Assurance of Salvation

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10 Therefore, brethren, be all the more diligent to make certain about His calling and choosing you; for as long as you practice these things, you will never stumble; 2 Peter 1:10 (NASB) 

How can we know if we are truly in Christ? Or you may ask, “What is the fruit which genuine believers bear?” If true salvation is as impacting on a believer’s life as we contend then there should be verifiable evidence or fruit manifested in that life. The problem is in knowing what evidences really prove the presence of God in a person’s life and those that do not…. Continue reading →

Are Focus on the Family, BGEA, & RZIM Churches? And Should They Be Exempt From Reporting Salaries of Executives?

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“I similarly reached out to Ruth Malhotra, public relations manager with RZIM. She did not give a reason for RZIM seeking to be classified by the IRS as an association of churches, but simply noted that other ministries, like the BGEA, had done likewise. I asked Malhotra for the salaries of RZIM Chairman & CEO Ravi Zacharias; his wife, Margaret Zacharias, who was listed as RZIM vice-chairman; and his daughter, Sarah Davis, who’s the new CEO of RZIM. In 2015, when the organization still filed 990s, the ministry paid Zacharias and his wife more than a half-million dollars, and his daughter more than $215,000.”

(Julie Roys)  It’s listed in Wikipedia as an evangelical parachurch organization that promotes “social conservative views on public policy.”… Continue reading →

Drag queen urges parents to keep kids away from drag: ‘Don’t ruin your child’s life’

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“A drag queen performs in a night club for adults. There is a lot of filth that goes on, a lot of sexual stuff that goes on, and back stage there’s a lot of nudity, sex, and drugs.” 

(Laura Mize – Disrn)  A drag queen known as Kitty Demure has taken to Twitter with a video warning for parents: The drag scene is not for kids.

Demure’s message comes as public libraries in some communities are hosting drag queen story hour for children. Continue reading →

Defining the Will of God

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“The context of Deuteronomy is instructive. As the Lord prepares Joshua to lead Israel into the land of Canaan after the death of Moses, He reminds His people of the necessity of His Word to know His will. This would prove to be a message Israel needed to hear. The anticipation of the promised land would press the limits of Israel’s faith as it navigated the obstacles that often lie in the gap between promise and fulfillment. In the face of the uncertainties that attend life in a fallen world, Israel needed to be reminded that obeying God’s Word was at the center of knowing God’s will for their lives.”

(John Tweeddale – Tabletalk) Throughout the annals of time, many people have struggled to define the will of God. When we talk about God’s will today, we tend to speak about things in reference to ourselves—usually good things such as our spouses, our children, our jobs, our finances, and our hobbies…. Continue reading →

If You Aren’t Paying Attention to the Latest UFO News, You Really, Really Should Be

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“Is it possible these things are a foreign adversarial technology that somehow was developed in secret and we are just now trying to figure these things out?” he said. “It’s possible. But, there are also other possibilities as well, of what these things could be.”

(Scott Morefield – Townhall)  I’m as much a Sci-Fi fan as most anyone. I’ve read my fair share of Orson Scott Card books, seen all the Men in Black movies, think it’s a travesty that Firefly got canceled, and have sat through every cringy second of every lame attempt to improve on the original Star Wars trilogy, but until the past few months, I’d never seriously considered even the remotest possibility that humans may not be alone, at least on this planet and in this solar system. Continue reading →

False Prophets and Teachers

Posted by ∙ ∙ In Devotion/Teaching

1 But the Spirit explicitly says that in later times some will fall away from the faith, paying attention to deceitful spirits and doctrines of demons, 2 by means of the hypocrisy of liars seared in their own conscience as with a branding iron, 1 Timothy 4:1-2 (NASB)

In these last days, there appears to be a clarifying work of God going on within the Visible Church. In the early church and in all those historic periods when it was not “comfortable” to be counted among those who named Christ as their Lord and Saviour, the genuine believers were easy to spot. They endured…. Continue reading →

Beth Moore Says She Stays Quiet on MLK Day Because a Black Man Told Her ‘Talk Less’

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“To be frank, the argument employed here is no different than the argument that leftists use against the pro-life movement — that only women who experience hardships in raising children should have a voice.”

(Jeff Maples – Reformation Charlotte)  Beth Moore has long left the reservation of sound, biblical Christianity. Besides the fact that she’s a rebellious woman who refuses to submit to the authority of God’s word by teaching and preaching to men, she has fully embraced the “woke church” movement and joined the chorus of self-shaming virtue-signaling white folk who have surrendered their right to speak on racial issues to those professional victims of a fictive epidemic of “white supremacy.” Continue reading →

Baptist Press quoted NIF rep who wrote blog for Soros Open Society

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The actual grant numbers from Open Society Foundation to NIF were verified by The Blaze in a 2013 story that includes a great quote from Richard Land on the reported Soros connection. Land reportedly said, “If God can use the jawbone of an ass to achieve His purpose, He can use George Soros, too.” 

