This Is Not Your Grandparents’ Church

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Bethel Church in Redding CA, live worship (stage show) April 2019 – Youtube screenshot

“And here’s the sick irony: by driving off the elderly, they were driving off the people who, through their weakness, would bring a unique strength. They were driving off people who are necessary to the healthy functioning of a church.”

(Tim Challies)  One of the ugliest boasts of so many of the churches created during the era of the Church Growth Movement was this: This is not your grandparents’ church. This was a slogan they proudly broadcast on signs outside their churches multi-function ministry centers, a motto they printed on postcards and mailed to nearby homes. Just about every upper middle class neighborhood in North America got at least a few of these in the late 90s and early aughts. Continue reading →

God is the knower of hearts

Posted by ∙ ∙ In Devotion/Teaching

8 And the knower of hearts, God, bore witness to them having given to them the Holy Spirit just as to us, 9 and He differentiated nothing between them, and us having cleansed their hearts by faith. Acts 15:8-9 (translated from the NA28 Greek text)

God is omniscient, which mean that He knows all things. What is puzzling to me at times is that so many who profess to be Christians either do not understand what this really means or, their hearts are so hard in their unbelief that the “god” of their “faith” is one of their own making, hence, they live and “do their religion” in ways that are “of the world” and in no way could be called Biblical Christianity…. Continue reading →

NBC News analysis declares Donald Trump the winner of first Democratic debate

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New York Post columnist John Podhoretz saw things similarly, taking particular issue with the candidates’ far-left push on immigration. He said the candidates “spent far more time talking about how they would help illegal immigrants than about how they would help the voters they most need to win over” and that will benefit Trump.

(Fox News) An NBC News analyst declared President Trump the winner of the first Democratic presidential debate of the 2020 election cycle.

Author and reporter Jonathan Allen expressed surprise that Trump emerged “largely unscathed” as the field of 10 candidates mostly avoided direct attacks on him. Continue reading →

Joel Osteen Celebrates LGBTQ Pride at Lady Gaga Event

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Joel & Victoria Osteen attended this Lady Gaga event – Youtube screenshot

“Interestingly, Osteen asserted a few years ago that he believes that the Scriptures are clear that homosexuality is a sin. Yet, he has continuously softened his tone and downplayed the significance toward homosexuality since then.”

(Jeff Maples – Reformation Charlotte)  “Therefore go out from their midst, and be separate from them, says the Lord, and touch no unclean thing; then I will welcome you…” 2 Corinthians 6:17

This is not satire, this really happened. Joel Osteen, one of the modern-day princes of the Word of Faith prosperity gospel movement, was seen at Lady Gaga’s pride celebration at Apollo Theater on Monday night. The New York Daily News reports, Continue reading →

Hillsong ‘Worship’ Concert Includes Women on Stage, Writhing in Towels

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“This is a video from Hillsong NYC (pastored by Carl Lentz) singing, “Praise the name of the Lord our God.” Hillsong NYC is the church whose worship team was lead by two famous celebrity gay boyfriends, which was at first denied by Lentz until Pulpit & Pen found a video of Hillsong guru Brian Houston admitting the NYC campus had homosexual worship leaders.”  

(Pulpit & Pen)  Video and freeze-frames from a recent Hillsong music conference reveal a dance number that includes women writhing about sexily in the near-nude, only covered by bath towels. This isn’t the first time that Hillsong has confused worship with flesh-peddling. Continue reading →

Simeon and his prophecy

Posted by ∙ ∙ In Devotion/Teaching

25 And there was a man in Jerusalem whose name was Simeon; and this man was righteous and devout, looking for the consolation of Israel; and the Holy Spirit was upon him. 26 And it had been revealed to him by the Holy Spirit that he would not see death before he had seen the Lord’s Christ. Luke 2:25-32 (NASB)  (Read verses 27-32 on the site)

Genuine (saving) faith is not well understood by most professing Christians.  I have learned that God saved me. I was not saved because I decided anything. Those whom God saves are given the faith to believe. When He does this they believe and are saved. Jesus said in John 3:16, “For God so loved the world, that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him shall not perish, but have eternal life.” Who is saved? Only those who believe are saved. How are they saved? Continue reading →

Demise of LifeWay: Changing times or because they peddled heresy?

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“[A] movement was launched against LifeWay by comments construed as elitist towards its customers in 2014 by Ed Stezter in response to concerns over John Piper’s cozy comments to the Pope.”

(Ray Fava – NOQ Report)  It’s not the best of times to be a book store in 2019. Amazon crushed much of the competition. Still, LifeWay remained the retail branch of the Southern Baptist Convention until its announced closure of all of its stores back in March. The brand will continue to operate online…. Continue reading →

Bethel Redding singer Amanda Lindsey Cook’s Jesus as ‘Enlightened Master’?

