Bible teaching, encouragement, homiletics, exegesis, etc.

Christ Is The Head

Posted by ∙ ∙ In Devotion/Teaching

If you’ve wondered why there are so many spiritual knuckleheads running around professing Christendom claiming that their way is correct, I’ll tell you why.

It can be traced to the increased acceptance of hyper-charismania and pietistic so-called spiritual disciplines. Bluntly put: liver shiver theology.

Now whenever someone has a burbling in the belly, instead of reaching for some Tums, they assume God has spoken to them.

That’s why Apprising Ministries thinks this devotional teaching by Charles Spurgeon is a timely reminder as to how we can stay of the straight and narrow. View article →

Only One Gospel, Part 9

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3 So also we, when we were children, we had been enslaved under the fundamental principles of the world. 4 But when the fullness of the time came, God sent forth his Son, born of a woman, born under law 5 that he might redeem the ones born under law that we might receive adoption as sons. Gal. 4:3-5, Possessing the Treasure New Testament v1

As I shared in our last post, Only One Gospel Part 8, my own pilgrimage or sojourn from my justification to this stage of my sanctification has not been a smooth upward line on a chart. No, in fact, one of the reasons I think I have such a clear understanding of Romans 7 is that I have lived it especially during those dark periods of those fiery trials that seemed to last forever during the 1990’s right up to through 2009 when my seizure disorder, which had been dormant since 1976 reappeared. However, the main element that comes through all of these “elemental principles of the world” is that even though those of us who are in Christ are indeed saved by grace and are new creations all according to the will of God all by his work, we are still in this temporal state in these bodies of flesh in this lost and dying world that neither knows our Lord nor what true joy is. However, even in the midst of a our tests and trials, we can rejoice in our Lord and be full of the joy of the Lord for we know that God is 100% in control and our time to meet him face to face is fixed and our time in our Lord’s presence will be for eternity. View article →

Evangelical Contemplative Mystic Peter Scazzero Leading Charge For Women Pastors

Posted by ∙ ∙ In Devotion/Teaching

Apprising Ministries alerts you to Scazzero’s Women In Ministry, which begins to tomorrow.    You’ll see the evidence from his website showing he’ll be using it to promote antibiblical women pastors.

If you don’t think this is important, then consider that Peter Scazzero is already partnered with the highly influential Willow Creek Association and comes recommended by both Rick Warren and Tim Keller. View article →

Justin Peters on Mangled Manifestations Of The Word Faith Movement

Posted by ∙ ∙ In Devotion/Teaching

Steven Furtick and many other Seeker Driven pastors dabbling now with Word Faith mythology essentially were coming of age during the 90’s.

As such, they’re preaching similar to the way WF preachers were in that time period, which is just after evangelical apologists like Walter Martin had thoroughly exposed WF heresies. This would cause WF perpetrators to hide their more pernicious doctrines underground.

My point being, these quasi-WF preacher wannabes and their fickle followers really have little to no idea about what Word Faith theology is. That’s why Apprising Ministries is pleased to bring you this session from Justin Peters. View article →

Only One Gospel, Part 8

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And if you are Christ’s then you are of Abraham’s seed and according to promise, heirs. Gal. 3:29, Possessing the Treasure New Testament v1

I mentioned many times on this blog that I grew up going to church. Some of my first memories were as a small child in church in 1950’s Oklahoma. I doubt if many today would feel real comfortable in the “church environment” I remember from that period. Of course, I did not come to faith until I was in my mid-thirties so I saw most of what went on during that period as a child, a pre-teen, and a teen in the youth group then as a College and Career young adult as an exercise in religiosity that seemed to have something to do with getting better and better at being righteous. When I went into the military in 1973 I left church until the mid-1980’s, married and with a family of my own. What was so interesting was that it was little different than I remembered. I still couldn’t wait for that last verse of the never-ending invitation hymn to get over with so we could get home. View article →

Only One Gospel, Part 7

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13 For the promise to Abraham or to his descendants that he would be heir of the world was not through the Law, but through the righteousness of faith. 14 For if those who are of the Law are heirs, faith is made void and the promise is nullified; 15 for the Law brings about wrath, but where there is no law, there also is no violation. 16 For this reason it is by faith, in order that it may be in accordance with grace, so that the promise will be guaranteed to all the descendants, not only to those who are of the Law, but also to those who are of the faith of Abraham, who is the father of us all, 17 (as it is written, “A FATHER OF MANY NATIONS HAVE I MADE YOU”) in the presence of Him whom he believed, even God, who gives life to the dead and calls into being that which does not exist. Romans 4:13-17, NASB

One of the comments from yesterday’s post, Only One Gospel Part 6, stated succinctly that as I presented the message of this series, “Mike – you are swimming up stream in the self-centered culture.” My friend who stated that is right. However, isn’t that what Jesus told us would be the case? If we are his disciples and prove it by following him, obeying him, living by faith, not conforming to this world, et cetera then this world would hate us just as it hated him. However, it wasn’t until I got quite deep into this teaching and discernment ministry that I discovered the shocking truth that most of the push-back to the truth from God’s Word, getting Doctrine right, not compromising for the sake of unity, et cetera was coming from professing Christians. Some of those professing Christians had quite well known ministries and their apologists were quite brutal, underhanded, and played dirty. What am I saying? The self-centered culture that is in darkness that these truths expose is actually most of the visible church. View article →