The Spirit, The World, And You

Posted by ∙ ∙ In Devotion/Teaching ∙

When he comes, he will convict the world of guilt in regard to sin and righteousness and judgment: in regard to sin, because men do not believe in me; in regard to righteousness, because I am going to the Father, where you can see me no longer; and in regard to judgment, because the prince of this world now stands condemned. John 16:8-11

Most of us read this as though the Holy Spirit is going to come into the world and work directly upon the hearts of unbelievers and convict them of sin, righteousness, and judgment. But if you read it in that way, you have not read this verse correctly…. Continue reading →

The Return of An Obama Presidency?

Posted by ∙ ∙ In Opinion ∙ , , ,

“Michelle Obama’s memoir became “the best-selling book of 2018”, according to Penguin Random House…which called it a first-week sales record, and which, despite all kinds of problems, is still the country’s largest brick-and-mortar bookseller; Amazon, the online bookstore turned e-commerce giant; and NPD BookScan, which tracks roughly 80 percent to 85 percent of print trade book sales in the country.”

(Judi McLoud – Canada Free Press)  Desperado Democrats would have us believe that Michelle Obama is not only the “Forever First Lady” but also “The most admired woman in the world”.

But are those diamonds or rhinestones flashing from Michelle’s tarnished crown?

Continue reading →

Klein v. Oregon: Religious Liberty & Freedom of Speech vs. Gay Rights

Posted by ∙ ∙ In News ∙ , , , , , , ,

“The first basis for relief from the reach of the anti-discrimination laws is the claim that such laws violate the freedom of speech of the providers. At first blush, it may seem a stretch to regard baking a cake or arranging flowers as “speech.” However, federal Constitutional cases have long recognized that protecting speech is not limited to “the spoken or written word.” Engaging in conduct that expresses a point of view or idea is speech, and that expressive conduct is protected by the First Amendment.”  

(John A. Sparks – The Aquila Report)  Among recent actions by the U.S. Supreme Court, a four-sentence order may set the stage for the court to eventually address the collision between free speech and religious freedom on one hand and gay rights on the other…. Continue reading →

Willow Creek Elders Release Statement Supporting the ‘Women’; Yet One Woman Says Hybels’ Sins Were ‘Far Worse’ Than Anyone’s Said Publicly

Posted by ∙ ∙ In Opinion ∙ , , , ,

Dyer said she hopes the elders will provide more detail on Tuesday night about what led them to their conclusions. “I believe that detail, rather than causing unnecessary obscurity and harm, would help illuminate truth and give needed closure to people in the congregation, to the global church, and to the women and their advocates.”

(Julie Roys)  The elders at suburban Chicago Willow Creek Community Church today released a “last statement” about the scandal involving church founder Bill Hybels, charging Hybels with “unchecked sin and intimidating behavior,” and addressing “specific harms” against Hybels’ accusers and their advocates. Continue reading →

Who is God?

Posted by ∙ ∙ In Devotion/Teaching ∙

Moses said to the Lord, “Please show me your glory” (Ex. 33:18). In effect, he asked, “Who are you, God?” God responded with these words: “I will make all my goodness pass before you and will proclaim before you my name ‘The LORD.’ And I will be gracious to whom I will be gracious, and will show mercy on whom I will show mercy” (v. 19). He promised to reveal Himself.

But no man can see God and live. That is too much for any man—sinful man in particular. God told him to stand on the rock and said, “While my glory passes by I will put you in a cleft of the rock, and I will cover you with my hand until I have passed by…. Continue reading →

National conference teaches librarians how to sneak drag queens past parents

Posted by ∙ ∙ In News ∙ , , , , ,

Drag queen “Annie Christ”

In one breakout session about LGBT-themed children’s literature, librarians took time to brainstorm suggestions for “Non-Trad Families” books they could promote. This included titles such as “My Brother’s Husband,” “Lumberjanes,” and “Pregnant Butch.” 

