As my friend and fellow CRN contributor Mike Ratliff reminded me today, for too many within evangelicalism this is but a pillow fight.
So Apprising Ministries goes to the Bible, yes I know that’s très passé, to show the stark contrast between Holy Scripture and the mythology of men like Rick Warren.
Apprising Ministries would have you know that the world religion of Islam will continue to be an important issue to be faced by the Christian Church. There are many now who have bought the lie that Islam is an Abrahamic faith; it is not.
The fact is, the capricious and unknowable Allah of the Qur’an is not the immutable and personal one true and living God of the Bible. Therefore we know that Islam’s founder Muhammad received his revelation from a demon and not from an angel of God.
Here in this post you’ll see for yourself from a well informed Muslim, Dr. Jamal Badawi, Chairman of the Islamic Information Foundation in Halifax, Nova Scotia, who they think God is. Then Christian Bible scholar Dr. Gleason Archer will show from Scripture the Christian and Muslim simply do not believe in the same God.
Highly recommended by Rick Warren, Willow Creek Association, and Gospel Coalition Council member Tim Keller, Apprising Ministries warns you that Scazzero has much influence upon mainstream evangelical pastors.
In this article you’ll get more idea of what type of fruit Scazzero’s corrupt contemplative spirituality is producing and what you need to get ready for as his disciples prepare to spread as spiritual spores.
13 “You shall not murder. Exodus 2:13, NASB
As I have been studying our Lord’s Sermon on the Mount, I have come under deep conviction of my extreme need of grace. Oh, I’ve always known since God saved me that I was saved by grace not according to my merits or works, but as the working of the Word of God on my heart does what it is supposed to do, that is, the Law kills any bit of self-righteousness I have, stripping it away, leaving me with only the grace and mercy of God, anything else is to end up with my clothes torn, lying and weeping in dust and ashes rather than joyfully resting in my Lord.
12 Πάντα οὖν ὅσα ἐὰν θέλητε ἵνα ποιῶσιν ὑμῖν οἱ ἄνθρωποι, οὕτως καὶ ὑμεῖς ποιεῖτε αὐτοῖς· οὗτος γάρ ἐστιν ὁ νόμος καὶ οἱ προφῆται. Matthew 7:12, NA27
12 Therefore, everything that you wish men would for you, thus also you do for them for this is the Law and the Prophets. Matthew 7:12, Possessing the Treasure New Testament v1
At least a couple of times a month, sometimes a couple of times a week, I am contacted either through comments or via email from persons who at the heart are some form of “Antinomian.” No matter what flavor, they all want to say that the Christian is in no way accountable to obey the Law of God or that the Old Testament is of no value to us. Let’s see what our Lord says about that.
You are the salt of the earth, but if salt has lost its taste, how shall its saltiness be restored? It is no longer good for anything except to be thrown out and trampled under people’s feet. You are the light of the world. A city set on a hill cannot be hidden. Nor do people light a lamp and put it under a basket, but on a stand, and it gives light to all in the house. In the same way, let your light shine before others, so that they may see your good works and give glory to your Father who is in heaven. Matthew 5:13-16, ESV
I finished translating Matthew 5 last night. I must say that going verse-by-verse, word-by-word through this part of our Lord’s Sermon on the Mount this way has got to be one of the most humbling and heart-rending exercises I have ever gone through. Why? Our Lord was proclaiming that his kingdom had come and that those in it would have certain characteristics and those who did not were not part of his kingdom. In other words, these verses he proclaims about us being salt and light are not parts of a sermon on how to become salt and light, but indicative statements of fact about those already part of his kingdom. Of course, there are later statements of rebuke in which he preaches about our behavior of what we are to do and not do as those in his kingdom. However, as I translated chapter 5 I did a huge self-checkup and realized how my flesh rather than my Lord rules far too much of my character.
23 And he went about in all Galilee teaching in their Synagogues and preaching the Good News of the Kingdom and healing every disease and every illness among the people. 24 And the report of him went out into all Syria and they brought to him all those having illnesses, various diseases, suffering from torments, being demon possessed, epileptics, and paralytics, and he healed them. 25 And many crowds followed him from Galilee, Decapolis, Jerusalem, Judea, and beyond the Jordan. 1 And having seen the crowds, he went up to the mountain. And when he sat down his disciples came to him. Matthew 4:23-5:1, Possessing the Treasure New Testament v1
The Jewish religious system that our Lord confronted head-on when he began his earthly ministry was one based upon the Mosaic Law, but the keepers of that Law had created oral traditions for the people to keep that were not part of the Law at all. The purpose of God’s Law was intended to show the people their inability to be what God commanded and, therefore, their need for a Saviour outside of themselves so that they would come to God. The oral traditions and the legalistic religious system, a system of works righteousness, kept that from happening because it actually created a system of works that people could actually “keep,” even though they were burdensome, but it deceived them into believing they were actually keeping the Law. We have flavors of this in our time in those religious systems that are all about “works righteousness” or “deeds not creeds.” Any religious system calling itself “Christian” that bases justification upon “works” rather than justification by God’s grace through faith is false.
