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 →

The Truth

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

“Charlatans like Bernie Sanders and Elizabeth Warren tell us that the federal government will provide for children who are mistreated by their parents.  That is a false promise.  But Republicans are misleading the country too, by failing to actively promote good parenting and self-reliance based on smart, disciplined behavior.”  

(Bill O’Reilly)  Bad parenting, not capitalism, is the main cause of “income inequality” in America.  The left, including liberal educators, media, and politicians will never admit that, but it’s absolutely true.

Continue reading →

Joni Eareckson Tada announces she’s cancer-free: ‘quite miraculous’

Posted by ∙ ∙ In News ∙ , , , ,

“All Clear!” Photo credit: Facebook

“In November, she underwent tests on a small nodule that had developed over the site of her mastectomy. After biopsies, doctors discovered a small cancerous tumor within the nodule.”

(Leah MarieAnn Klett – Christian Post)  Joni Eareckson Tada shared “miraculous” health news, announcing she’s cancer-free after being diagnosed with breast cancer for the second time in late November.

On Tuesday, the author, speaker and founder of Joni and Friends shared a photo of herself holding a sign reading, “All Clear” on her website and Facebook page. Continue reading →

LGBT asylum-seekers exempt from ‘Remain in Mexico’ policy and can stay in US

Posted by ∙ ∙ In News ∙ , ,

“A senior border official said there was no known written proof of the exemption and suggested it was intentionally withheld from documents so that the public did not learn about it. The official said the U.S. implemented the policy not because Mexico did not want to accept LGBT people but because that population would be at greater risk of personal harm if forced to remain in the country.”

(Anna Giaritelli – Washington Times)   Asylum-seekers who arrive at the southern border and claim to be LGBT are exempt from the U.S.-Mexico “Remain in Mexico” policy and will not be returned to Mexico to await decisions by U.S. immigration judges, several U.S. border officials told the Washington Examiner. Continue reading →

Do not lose heart

Posted by ∙ ∙ In Devotion/Teaching

11 This was in accordance with the eternal purpose which He carried out in Christ Jesus our Lord, 12 in whom we have boldness and confident access through faith in Him. 13 Therefore I ask you not to lose heart at my tribulations on your behalf, for they are your glory. Ephesians 3:11-13 (NASB) 

Let us look at an important word from v13 which many Bible translations render as ‘faint,’ ‘discouraged, ‘ or ‘lose heart.’ Here is v13 from the NA28 Greek text. Continue reading →

How To Confront And Cross Examine Incompetent Marxist Educators

Posted by ∙ ∙ In Opinion ∙ , , ,

“There are many questions that can be used to plant a stone in the shoe of students while undermining the efficacy of the indoctrinator who is posing as an educator. In fact, I have several that I provide for students who are forced to take the classes taught by the committed Marxists in the Department of Sociology and Criminology at UNC-Wilmington (where I teach).” 

(Mike S. Adams – Daily Wire)  Each summer, I spend several months at Summit Ministries in Manitou Springs, Colorado. While I am here, I give pro-life lectures as well as lectures on student free speech rights…. Continue reading →

What Every American Should Know About The Assault On Chick-Fil-A

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

“The superficial reason for the bans against Chick-fil-A is a ThinkProgress report that criticized the owners of the restaurant for their private donations to the Salvation Army, the Fellowship of Christian Athletes and the Paul Anderson Youth Home.”

(Craig Huey – My Christian Daily)  Across America, Chick-fil-A is under attack…

Schools, airports and cities are trying to ban the chicken restaurant.

Why?

Because its owners, who are Christians, make private donations to pro-life, pro-traditional marriage organizations. Horrors! Continue reading →

Newest target of Left is biggest one of all: your marriage

Posted by ∙ ∙ In News ∙ , , , , ,

“Such a liberal view of sex and relationships didn’t happen overnight: the American Psychological Association was on board in the 1970s when the similarly named American Psychiatric Association, bowing to pressure, dropped homosexuality from its Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders. It had been included as a mental disorder in the very first DSM published in 1952.”

(Charlie Butts & Billy Davis – OneNews Now)  The professional association that bowed to pressure from homosexual activists during the 1970s is now advocating adultery among married couples. Continue reading →

Holy and Blameless

Posted by ∙ ∙ In Devotion/Teaching

3 Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly places in Christ, 4 just as He chose us in Him before the foundation of the world, that we would be holy and blameless before Him. In love 5 He predestined us to adoption as sons through Jesus Christ to Himself, according to the kind intention of His will, 6 to the praise of the glory of His grace, which He freely bestowed on us in the Beloved. (Ephesians 1:3-5 NASB)

For what reason did the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ chose (elect) all in Christ before the foundation of world? It was that they would be holy (ἁγίους) and blameless (ἀμώμους) before him…. Continue reading →

