Consider what we crave. Think of the contents of the average soap opera or prime time television show --adultery, jealously, lust, fornication, rape, gossip, and greed. Or the average movie today with its violence, filthy language, explicit sex, and graphic murder.


Look at the covers of magazines in bookstores and supermarkets. They are "soft-core" pornography, which a few years ago was considered hard-core and hidden from young eyes. Think of video games that kids crave--they are extremely violent and sexually perverted. Think of most rock music, with its explicit sexuality, its blasphemy, and its dark Satanic side. Consider the Internet's multi-billion dollar hard-core porn industry, or how the average person uses filthy words and blasphemy in every day speech. Life in the dirty pigsty is normal, natural, and completely acceptable.


Yes, Satan is the god of this world, and he has deceived millions. But his deception hasn't stopped there. It has moved into the Church. Despite what the Bible says, that Satan is real, that he's a deceiver, and the god of this world who blinds minds, look at what has happened--according to the Barna Research Group:


In 2004, an incredible 50% of those who profess to be "born again" actually deny Satan's existence.


That's unbelievable! Despite the revelation of Scripture, 50% of those who profess to be born again actually deny Satan's existence. And the scary thing about denying Satan, is that if you deny that he exists, you let your guard down--you let him bring in deception. The place to corrupt the Church is at the point of entry... to poison evangelistic message that brings people into the Kingdom of God.


That's what has happened. We haven't been vigilant. We have allowed Satan to contaminate the biblical method of evangelism. We have allowed certain "ministers of righteousness" within the Church to move away from Scripture. They refuse to use the Law (the Ten Commandments) to bring the knowledge of sin (as Jesus did), and show sin to "be exceedingly sinful." This is despite the fact that even the Apostle Paul said that he didn't know what sin was without the Law. They say that they have found a shortcut to bring people to salvation. They leave out the Law and instead take the prodigal back to the father, without showing him that his appetites are unclean.


Remember that in the story Jesus told, the prodigal "came to his senses" when he realized that he desired pig food. That's what made him want to go back to his father and say "I have sinned against heaven and in yours sight, make me your hired servant." In the name of sensitivity, modern preachers don't let that happen. They shortcut that process. So instead of the professed convert saying to the Father "I have sinned against Heaven. Make me your servant," he goes to God and says, "I have run out of money. Give me some more. You be my servant."


And that's what's wrong with the modern church. It is filled with unconverted people who have never seen that their sinful appetites are unclean. Modern preachers have left out the Law, and so we have multitudes in pulpits and in pews who don't see sin as exceedingly sinful. So they look on God as their servant. Instead of saying, "Make me your servant," they say "Give me more!"


Aleister Crowley (who died in 1947), is considered to be the father of modern Satanism. In his publication called, The Book of the Law, he sums up the essence of Satanism. It is: "do what thou wilt shall be the whole of the Law."


And that sums up the desires of many who profess to have faith in Jesus Christ. Their lack of concern for the lost shows that something is radically wrong. They have never given up their selfish will, and cried, "Not my will but Yours be done." They have never sought to serve God by doing His will by reaching out to the unsaved.


Remember that Bill Bright said that only 2% of the contemporary church in American share their faith regularly with others. All they want is what they can get from God--health, wealth and prosperity. Listen to most modern preaching. It caters to nothing but selfishness. It's self seeking, self serving, and self-centered. The modern church has become the last days Laodicean church, who says that it's rich and in need of nothing, but it is in truth, poor, blind, wretched, miserable and naked.


How can this great multitude be awakened to this deception? Simply by helping them look into the mirror--by seeing themselves under the light of God's Law--the Ten Commandments. Every professing Christian should obey the admonition to "Examine yourself to see if you are in the faith." But many won't. They think they are saved because they call Jesus Lord, and do miracles in His name. They will wait until the Day of Judgment and cry "Lord, Lord, we did many wonderful works in your name," and Jesus will say to them, "Depart from Me. You worker of Lawlessness. I never knew you." They are still in their sins.


Martin Luther said, "The first duty of the gospel preacher is to declare God's Law and show the nature of sin." Then he said, "This now is the Christian teaching and preaching, which God be praised, we know and possess, and it is not necessary at present to develop it further, but only to offer the admonition that it be maintained in Christendom with all diligence. For Satan has attacked it hard and strong from the beginning until present, and gladly would he completely extinguish it and tread it under foot." After the Apostle Paul was converted on the Road to Damascus, Jesus said to him,


But rise, and stand upon your feet: for I have appeared to you for this purpose, to make you a minister and a witness . . . To open their eyes, and to turn them from darkness to light, and from the power of Satan to God, that they may receive forgiveness of sins . . . Acts 16-18


If you know this same Jesus, you too have the same commission -- "to open their eyes, and to turn [sinners] from darkness to light, and from the power of Satan to God, that they may receive forgiveness of sins..." The way to do that is to do it the way Paul did it. The way Jesus did it. Learn to follow the biblical method of using the Law (the Ten Commandments) to show this sinful world why they need the Savior.


For Evangelism Resources, please visit LivingWaters.com.