(Capstone Report) Want to know how desperate Baptist Press and its Evangelical Elite employers are to hide the truth about the Evangelical Immigration Table’s historic and undeniable connections with George Soros funded entities?… Continue reading →

Mysticism in the Church: 10 Things to Watch For

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An integral part of “spiritual formation” disciplines, contemplative prayer (aka centering prayer, abiding prayer, breath prayer, Jesus prayer) is described by Richard Foster as: wordless (no content), not for the novice (exclusive), unmediated, and dangerous. Thomas Merton gives the dangers: you could lose your faith, contact a demon, be led into false belief by your own imagination, feel a dread sense that God has abandoned you, or have a mental breakdown. No Scripture prescribes the following ritual to achieve union with the divine: sit quietly, use measured breathing, repeat a phrase over and over for 20 minutes until your mind is empty. Is this altered mental state really the one way to achieve union with God, as mystics claim?….

(Lena Wood & Lynn Lusby Pratt)  As unsettling changes take place in your Christian environment, you might find yourself in this scenario: Continue reading →

Who is the antichrist?

Posted by ∙ ∙ In Devotion/Teaching

18 Children, it is the last hour; and just as you heard that antichrist is coming, even now many antichrists have appeared; from this we know that it is the last hour. 19 They went out from us, but they were not really of us; for if they had been of us, they would have remained with us; but they went out, so that it would be shown that they all are not of us. 20 But you have an anointing from the Holy One, and you all know. 1 John 2:18-20 (NASB) 

The doctrine of the Roman Catholic Church says that it is the only true church while all others are false. At the same time most solid evangelical Christians I know hold to the truth that the Pope, the Bishop of Rome, is an “antichrist.”…. Continue reading →

Yes, the Devil is Real

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“One of the things that surprised me when I first read the New Testament seriously was that it talked so much about a Dark Power in the universe – a mighty evil spirit who was held to be the Power behind death and disease, and sin. The difference [from Dualism] is that Christianity thinks that this Dark Power was created by God, and was good when he was created, and went wrong. Christianity agrees with Dualism that this universe is at war. But it does not think this is a war between independent powers. It thinks it is a civil war, a rebellion, and that we are living in a part of the universe occupied by the rebel.” 

(Bill Muehlenberg – Culture Watch) Contrary to the claims of some, Satan most certainly exists: Continue reading →

Over 90% of Illegal Aliens Nabbed Had Criminal Convictions or Pending Charges

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More than 90% of illegal immigrants arrested by federal agents in the United States last year had criminal convictions or pending criminal charges, including 56,000 assaults and thousands of sex crimes, robberies, homicides and kidnappings. Many had “extensive criminal histories with multiple convictions.”

(Jim Kouri – News With Views) “North Carolina’s Mecklenburg County, that state’s largest, was among the biggest offenders, releasing numerous violent criminals rather than turn them over to federal authorities for removal. Among them was a previously deported Honduran charged with rape and child sex crimes.” – Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) Report. Continue reading →

50 Highly Paid Christian Ministry Executives

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“This information comes from the most recent Form 990 available on Guidestar.org. For some ministries the most recent year available was 2016. For most years, the most recent year available was 2017. For a few ministries, the most recent year is 2018.”

(Warren Cole Smith – MinistryWatch) Below is a list of 50 highly paid Christian ministry executives. The information was derived from the Form 990 prepared by the ministry itself.

We are not calling this list the “50 Highest Paid Christian Ministry Executives” because we know that many pastors and other church leaders who might make more are not on this list, because churches are not required to make their Form 990s available to the public…. Continue reading →

Christ is both God and man

Posted by ∙ ∙ In Devotion/Teaching

1 In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. John 1:1 (NASB)

14 And the Word became flesh, and dwelt among us, and we saw His glory, glory as of the only begotten from the Father, full of grace and truth. John 1:14 (NASB)

If we listen to some today it is as if the Incarnation of Christ was to show Man how to live in such a way that there would be no war, no hunger, no sickness and that the Earth be recovered back to the pristine state of Creation…. Continue reading →

If you continue in My word, then you are truly disciples of Mine…

Posted by ∙ ∙ In Devotion/Teaching

31 So Jesus was saying to those Jews who had believed Him, “If you continue in My word, then you are truly disciples of Mine; 32 and you will know the truth, and the truth will make you free.” John 8:31-32 (NASB) 

Legalism is something that is not as easy to define as we first think it is. Many definitions talk about a system of laws that must be obeyed in place of simply belief in order to have salvation or eternal life. However, I contend that there is a form of legalism that most of us are guilty of committing in our interrelationships with other believers…. Continue reading →

Prince Harry, Meghan Markle will no longer use royal titles, Queen and Buckingham Palace announce

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“I recognise the challenges they have experienced as a result of intense scrutiny over the last two years and support their wish for a more independent life. I want to thank them for all their dedicated work across this country, the Commonwealth and beyond, and am particularly proud of how Meghan has so quickly become one of the family….”

(Melisa Roberto – Fox News)  Duke and Duchess of Sussex no more. Continue reading →

Why didn’t God stop Eve from eating the fruit?

Posted by ∙ ∙ In Opinion ∙ , , , , , , ,

“Our God, your God whether you believe He exists or not, loves His world and continues to work His sovereign plan of salvation in it upon those whom He has foreknown. He will be glorified.”