Repentance and salvation

Posted by ∙ ∙ In Devotion/Teaching

19 Therefore, repent and turn again in order that your sins will be removed. Acts 3:19 (translated from the NA28 Greek text) 

One form of religion that claims to be Christian but isn’t is based in something called “easy-believism.” On the other hand, many of the proponents of it will point to what we call “the Gospel” in what follows as the “damnable heresy” of Lordship salvation. I have often shared here using passages such as Acts 3:19 (above) making it clear that the Bible tells us that there is no salvation without repentance and again in Acts 2:38…. Continue reading →

Epstein, Bean & Buck: The Democratic Donors’ Sex-Creep Club

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

“Bean wriggled out of prosecution by publicly dangling $220,000 a cash “compromise” with the alleged victim, who then suddenly refused to testify against him. A judge in the county where the politically influential Bean family reigned, promptly dismissed the charges. Case closed? Not so fast.”

(Michelle Malkin – Daily Wire)  Well, well, well. “Follow the facts,” Democratic strategist Christine Pelosi now advises fellow liberals in the wake of billionaire and high-flying political financier Jeffrey Epstein’s child sex trafficking indictment this week. Some of “our faves” could be implicated in the long-festering scandal, the Pelosi daughter warned, so it’s time to “let the chips fall where they may.” Continue reading →

Why Do We Need Creeds, Confessions, and Catechisms?

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

“A creed or confessional statement gives clear affirmations of what a church believes, and equally clear denials of what that church does not believe. Without this clarity, it is all too easy to sneak false teaching into the church, or to fail to give people the full counsel of God from the Scriptures.”

(Jacob Gerber)  By the grace of God, I grew up in churches that loved the Bible. I have vivid memories of hearing God’s word read, sung, and preached every week. I memorized a good portion of the Bible through AWANA. I still remember specific things I learned about the Bible in Vacation Bible School and Sunday School lessons. In high school, I was introduced to a regular Bible reading plan that I have used since 2000. Continue reading →

Papal Paganism’s Kiss of Death

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

This most recent Interfaith attempt will celebrate Masonic and Islamic Sufist paganism infused by South American primitive animism and witchcraft. It is little wonder that the world-renowned Austrian Catholic philosopher, Dr. Josef Seifert (pro-life author of many noteworthy books on Catholic doctrine), seeing what the Pope is doing, has signed a petition calling on the bishops of the world to “investigate Pope Francis for heresy.”

(Peter Jones – truthxchange)  Pope Francis is walking away from most forms of historic Roman Catholicism, taking countless followers with him. Obviously Protestants do not accept works righteousness, the divinization of Mary, papal divine inspiration and many other Roman Catholic doctrines…. Continue reading →

Jesus Christ is the True Vine

Posted by ∙ ∙ In Devotion/Teaching

1 “I am the true vine and my Father is the vinedresser.” John 15:1 (translated from the NA28 Greek text)

In John 15:1, we have our Lord’s last of His seven “I am” sayings signifying His claim of deity. The word “true” in v1 translates the adjective ἀληθινὴ, which is nominative, singular of ἀληθινός or alēthinos, “unfeigned, trustworthy, true.” The nominative case form, ἀληθινὴ of ἀληθινός means that the metaphor our Lord is making of Him being the “true vine” is subject to the main verb in the sentence with is εἰμι, which, of course, means, in this context, “am.”…. Continue reading →

Founder of Young, Restless, and Reformed Movement Trashes Calvinism as ‘Garbage’

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

“Mark Driscoll, who spent his life at Mars Hill preaching and defending Calvinism, actually says that he doesn’t hold to the five points of Calvinism because they’re “garbage” and “not biblical.” What’s interesting is that his doctrinal shift (a term that keeps popping up lately) didn’t happen until his fall.”

(Jeff Maples – Reformation Charlotte)  One of the most notable problems within the Young, Restless, and Reformed (YRR) New Calvinist movement is the tendency to be tossed to and fro by the waves and carried about by every wind of doctrine…. Continue reading →

Better gear up for the 5 major changes coming to the Church (Reprise)

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

FLASHBACK FRIDAY

This article by CRN managing editor Marsha West was first published May 25, 2015.

John Burton has written a piece titled “Ancient and Emerging: 5 Major Changes Coming to the Church.”  Before you get all excited, or maybe even concerned over those changes, you should know a bit more about Burton.  As it turns out he’s a “prophet” in the New Apostolic Reformation (NAR) movement.   According to his blog, John Burton, he “has been developing and leading ministries for over 20 years and is a sought out teacher, prophetic messenger and revivalist. Burton has authored ten books, has appeared on Christian television and radio and directed one of the primary internships at the International House of Prayer (IHOP) in Kansas City.”