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“Bill Johnson believes the miracles Jesus performed came about because He, as a man, and only as a man, had access to the power of the Holy Spirit. Therefore, Johnson teaches that Christians should be capable of wondrous feats of healing and miracles due to our own relationship with the Holy Spirit.”

(John Lanagan – The Word Like Fire)  “Happy Good Friday everyone. I never know how to greet people on this day….a day we mark as a moment in time when the Enlightened Master seemed to descend into shadows.”[1] — Amanda Lindsey Cook

Enlightened Master? Continue reading →

Evangelical Leader Testifies for CA Resolution Pressuring Pastors to Affirm LGBT identities

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Author, speaker and ordained pastoral counselor Joe Dallas expressed frustration with Mannoia’s endorsement on his Facebook page. “It’s very discouraging to hear that Dr. Kevin Mannoia, Chaplain of Azusa Pacific University, has testified in support of ACR 99, a California assembly resolution which essentially tells California pastors what they should or should not say about homosexuality,” Dallas wrote. “We expect Christian leaders to be about the business of saving, not caving.”

(Greg Burt – California Family)  Azusa Pacific University Chaplain and the former head of the National Association of Evangelicals, Dr. Kevin Mannoia, shocked Christian leaders last week when he testified in favor of a California resolution directing pastors and counselors to affirm LGBT identities and behavior…. Continue reading →

The Lamb of God and the Atonement

Posted by ∙ ∙ In Devotion/Teaching

29 The next day he *saw Jesus coming to him and *said, “Behold, the Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world!  John 1:29 (NASB) 

In my Nave’s Topical Bible there is a subsection under “Atonement” titled “Atonement – Made by Jesus.” It covers half of page 85 and runs through half of page 88. I find it interesting that men such as leaders Brian McLaren focus so much of his energies on trying to deny that the Lord Jesus’ substitutionary sacrifice on the Cross to atone for the sins of His people was the primary mission of His incarnation. Instead, he and those like him point their followers to follow a man-made Jesus whose purpose in His incarnation was to show people how best to live and make the world a better place…. Continue reading →

Teen ‘Pride’ Event Includes ‘Chest Binder’ Giveaway, Info on How to Use Condoms, Drag Show

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“How many 14-year-olds are sexually active? More than their parents know about. Allowing someone to have access to free condoms and to be taught how to properly use them so they are being safe is so much better than them being denied knowledge and a form of birth control, which then makes them susceptible to an STD, HIV, or an unwanted pregnancy,”

(Heather Clark – Christian News Network)  A pride event for teenagers that was promoted as “[t]he most rainbow-filled fun you can imagine” and featured a drag show, a presentation on safe sex and how to use a condom, and a giveaway for “chest binders” for girls who identify as boys was held at a public library in Washington on Saturday. Continue reading →

Beth Moore Refuses to Denounce Homosexuality as Sinful

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“It appears that Moore has made a half-witted, half-hearted attempt to divert the focus of the question by giving the impression that she was answering the question without actually addressing the issue at hand. In her response, she refuses to directly answer the question, “is homosexuality a sin?” and instead, quotes a Scripture that does no mention homosexuality.”

(Jeff Maples – Reformation Charlotte)  Beth Moore has been under scrutiny for the last several weeks due to her outspoken advocacy for feminism and egalitarianism in the Southern Baptist Convention…. Continue reading →

The young are regarded as the most tolerant generation. That’s why results of this LGBTQ survey are ‘alarming’

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“Ellis is confident the younger generation can rise again as beacons of unbiased values. When numbers dipped a year ago for young males, GLAAD went to where male audiences consume content: video games. The advocacy group worked with the industry to introduce diverse characters and help shape attitudes.”

(Susan Miller – USA Today)  Young people are growing less tolerant of LGBTQ individuals, a jarring turn for a generation traditionally considered embracing and open, a survey released Monday shows. Continue reading →

Life’s Hardest Trial

Posted by ∙ ∙ In Devotion/Teaching ∙

[Abraham] said to his servants, Stay here with the donkey while I and the boy go over there. We will worship and then we will come back to you. Genesis 22:5  (Read Genesis 22:1-14)

The word is silent about the emotional reaction of Abraham here, but we have only to put ourselves in his place to sense what he felt, how his heart was torn, how he avoids telling Isaac the fearful truth until the very last possible moment, how he perhaps trembles within when Isaac asks the question, Where is the lamb? We know there is no real answer to Isaac’s question until we run through intervening centuries and listen in the New Testament to John the Baptist standing before the people of Israel saying, Look, the Lamb of God, who takes away the sin of the world (John 1:29). Continue reading →

We Remember: The Charismatic Day of Infamy, June 23rd, 2008

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“ALL of these “Super Apostles” claim to hear directly from God and claim to have special “powers” and “anointings.” They claim that they are part of a new and better church-not like the old, stuffy Bible-focused churches. They claim to “move in the prophetic” and some even claim to be “seers” who can predict the future. Rick Joyner claims to go to heaven on a regular basis-he evens claims to talk to the original (real) apostles, and he claims they wish they were him! Why didn’t God tell any of these people the truth about Todd Bentley?”

