We ought to lay down our lives for the brethren just as our Lord laid His life down for us

Posted by ∙ ∙ In Devotion/Teaching

16 We know love by this, that He laid down His life for us; and we ought to lay down our lives for the brethren. 1 John 3:16 (NASB) 

What differentiates a genuine Christian from one whose religion is only skin-deep? Jesus said that He knows those who are His. He calls them His sheep who hear His voice and follow Him. (John 10:27) He also called them His disciples. He gave us the requirements for being His disciple in Matthew 16:24, Mark 8:34 and Luke 9:23 where he said that if anyone desires to follow Him they must deny themselves, take up their crosses and follow Him. If we combine these two views then we learn that our Lord’s sheep, His disciples, are those who hear His voice, deny themselves, take up their crosses and follow Him. This is telling us that genuine Christians are those who humble themselves before their Lord, die to self, submit to His Lordship, obey Him, and emulate Him as He leads. Continue reading →

No one can come to Me unless the Father who sent Me draws him

Posted by ∙ ∙ In Devotion/Teaching

41 Therefore the Jews were grumbling about Him, because He said, “I am the bread that came down out of heaven.” 42 They were saying, “Is not this Jesus, the son of Joseph, whose father and mother we know? How does He now say, ‘I have come down out of heaven’?” 43 Jesus answered and said to them, “Do not grumble among yourselves. 44 No one can come to Me unless the Father who sent Me draws him; and I will raise him up on the last day. John 6:41-44 (NASB) 

One of the aspects of our Christian faith that we lose sight of sometimes, and it gets us in trouble when we do, is how vital it is that we remain totally amazed that we ever got saved at all. We make a huge error when we forget this because that path leads to self-righteousness, self-absorption, and an ungrateful heart towards God. Even though we may not be fully aware that we are in that place of self-focus, we cannot be Spirit-led when we are full of self. Continue reading →

As the SBC Falls Apart Before Our Eyes, Denomination Leaders Asleep

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

“Beth Moore, in her usual fashion completely twists the Scripture and displays a profound lack of biblical comprehension as she suggests that those who hold the complementarian position must also affirm women wearing head coverings and disallow jewelry.”

(Jeff Maples – Reformation Charlotte) The Southern Baptist Convention (SBC) is no doubt in serious trouble. Faced with the onslaught of social justice, feminism, LGBT-inclusion, and other aberrant teachings and practices, the SBC is no longer a bastion of conservative and sound doctrine, but a hotbed of liberalism, Democrat politics, and a growing source for anti-Christian theology. Continue reading →

Colorado High School Shooting Suspect Railed Against Christians and Trump, Shared Leftist Content

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“In this Colorado case, we have a young man whose brain was apparently full of left-wing ideas, including the notion that Christians ‘hate’ gay people.  He then decided to team up with a classmate to shoot as many people he could at his high school.  Is it time for liberals to tone down their rhetoric and incitement?”  

(Guy Benson – Townhall)  Earlier this week, two teenagers perpetrated a premeditated mass shooting at their charter school in suburban Denver.  They murdered one of their classmates, a hero who rushed his killer in an effort to stop the slaughter, and wounded eight more…. Continue reading →

What Christians Face in a Neo-Marxist World

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Much of this underlying animus relates to sexual identity politics that seek to remake family norms and fashion a new, non-traditional culture. Progressives say Christianity has  caused suicides among LGBTQIA youths, without evidence or adequate controls for other social and emotional factors and cultural nuances. All such cases are tragic. Any persecution of people is un-Christian and abhorrent. But simplistically assigning blame to a particular belief system or culture merely reverses the hate.

(Alfred Kentigern Siewers – American Thinker)  Two weeks ago, an elderly abbot of a Russian Orthodox Monastery in the U.S. Pacific Northwest was punched in the head while pumping gas.

The assailant, unknown to him, reportedly zeroed in on the cross he was wearing and then said, “How’s Trump?” Continue reading →

False Prophets Do Not Preach Repentance

Posted by ∙ ∙ In Devotion/Teaching

No, I tell you; but unless you repent, you will all likewise perish. Luke 13:3

The preaching and teaching of a false prophet does not emphasize repentance in any real sense. It has a very wide gate leading to salvation and a very broad way leading to heaven. You need not feel much of your own sinfulness; you need not be aware of the blackness of your own heart.

You just “decide for Christ” and you rush in with the crowd, and your name is put down, and is one of the large number of ‘decisions’ reported by the press…. Continue reading →

Is James MacDonald Planning a Comeback?