That Burton was associated with IHOP-KC could only mean that he has served under IHOP’s Pied Piper Mike Bickle.  I spent quite a bit of time researching Bickle for a piece I wrote and discovered his strong ties to the NAR or what some refer to as  Dominionism.  Also identified was his involvement with the Kansas City Prophets (KCP).  According to Pastor Ken Silva, the KCP:

brought grandiose claims that a ‘new breed’ of super prophets were beginning to arrive on planet earth who would change the world forever. These so-called prophets were a group of men that coalesced around a church known as the Kansas City Fellowship, pastored by Mike Bickle, that attracted a following of other likeminded churches in that region. (More on the KCP here)

It gets worse.  Mike Bickle believes that God speaks to him in an audible voice.  But here’s the kicker.  He has visited heaven – twice.  On one visit he told false teacher Bob Jones: Continue reading →

Petition Launched After Amazon Pulls a Number of Books About Leaving Homosexuality

Posted by ∙ ∙ In News ∙ , , , , , ,

Author Joe Dallas told The Christian Post that he believes the removals are a precursor of what is to come. “Amazon’s decision is no surprise since today’s culture is caving to the goals of the LGBTQ political movement, which have always included the silencing [of] any disapproval of homosexuality,” he said.

(Heather Clark – Christian News Network)  A petition has been launched after the popular marketplace site Amazon pulled a number of books on leaving homosexuality — some that could be considered “conversion therapy” books and others that were simply writings from those who were delivered from homosexuality by the power of Jesus Christ. Continue reading →

Beth Moore Labels Christians Against Homosexuality, ‘Hyper-Fundamentalists’

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

“While some of us aren’t afraid of the term “fundamentalism,” for many evangelicals the term has a negative connotation. Essentially, Moore is insulting those of us who have a Biblical sexual ethic and is implying that we are all stuffy, KJV-only, kill-joys and party-poopers.”

(Pulpit & Pen)  In a continued social media meltdown, similar to the one that had the unstable and hysterical feminist take a break from Twitter back in May, Beth Moore labeled Christians explicitly opposed to homosexuality “hyper-fundamentalists.” Continue reading →

Having been justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ

Posted by ∙ ∙ In Devotion/Teaching

1 Therefore, having been justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ. Romans 5:1 (translated from the NA28 Greek text)

In this post we will look at Romans 4:13-5:1 which is the application of the theology that Paul presents in Romans 3:20-31, which could be summarized with the statement, “By works of the law no human being will be justified in his sight since through the law come knowledge of sin, but the righteousness of God is manifest through faith in Jesus Christ for all who believe.”…. Continue reading →

Does Beth Moore really believe that homosexuality – not just the behavior, but the identity and desire – is a deadly sin?

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

“It is no secret that I have very serious concerns with Beth Moore. Many, many people do. Even if she were to (finally) make a strong and clear affirmation of what is truly a Christian sexual ethic on this issue, that would certainly be a welcome development but it would not allay the concerns with her poor hermeneutics, her allegorizing of scripture, her false claims of God speaking to her, her false claims of God giving her visions, and her endorsements of known false teachers. Those concerns are real and remain outstanding.”

(Justin Peters – Justin Peters Ministries)  I want to share my thoughts regarding Beth Moore’s blog post from July 6, 2019, in which she addressed her removal from her book, Praying God’s Word, (PGW) a 6 page section in which she described homosexuality as follows: Continue reading →

Drag Queen Story Hour is ‘Indoctrination’ of Children Into LGBTQ Culture

Posted by ∙ ∙ In News ∙ , , , , , ,

“The left is willingly now putting these children in harm’s way. They are not telling them the health risks, the immense health risks of homosexual behavior. So many issues on just health alone, not to mention morality and where the souls of these children are headed, if they’re promoted into this sinful lifestyle.”

(Michael W. Chapman – CNSNews)  The spreading practice of men dressed in drag reading to very young children in public libraries — and in some Barnes & Noble book stores — is a way to “indoctrinate” kids into the LGBTQ world and imprint “perversion” in their young minds, said Peter LaBarbera, founder and president of Americans for Truth About Homosexuality. He added that the entire experience is “like mental rape.” Continue reading →

The Forgotten Facts about Michael Brown of Brownsville

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

“While speaking at that Jerusalem gathering, Michael Brown proceeded to tell the attendees that “tonight,” that night, would be a “history-making” night insomuch as the Holy Spirit would descend in power and fire as earth-shaking and monumental as the literal day of Pentecost detailed in Acts, chapter 2. On a video of this speech in the presence of Israeli Messianic leaders including such leading scholars as Dr.  Arnold Fruchtenbaum who all witnessed the false prophetic predictions, Michael Brown went so far as to interpret the national disaster of forest fires destroying 20% of Israel’s reforested land as emblematic of the outpouring.” 

(Sandy Simpson – Deception In The Church)  Dr. Brown has been making the rounds of evangelical church gatherings and conferences presenting himself as an authority on Judaism and the truth of Scripture…. Continue reading →