(Doug Mainwaring – LifeSiteNews)  The American Library Association’s recent national conference provided librarians from across the country with strategies for advancing gender identity ideology in schools and finding ways to bring “Drag Queen Story Times” into public libraries despite the objections of local communities. Continue reading →

Charismatic Preacher Calls Out Bill Johnson for Denying the Divinity of Christ

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

“Bill Johnson it is time for the Church to hear a defining statement which is spoken in clear facts so you can be numbered and marked if you continue to teach the Kenosis Hersey. If you believe Jesus Christ was just a man in the incarnation, you join the false teachers of antiquity who are the numbered of the heretics. To be marked and avoided as demanded by Church history, as you have been judged by Church Fathers, and present days saints who have tried the spirit, and found you in a spirit of error.”

(Jeff Maples – Reformation Charlotte)  The entire charismatic movement is a false movement attributed to the Holy Spirit by those who adhere to the teachings of the movement…. Continue reading →

God Will Give You More Than You Can Handle

Posted by ∙ ∙ In Opinion ∙ , , , ,

“These days I am able to balance two profound truths in my head at simultaneously: God will give you more than you can handle, but He will never give you more than He can handle.”

(R.D. McClenagan – For the Church)  Hear my cry, O God, listen to my prayer; from the end of the earth I call to you when my heart is faint. Lead me to the rock that is higher than I, for you have been my refuge, a strong tower against the enemy. – Psalm 61:1-3

God will give you more than you can handle. Guaranteed. Continue reading →

Occultist Swedenborg’s influence on A.A.’s co-founder Bill Wilson

Posted by ∙ ∙ In Opinion ∙ , , , , ,

“Swedenborg’s influence upon Bill Wilson can be observed during the 1950s when Wilson was experimenting with LSD as a means of helping alcoholics. One of the basic Swedenborgian terms is “influx.” Swedenborg wrote about both physical and spiritual influx.”

(John Lanagan – The Word Like Fire)  “In January of 1918 Bill and Lois were married in the Swedenborgian church in Brooklyn, New York.”[1]

“Bill learned that [Lois’ family] were all Swedenborgians, and the mystic aspect of the faith so fascinated them they vowed to explore it more deeply one day.”[2] Continue reading →

The Binding of Satan

Posted by ∙ ∙ In Devotion/Teaching ∙

Then I saw an angel coming down from heaven, holding in his hand the key to the bottomless pit and a great chain. 2 And he seized the dragon, that ancient serpent, who is the devil and Satan, and bound him for a thousand years, 3 and threw him into the pit, and shut it and sealed it over him, so that she might not deceive the nations any longer, until the thousand years were ended. After that he must be released for a little while.  Rev 20:1-3

Revelation 20 is the only place in the Bible that speaks of “the millennium”—the thousand-year reign of the triumphant Christ on earth. Nowhere else does Holy Scripture mention this word, so it is necessary to look at related teachings elsewhere in Scripture to understand what it means in Revelation…. Continue reading →

Beth Moore Has Departed The Faith to Embrace Homosexuality

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

“Moore has openly embraced homosexuals while emphatically impugning and rebuking Bible-believing Christians who hold to a biblical position on homosexuality and other sound doctrines.” 

(Jeff Maples – Reformation Charlotte)  If you think that is a big leap and jumping to conclusions, let’s examine the trajectory Beth Moore has been on for the last several months. Moore has always befriended homosexuals and LGBT activists, like Rachel Held Evans and Jen Hatmaker. She enthusiastically proclaims her dedication to them — that, despite the biblical command for Christians to do the exact opposite (1 Corinthians 5:11), she will break bread with them. Continue reading →

Kissing Marriage Goodbye: Joshua Harris Announces Divorce

Posted by ∙ ∙ In News ∙ , , ,

Harris continued, “In recent years, some significant changes have taken place in both of us. It is with sincere love for one another and understanding of our unique story as a couple that we are moving forward with this decision. We hope to create a generous and supportive future for each other and for our three amazing children in the years ahead. Thank you for your understanding and for respecting our privacy during a difficult time.”

(Pulpit & Pen)  Joshua Harris, perhaps the most popular figure in the ‘purity movement’, announced an amicable divorce from his wife. The change comes several years after Harris denounced Christian courtship as an unhealthy trend. Continue reading →

Trump and America Vs. the Commie Quad Squad

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

“For those of you who believe the two parties still share common goals, I have a treasure chest of pyrite I would like to show you. Just consider the Democrats’ extreme position on abortion, open borders, sanctuary cities, guns, judicial activism, the administrative state, Israel, the America-hating United Nations, socialism, universal health care, entitlements for illegal immigrants, radical environmentalism, forced income equality versus equality of opportunity, identity politics, radical gender ideology, intersectionality, toxic masculinity, multiculturalism, white privilege, reparations, cultural appropriation and patriarchy.”