(Elizabeth Prata – The End Time)  I was listening to a Grace Community Church Question and Answer session. I always appreciate how John MacArthur can sum up complex theological thoughts and issues so succinctly. I also enjoy the variety of questions. There came a question from what sounded like a very young boy. Continue reading →

The New Age Christian—An Accepted Oxymoron

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It is important to understand that Satan is not simply trying to draw people to the dark side of a good versus evil conflict. Actually, he is trying to eradicate the gap between himself and God, between good and evil, altogether.

(Ray Yungen) The current popularity with meditative contemplative mysticism presents a very perplexing challenge for evangelical Christianity. We are now encountering the New Age or Aquarian Christian. This term describes someone who remains in his or her home church and professes the Christian faith but has also incorporated various aspects of the New Age or Aquarian mindset into his or her life…. Continue reading →

No, God Did Not Speak to You Through, Dreams, Visions, Voices in Your Head, or Divine Impressions

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“If you are the one making such a claim, you must be prepared to defend your claim. If you are going to tell others that God is speaking to you, you must give us a reason to believe it. No one should expect to make the incredible claim that God is speaking to them without being willing and open to showing us why they believe such an event occurred.”

(Ed Dingess – Reformation Charlotte)  “God spoke to me.” “God gave me a dream.” “The Holy Spirit led me.” All these represent claims that I hear just about every time I am around other Christians. Rare is the modern Christian that does not make these claims. Rarer still are those that dare to question such claims. And most rare of all are those that dare to reject such claims in preference for, not just a theological, but a practice view of the sufficiency of Scripture. Why is that? Continue reading →

Context Matters: Abstain from All Appearance of Evil

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“And how does Paul want people to express their dependence on the Spirit? How can they show their regard for those verbal prophecies? Is it by shutting off their minds and swallowing wholesale whatever is spoken in the name of the Spirit?”

(Peter Krol – Knowable Word)  Perhaps you’ve heard the injunction to avoid the appearance of evil. You won’t find the phrase in most modern English Bibles, as it’s a holdover from the King James translation of 1 Thessalonians 5:22. The ESV commands us to “abstain from every form of evil,” and the CSB simplifies it further to “stay away from every kind of evil” (1 Thess 5:22, CSB). This verse could be called upon to support just about any set of personal prohibitions, including interacting with someone of the opposite sex, dining at a tavern, choosing one’s friends, and forming political alliances, to name a few. Continue reading →

Pro-Amnesty Southern Baptist Convention Is in Damage Control After Pushing Open Borders and Its Ties To Soros Are Exposed

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“SBC’s insistence that it has never received money from Soros is an outright lie and BPN’s claims that Soros funded only 2 percent of NIT are demonstrably false. An examination of the IRS 990 filings of the $20 billion Open Society Foundations, the private philanthropic entities of Soros, has granted hundreds of thousands of dollars to the NIF as far back as 2006 and is the group’s largest contributor.”

(Alicia Powe – The Gateway Pundit)  The world’s most wealthy, communist financier, a notorious atheist, is stealthily coordinating the deconstruction of America’s sovereignty and dismantling of our sovereign borders by infiltrating the nation’s most historically conservative channel: The Christian Church. Continue reading →

The Source of True Joy

Posted by ∙ ∙ In Devotion/Teaching

21 “Not everyone who says to Me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ will enter the kingdom of heaven, but he who does the will of My Father who is in heaven will enter. 22 Many will say to Me on that day, ‘Lord, Lord, did we not prophesy in Your name, and in Your name cast out demons, and in Your name perform many miracles?’ 23 And then I will declare to them, ‘I never knew you; depart from Me, you who practice lawlessness.’ Matthew 7:21-25 (NASB) (Read verses 24-25 on the site)

Most Christians are seeking joy and are, perhaps, perplexed because their circumstances are anything but joyful. Our Lord gave us the example through the way He walked throughout His earthly ministry in which we are given what true joy is and how we must live in order to obtain it…. Continue reading →

Criticism of the Southern Baptist Convention and the Role of Discernment Blogs

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Truth is, it may be that SBC leaders are exceedingly fearful that they are losing the ear of the internet consumer, especially the ear of evangelical Christians. Such a fear could very well explain why SBC leaders have become so vigorously vocal and, in some cases, unreasonably hysterical toward the so-called “discernment blogs.” Less than a decade ago,  established blogs by SBC leaders like Al Mohler set the SBC agenda and ruled the information network in SBC circles. But suppose now blogs like Pulpit & Pen, Capstone Report, and some others who are, by and large, critical of the SBC and its stated agenda, rule the internet traffic, perhaps even obtaining the lion’s share of SBC internet consumers.  

(Peter Lumpkins) Last week, The Capstone Report, a popular website that focuses on issues it perceives as troubling in the Southern Baptist Convention (SBC), released a story concerning the president of Midwestern Baptist Theological Seminary, Jason Allen, claiming he was personally lobbying the Missouri governor to settle more refugees in the state…. Continue reading →