(Steven Kozar – Messed Up Church)  It’s the eleventh year anniversary of June 23, 2008: “The Charismatic Day of Infamy,” but you are NOT supposed to know about it (or even talk about it). Continue reading →

Elizabeth Warren Comes Out For ‘Gay Reparations’

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“In February, Warren came out in favor of reparations for black Americans “economically affected” by slavery, Reuters reported. That same month, she co-sponsored Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez’s patently insane Green New Deal resolution, which would cost up to $93 trillion over 10-years, according to the American Action Forum, Bloomberg News reported.” 

(Amanda Prestigiacomo – Daily Wire)   On Thursday, presidential hopeful Sen. Elizabeth Warren (D-MA) came out in favor of legislation that has been equated to “gay reparations.” Under the Refund Equality Act, same-sex couples would be able to amend their past taxes, readjusting with jointly-filed tax returns and accepting refunds from the IRS. Continue reading →

Human trafficking in America among worst in world

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In 2018, the DOJ began 230 federal human trafficking prosecutions, a drop from 282 in 2017. Federal convictions rose from 499 in 2017 to 526 in 2018. More than 70 percent of the cases resulted in jail sentences of more than five years, according to the State Department report.

(Andrew Keiper, Perry Chiaramonte – Fox News)  Graphic video! The United States is again ranked as one of the worst countries in the world for human trafficking. According to a recently released report by the State Department, the top three nations of origin for victims of human trafficking in 2018 were the United States, Mexico and the Philippines. Continue reading →

Dealing With Anger

Posted by ∙ ∙ In Devotion/Teaching ∙

“Whoever is slow to anger has great understanding, but he who has a hasty temper exalts folly” (Prov. 14:29)

A wise man once compared the human personality to a minefield. “Some people,” he said, “have relatively few mines and interacting with them does not often provoke anger. Others have mines lined up side-by-side from one end of the field to the other, and it does not take much to push them over the edge into a fiery rage.”

All of us have mines buried in our personalities. Some of us respond calmly to most situations that upset us. But others among us explode with anger at the slightest provocation…. Continue reading →

Cultural and Theological Stockholm Syndrome

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“People do not drift toward holiness. Apart from grace-driven effort, people do not gravitate toward godliness, prayer, obedience to Scripture, faith, and delight in the Lord. We drift toward compromise and call it tolerance; we drift toward disobedience and call it freedom; we drift toward superstition and call it faith. We cherish the indiscipline of lost self-control and call it relaxation; we slouch toward prayerlessness and delude ourselves into thinking we have escaped legalism; we slide toward godlessness and convince ourselves we have been liberated.” 

(Joseph E Torres – truthxchange)  Stockholm Syndrome can be defined as the “psychological response wherein a captive begins to identify closely with his or her captors, as well as with their agenda and demands.”…. Continue reading →

Children of the Devil

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“You are of your father the devil, and your will is to do your father’s desires. He was a murderer from the beginning, and does not stand in the truth, because there is no truth in him. When he lies, he speaks out of his own character, for he is a liar and the father of lies. But because I tell the truth, you do not believe me” (vv. 44–45).  – John 8:41–47

First-century Jews took great pride in being descendants of Abraham, whom God chose to be His agent of blessing to the world and who was even called the “friend of God” (Gen. 12:1–3; James 2:23)…. Continue reading →

Beth Moore’s Beliefs on Homosexuality Are Called into Question in Open Letter from Bible Teachers

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The letter focus[es] heavily on Moore’s seemingly close relationships with two progressive Christian authors, Jen Hatmaker and Jonathan Merritt, who have openly shown support for the LGBTQ community. Merritt has even expressed that he had “at least one homosexual encounter about a decade ago.”

(Kayla Koslosky – Christian Headlines)  Nearly a half a dozen woman Bible teachers have called Christian author Beth Moore’s views on homosexuality into question this week. Continue reading →

Draining the Rainbow Swamp

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“Vengeance is His, let’s remember. But these harmful actions need to stop. And they will if enough of us keep saying “No.” “Drag Queen 101” was cancelled recently in Delaware and Licking counties in Ohio not because of “threats” as alleged but because enough people called, wrote, and said “No.” Even brave Republican lawmakers flexed their muscles. If thinking citizens do this, they will go away. It doesn’t take much, but it does take enough of us. And all the while, we must lift up prayers for these poor lost people.”

(Linda Harvey – Mission: America)  Have you had your fill of “pride” yet?

Corporations, government agencies, online sites, schools. AT&T, Walmart, Kellogg’s, Nationwide, Ikea. I was already on rainbow overload when I opened the mail. Continue reading →