(David Limbaugh – PJ Media)  In one sense, the Commie Quad Squad (CQS) has done us all a favor by flushing out the extremism of the Democratic Party for conspicuous public display. Continue reading →

The Left is following Communism’s playbook for revolution

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

“To be clear, I don’t say that those fomenting this are “Marxists.” Doctrinaire Marxism is, well, so yesterday. Leftists epitomize the moral relativism imbuing our age and, as such, worship the Gods of the Shifting Goalposts. Oh, they’re not better than Marxists (they may be worse), but they have made a lateral move in lunacy. Today they’re sort of like the Marquis de Sade meets Stalin and the Stasi.”

(Selwyn Duke – The New American)  We Americans are currently in a civilizational state historians William Strauss and Neil Howe would call the “Third Turning”: an unraveling.  The so-called Left is making it happen, too, with conservatives enabling it by conserving yesterday’s liberalism and being those nice guys who finish last. Continue reading →

Why it is vital that Christians become mature and discerning

Posted by ∙ ∙ In Devotion/Teaching

11 And He gave some apostles and some prophets and some evangelists and some shepherds and teachers 12 for the equipping of the saints to the work of ministry to the building up of the Body of Christ 13 until we all arrive at the unity of the faith and of the fuller knowledge of the Son of God, to complete maturity, at the measure of the stature of the fullness of Christ Ephesians 4:11-14  Read verse 14 on the site.

In 1887, Robert Shindler, a fellow pastor and close friend of Charles Spurgeon, wrote in Spurgeon’s publication, The Sword and the Trowel: “It is all too plainly apparent men are willing to forego the old for the sake of the new. But commonly it is found in theology that that which is true is not new, and that which is new is not true.”…. Continue reading →

Has the PCA Become A De Facto ‘Side B’ Church?

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

“So what proponents of the “Side B” position in the PCA are demanding is either that we join them in burning the pinch of incense and saying, “Side B is good” or that we silently submit to the de facto position. They have in essence declared that for someone to respond publicly to TE Johnson in a positive “Pro,” affirmative way is wonderful, but to respond publicly to TE Johnson in a negative, non-affirming way is sinful and unacceptable.”

(Andy Webb – The Aquila Report)  When Dr. Greg Johnson, a minister in the Presbyterian Church in America (PCA), and pastor of Memorial Presbyterian Church in St. Louis, wrote an article in Christianity Today that began with his provocative confession, “Bill, I’m Gay!” and then explained his “Side B Gay Christian” testimony at length, he publicly created a situation in which the entire PCA would have to respond…. Continue reading →

Ben Carson Tells Tucker Carlson He Would Never Work for a Racist: ‘I Would Be Out of There in Two Seconds’

Posted by ∙ ∙ In News ∙ , , , , , , ,

“I certainly have had an opportunity to see what racism is, you know, growing up in Detroit and the ’60s…this is a magnificent country, you know, where someone like me could grow up in poverty, become a brain surgeon [and then] a Cabinet member [for the president of the United States]. You know, why would anybody knock a place like that? And if it was such a bad place, people wouldn’t be forming caravans to come here.”

(Maureen Mackey – LifeZette)   Speaking on Wednesday evening to Fox News host Tucker Carlson on “Tucker Carlson Tonight,” Ben Carson, the secretary of Housing and Urban Development, said of President Donald Trump, “I’ve never seen any evidence of that [racism] whatsoever. Our conversations have frequently centered around disadvantaged people in our country and what we can do to elevate them.” Continue reading →

The desire of the false teacher is to deceive

Posted by ∙ ∙ In Devotion/Teaching

Ephesians 2:8-10 (NASB) 8 For by grace you have been saved through faith; and that not of yourselves, it is the gift of God; 9 not as a result of works, so that no one may boast. 10 For we are His workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand so that we would walk in them. 