Wednesday, May 16, 2007

Everyone Knows They Sin so Let's Preach The Positives

...or so they say....

What If You Don't Believe In God?

Here's a video by former atheist Frank Harber...

The Blasphemy Challenge Challenge

Hi my name is Tim Brown and I deny the existence of everyone at the "Rational Response Squad" because there is so much evil in the world.

What am I talking about? Check this out, from Todd Friel.

God's Worship Style is Not Entertaining & Casual

From Old Truth:

"Much of today's worship is oriented, consciously or not, around the idea of entertainment. Pastors and elders fall under tremendous pressure to conduct services that are lively, practical, and relevant in order to keep the people in the pews interested in what is happening. The constant fear is that members will leave a boring style of worship for the church across town with better music, a bigger and younger congregation, and with better lighting and sound systems...."

Read the rest of the article here...

Monday, May 14, 2007

Are You Abandoning the Faith?

Dr. Ed Bulkley addresses this important topic. Abandoning the faith can be much more subliminal than you may think!

Numerical Growth Can Be Deceptive

From Old Truth:

"Quoting Nathan Busenitz . . .

Numerical growth can take place for wrong reasons. For example, during Jesus' ministry, much of the crowd that followed him was more interested in his miracles than in his message (John 6:26). In fact, the wrong measure of success can be outright deadly - lulling churches into thinking that they are doing well when in fact they are not.

Quantitative growth can be deceptive. It may be no more than the mushrooming of a mechanically induced, psychological or social movement, a numerical count, an agglomeration of individuals or groups, an increase of a body without the development of muscle and vital organs. . . . In many ways the expansion of Christendom has come at the expense of the purity of the gospel and true Christian order and life. The church has become infested with pagan beliefs and practices, and is syncretistic in theology. . . . Large segments have become Christo-pagan.

Sadly, by watering-down the message and using unbiblical methods, [these churches] may be doing more harm than good - filling their auditoriums with vast crowds of lost people who think they're spiritually okay.

Having investigated both its evangelistic message and its evangelistic model, the sad conclusion is that the gospel according to Hybels and Warren falls far short of the biblical paradigm. Influenced more by pragmatic business principles than by prescribed biblical precepts, it is little wonder that seeker-driven churches are both numerically vast and spiritually shallow. Christ, of course, promised that He would build His church (Matt. 16:18). However, it is obvious that the building must be according to His plan. Attempting to build the church by human means only competes with the work of Christ.

Instead of always looking for new ways to do ministry, pastors and evangelists should content themselves with studying and applying the biblical principles for evangelism - being ever mindful of their God-given calling. God has already given His church the instructions they need. When they invent their own instructions, the end result is guaranteed to fall short of His standards. ...


From:

The Gospel According to Hybels & Warren"

Saturday, May 12, 2007

Rick Warren: Saddleback’s Purpose Driven Censors Didn’t Spin Fast Enough

Christian Research Network has supplied a spin piece from Warren's web site --- which has since been pulled. Regardless of Warren's "Pastors.com" website, in which Warren openly states that he is Rupert Murdoch's pastor, the spin article claims this is all false.

Here is the article from CRN:


"Christian Research Net readers will recall a piece here yesterday called Rick Warren: Saddleback Response to Murdoch/Porn Issue Suddenly Disappears! In it I pointed out that before the long arm of the Saddleback censors reached out to gobble it up Ingrid Schlueter over at Slice of Laodicea had provided the link from A Rick Warren Blog which contained Saddleback "Chief of Staff" David Chrzan’s response to the newstory Murdoch’s porn pastor gets heat for mogul’s porn channels by World Net Daily’s Joseph Farah. A response that Saddleback "Spin Doctor" Mark Kelly had called, "a forceful reply to Joseph Farah of World Net Daily."

Well, it turns out that in this case the Saddleback censors simply didn’t spin fast enough because here is the link to a screen shot of Mark Kelly’s Saddleback "hit piece" No Incentive for Checking facts as it originally appeared in the public domain of the Internet yesterday. One really has to wonder; why was Kelly forced to take it down? Could it actually be that Rick Warren and Saddleback decided to discipline one of their own in Mark Kelly for spreading lies about Joseph Farah of WND and Chris Rosebrough and me here at CRN? Stay tuned as I’ll have more on this later."

Here we go again. Just like the video taken in Syria, which Warren said didn't exist, which he then showed at his political summit at Saddleback.

Yeah, I trust Rick Warren.

You might also want to check out this article "Anatomy of Saddleback Spin"

Thursday, May 10, 2007

Here's a good listen!

Mike Corley is always good, but I wanted to post a link to this because 1). The first interview (with Associate Pastor Matt Fowler of First Baptist Church of Muscle Shoals, Alabama) is so encouraging and 2). the second (with a Romanian missionary Siron Perdon) which helps us understand Christianity from the perspective of those who are persecuted for their faith.

Wednesday, May 09, 2007

Monday, May 07, 2007

Rick Warren: AWOL Regarding Pornography

You just have to wonder how much of Warren people will put up with....