17 But Jesus answered them, “My Father is working until now and I am working. 18 Because of this, therefore, the Jews were seeking all the more to kill him not only because he was breaking the Sabbath, but also he was calling God his own Father making himself equal with God. John 5:17, 18, Possessing the Treasure New Testament V1
In this day of man-centered religiosity that has largely supplanted much of Evangelicalism, a study on Jesus Christ as Sovereign Lord, as Messiah, as God with full authority awaiting the trumpet call for judgment to begin is not only seldom preached and taught, but would seem so out of step with the post-modern, politically-correct version of the visible church all around us. The problem is not with the truth of that message, but with the fact that much of what calls itself “Christian” in our time is not. No, these religious groups may have a “god” named “jesus,” but he is anything but the one we are reading of in the Gospel of John. No, the real Jesus deliberately confronted false religious leaders and bluntly told them the truth about himself in contrast to their apostasy.
Since his recent passing evangelical leaders like Ravi Zacharias are touting Chuck Colson as a great man of God.
Certainly Chuck Colson did do some admirable things as a Christian. However Apprising Ministries, courtesy of CRN Associate Editor Erin Benziger, also reminds you of his sinful ecumenicism in this new piece.
Influential evangelical within the religious right James Robison says Jesus is in the heart of devout Mormon Glenn Beck. Leading SBC spokesman Richard Land says that he hears Beck clearly preach the Gospel on TV.
Well, here’s the heart of the matter, if Glenn Beck’s ever to be considered a Christian, then let him publicly repent of and repudiate the Mormon theology in this heavily documented article you can examine for yourself over at Apprising Ministries.
18 διὰ τοῦτο οὖν μᾶλλον ἐζήτουν αὐτὸν οἱ Ἰουδαῖοι ἀποκτεῖναι, ὅτι οὐ μόνον ἔλυεν τὸ σάββατον, ἀλλὰ καὶ πατέρα ἴδιον ἔλεγεν τὸν θεὸν ἴσον ἑαυτὸν ποιῶν τῷ θεῷ. John 5:18, NA27
18 Because of this, therefore, the Jews were seeking all the more to kill him not only because he breaking the Sabbath, but also he was calling God his own Father making himself equal with God. John 5:18, Possessing the Treasure New Testament V1
In our study of the Lord’s ministry from John 1 through John 4 the response from the Jewish religious leaders has been one of reservation and hesitation as Jesus as Messiah. Most of the Jews and Galileans had a mixed response as well. However, the Apostle John records for us in John 5 the controversial incidents that caused the shift from reservation and hesitation to outright opposition. This section of our Lord’s ministry is recorded by John for us in John 5:1 through John 12:50. In this post we look at John 5:1-18.
Apprising Ministries reminds you there’s appears to be a real push in the evangelical community to accept high profile practicing Mormons as Christian brothers.
In this new article you’ll see the, from official LDS sources, that the Church of Jesus Christian of Latter-day Saints (the Mormons) first attacked the Christian faith.
Sadly, evangelicalism is becoming more and more squishy in doctrine in its desire to please men and its lust for their acceptance.
With Mormon Mitt Romney growing in prominence due to the presidential race Apprising Ministries now gives you this succinct definition by the late cult expert Dr. Walter Martin.
16 The LORD God commanded the man, saying, “From any tree of the garden you may eat freely; 17 but from the tree of the knowledge of good and evil you shall not eat, for in the day that you eat from it you will surely die.” Genesis 2:16-17, NASB
1 Now the serpent was more crafty than any beast of the field which the LORD God had made. And he said to the woman, “Indeed, has God said, ‘You shall not eat from any tree of the garden’?” 2 The woman said to the serpent, “From the fruit of the trees of the garden we may eat; 3 but from the fruit of the tree which is in the middle of the garden, God has said, ‘You shall not eat from it or touch it, or you will die.'” 4 The serpent said to the woman, “You surely will not die! 5 “For God knows that in the day you eat from it your eyes will be opened, and you will be like God, knowing good and evil.” 6 When the woman saw that the tree was good for food, and that it was a delight to the eyes, and that the tree was desirable to make one wise, she took from its fruit and ate; and she gave also to her husband with her, and he ate. Genesis 3:1-6, NASB
19 By the sweat of your face You will eat bread, Till you return to the ground, Because from it you were taken; For you are dust, And to dust you shall return.” Genesis 3:19, NASB
The doctrine of original sin is a vital part of genuine Christian orthodoxy. For a long time I didn’t really appreciate how important it is in our concept of the depths of our guilt before our sovereign and thrice Holy God. However, as I have become involved in ‘discussions’ with those who reject this doctrine, God has revealed to me, through my studying his Word in order to answer certain ‘arguments,’ that when this doctrine is not part of one’s theology then their concept of their salvation is more self-centered and, in some cases, is understood that one is a Christian based solely on religious acts they have done. Let’s look again at the Apostle Paul’s thesis on our salvation, which none of us deserve.
Apprising Ministries goes over important background information concerning the methodology used by the Emerging Church to infiltrate and capture younger sectors of evangelicalism.
You’ll also see in this new article that the Emergent Church is now even set to begin indoctrinating helpless little children into the psuedo-Christian fables of one of its most notorious leaders.