Ephesians 4:11-14 (NASB) 11 And He gave some as apostles, and some as prophets, and some as evangelists, and some as pastors and teachers, 12 for the equipping of the saints for the work of service, to the building up of the body of Christ; Read verses 13-14 on this site.

In the NASB translation of Ephesians 4:14 above the words “deceitful scheming” translate μεθοδείαν τῆς πλάνης, which could literally be translated as “lie in wait to deceive.”…. (2 Thessalonians 2:10-11). Continue reading →

The Cracks in the Edifice of Transgender Totalitarianism

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

“Western civilization is now gripped by a cultural cyclone that is blowing through such limitations with totalitarian force. Transgenderism has shaken the foundations of all we know to be true. Scientific knowledge is rejected and medical practice co-opted in service of a new “reality”—that “gender” is independent of sex, that males and females of any age, even young children, are entitled to their own transgender self-identification based only on their feelings, and that literally every individual and every segment of society must bow to their chosen identity at risk of losing reputation, livelihood, and even freedom itself.”

(Jane Robbins – The Public Discourse)  “What we live through, in any age, is the effect on us of mass emotions and of social conditions from which it is almost impossible to detach ourselves. Often the mass emotions are those which seem the noblest, best and most beautiful. And yet, inside a year, five years, a decade, five decades, people will be asking, ‘How could they have believed that?’ because events will have taken place that will have banished the said mass emotions to the dustbin of history.” –Doris Lessing, Prisons We Choose to Live Inside (1987) Continue reading →

How Russell Moore is Causing the Border ‘Crisis’ He Complains About

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

“The news released today reveals even more information that Soros is intentionally trying to drive as many immigrants to the American border as possible. Then, he has his evangelical allies – orchestrated by Russell Moore – complain about their mistreatment, when our border accommodations are overwhelmed by their intentional instigation.”

(Pulpit & Pen)  Russell Moore doesn’t have time (apparently) to talk much about abortion or homosexuality these days, but he’s got lots of time to complain about the ‘unfair treatment” of criminals trying to unlawfully invade our sovereign borders. He also has time to talk about deepfake nudes, Artificial Intelligence, virtual reality, and aliens…. Continue reading →

Planned Parenthood terminates new president for more ‘aggressive’ leadership

Posted by ∙ ∙ In News ∙ , , , , ,

“Wen said on Twitter that while her departure had been in the works for an unspecified amount of time, today’s vote happened during a “secret meeting,” about which she only learned after the fact. She also issued a statement citing “philosophical differences” between herself and the current board chairs…”

(LifeSiteNews) – Planned Parenthood removed Dr. Leana Wen as president Tuesday citing the need for a more aggressive leader, less than a year after appointing her, in a move that came as something of a surprise to Wen herself. Continue reading →

Phil Pringle calls Hillsong leaders Brian & Bobbie Houston ‘major apostles’

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

“Of course it’s not surprising to see that description given by Phil Pringle – given these ‘major (super) apostles’ have long been claiming an ‘apostolic anointing’ for themselves.”

(Churchwatch Central)  Invited to preach at a recent Hillsong service, Phil Pringle described his close friends, Brian and Bobbie Houston, as ‘major apostles’. Of course this is ‘major’ New Apostolic Reformation terminology. This description comes from a man also described as an ‘apostle’ within his own C3Global movement.  Continue reading →

Coarse Jesting

Posted by ∙ ∙ In Devotion/Teaching

4 and there must be no filthiness and silly talk, or coarse jesting, which are not fitting, but rather giving of thanks. Ephesians 5:4 (NASB) 

What is this and is it that big a deal about using “coarse jesting” in a sermon? Here is Ephesians 5:4 from the NA28 Greek text, “καὶ αἰσχρότης καὶ μωρολογία ἢ εὐτραπελία, ἃ οὐκ ἀνῆκεν, ἀλλὰ μᾶλλον εὐχαριστία.” Here is my translation, “also indecency and foolish talking or coarse jesting, which are not fitting, but rather thanksgiving.” The word I translated here as “coarse jesting” is εὐτραπελία (eutrapelia). Some Bible translations render εὐτραπελία as “jesting.” This is the only place in the New Testament where this word is used. Let us dig a bit deeper. Continue reading →