From the Orange County Register:

"Warren says he is pastor to Rupert Murdoch, whose News Corp. subsidiary publishes "The Purpose-Driven Life" but also publishes tabloid newspapers featuring topless women.

"I don't have to agree with 100 percent of what another person does in order to work with them on the 20 percent that we do agree on," Warren says.

That pragmatic attitude has paid off. Murdoch was among the first to support the PEACE plan, donating $2 million. Other business leaders, such as John Kang, a Saddleback member and tech-industry CEO, and Joe Ritchie, a Chicago businessman and former options trader, donated time and expertise."

Aside from the obvious issue of exploitation of women, even the secular press can see Warren for what he stands for; Pragmatism. Sadly, so many in 'evangelicalism' just don't seem to get it.

Rick? Ever heard of holiness or repentance? When can we expect you to confront him about his porn problem?

I thought so.

Sunday, May 06, 2007

Hell's Best Kept Secret

Emergency Surgery

Right now, I'm sitting in room 215 of St. Mary OSF hospital. Mom was admitted today. She became ill yesterday and very sick to her stomach. Enough said. We took her to the *other* hospital last night and they gave her some meds for nausea, then sent her home.

Today she was very weak and fell twice at home while my wife and I were at church. My sister called and told me that she was getting no answer. Turns out she was on the floor. We got her to the OSF emergency room and she is preparing to come out of surgery for a strangulated hernia. She was very dehydrated and weak, but things look better now. I'm debating going into work tomorrow. In view of losing my father this past November, I was especially concerned about this. I'm in the room she will be in for the next few days, waiting for her to arrive.

Thank you for your prayers.

Our Way of the Master class started this evening, although I was supposed to be there. The Lord has been so good to me. It has been two years that I've been trying to get a WOTM study group together. Recently, we have been led to another area church that I didn't even know existed. It is smaller but I see more evidence of real conversions there. I've been there only four times now and have found a core group that wants to take the Way of the Master course. They really are interested in reaching the lost. Really good fellowship, and none of the 'seeker' drivel.

Funny how mom's incident was today. The enemy just wanted me to cancel that class. But I'm sure they will do fine without me this week.

The Lesson: Be faithful. Stay faithful. I was reflecting on how I've been struggling to get the class going. I was really frustrated with things then decided to get my tools ready and trust the Lord to give me opportunities. He has done that. I praise God for that. And I believe I am where I belong. That is precious.



Saturday, May 05, 2007

Think You've Seen Stupidity?
How about clown communion?

Well, I guess if we're going to turn church into entertainment, we may as well do it right. Here's a video I found at Way Of The Master. You'll have to see it to believe it. Well, at least these pastors aren't even pretending to be serious any more.

WOTM asks (my paraphrase) "...if Paul was upset over the Corinthian church and it's treatment of communion, what would he think of this".

You can read WOTM's treatment of this here.

Friday, May 04, 2007

True Christianity Explained
...by an atheist.

This gentleman seems to know more about true Christianity than the majority of what we might loosely call the "church".

Wednesday, May 02, 2007

Come as You Are; Leave as You Were ...the current state of American Churchianity


Steve Camp has submitted a sobering article at Christian Worldview Network. A good title might be "Five Tests that Reveal False Conversion".

Here's to your (spiritual) health.

Tuesday, May 01, 2007

Let's Focus on the Right Things

Yes, I'm a person who has been known to call my congressmen and other representatives from time to time. Yes, I vote. I believe that we as Christians have a dual citizenship. However, I am convinced that there comes a point where we are side-tracked to rabbit chases.

We are doing this now, as far as I'm concerned. As we lose our "rights" as Christians through proposed hate crimes legislation, such as will be voted on this coming Thursday, I can't help but wonder if we aren't more concerned with preserving our "rights" than what God has charged us with. If you listen to Christian radio, you've probably heard endless appeals to call your congressman on any of a number of issues. Seems like we're never done calling them anymore.

If you know Jesus Christ as Lord and Savior, it isn't your "right" to pray, it isn't your "right" to call sin what it is, regardless of who objects. It is your responsibility before God to pray. It is your responsibility to proclaim the Gospel.

No law the government can concoct can ever change that. The only difference will be whether or not we are willing to pay a price for doing so.

So, we need to refocus on what we are to do as basic Christian duty. If we love God, we will obey Him. If we don't obey Him we show we don't really love Him, regardless of what we claim. Call your congressmen? Sure. That's ok. But remember, political reformation is not our calling. Proclaiming the death, burial and resurrection of Christ and calling people to repentance and faith is our calling.

Secondly, we need to focus on the real Gospel. The one that mentions repentance and faith. We need to dump the false gospel of "life enhancement". As Christianity becomes illegal, the "God Has a Wonderful Plan For Your Life" draw card loses its appeal, doesn't it? Contrary to the contemporary "gospel", Jesus didn't die on the cross to make us happy. He died to save us from the penalty of our sin. Imagine being in jail for your faith and telling your jailer "God has a wonderful plan for your life".

Silly, isn't it?

I would challenge you to view this. As the days get darker, as the Scriptures say they will, the message in this video will become increasingly obvious.