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“Last week, Harvest’s elder board and church leadership team reported that Harvest’s mortgage lender had refused to allow the church to release any assets to MacDonald, including intellectual property, physical property, or cash. The board added that its lender’s decision nullified a previous separation agreement the church had signed with MacDonald.”

(Julie Roys)  Is recently-fired Harvest Bible Chapel founder, James MacDonald, planning a comeback? Continue reading →

Democrats Face a Bleak Post-Mueller Landscape

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“So what really explains the furor now directed at Barr?  One, progressives are terrified that a number of Trump’s critics — Brennan, Clapper, Comey, McCabe — may soon be indicted. They apparently seek to preempt such indictments by attacking Barr, a seemingly no-nonsense prosecutor who will likely follow up on any criminal referrals from any inspector general that reach his desk.”

(Victor Davis Hanson – Real Clear Politics)  Democrats have grown infuriated by Attorney General William Barr’s indifference to their hysteria over the Trump-Russia collusion narrative.

Barr recently released a brief summary of special counsel Robert Mueller’s conclusions that Donald Trump did not collude with the Russians to warp the 2016 election….. Continue reading →

Beth Moore Launches Tirade Against Biblical Womanhood

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“What exactly is she afraid of? Of course, the claim is absurd beyond any sane person’s mental capacity. Strachan tweeted something that the Church has historically and biblically held to since Christ instituted it — biblical complementarianism.”

(Jeff Maples – Reformation Charlotte)  Biblical womanhood is a rare commodity these days. In a #metoo age of feminism, women’s rights, and a crusade against masculinity, one place we’d expect to find adherence to God’s design for sexuality and gender roles is in the Church…. Continue reading →

The superiority of Christ, the cost of discipleship, and the genuine Gospel

Posted by ∙ ∙ In Devotion/Teaching

1 God, after He spoke long ago to the fathers in the prophets in many portions and in many ways, 2 in these last days has spoken to us in His Son, whom He appointed heir of all things, through whom also He made the world. Hebrews 1:1-4 (NASB)  (Read verses 3-4 on the site)

The Church in the early part of the 21st Century is very sick. This sickness has not happened all at once. Instead, it is the result of centuries of compromise after compromise on the part of Christian leaders and their followers to adapt the Gospel and the Church doctrines to conform to what men want. As a result, the Church has lost its savor. It is no longer salty. The countries in Europe where the Reformers restored the Gospel at the cost of untold numbers of martyrs would not now be considered Christian at all. Continue reading →

Progressive Christianity: Rejecting The Bible But Clinging To The Title Of Christian

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

“For some, it’s a strategy to destroy Christianity from within by infiltrating the church and replacing it with a counterfeit theology.”

(Triablogue)  Two recent events have drawn attention to progressive Christianity: the presidential campaign of Pete Buttigieg and the death of Rachel Held Evans. A fundamental problem with progressive Christianity is that it’s just plain dumb. So-called progressive Christians recite the same dog-earned script as atheists. They recycle all the same hackneyed objections to the Bible that they copied from atheists. In that respect, I have nothing to say to a progressive Christian that I haven’t said to their atheist mentors and soulmates.

Continue reading →

Homosexual State Rep. Who Recorded Self Harassing ‘Old White Lady’ to Defend ‘Right’ to Murder Unborn Called to Resign

Posted by ∙ ∙ In News ∙ , , , , , ,

Two days prior to the video, in response to Live Action sharing the footage of his harassment of an elderly woman, Sims wrote, “Bring it, Bible Bullies! You are bigots, sexists, and misogynists and I see right through your fake morals and your broken values.”

(Heather Clark – Christian News Network)  Democratic Pennsylvania Rep. Brian Sims, who was the first openly homosexual elected legislator in the commonwealth, is being called to resign after he posted footage of himself on Thursday harassing an elderly woman outside of the Philadelphia Planned Parenthood in defense of mothers’ “rights” to have their unborn children murdered. Continue reading →

Converse Launches ‘LGBTQ+’ Shoe Line Featuring Child Drag Queen

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“In December 2018, young Desmond performed a dance number in full-drag at a New York City-based gay bar called 3 Dollar Bill. As the child stripped off his jacket and bounced around the stage, patrons — grown men — handed him dollar bills, as one might see in a strip club.”

(Amanda Prestigiacomo – Daily Wire)  On Monday, Converse announced that they have “partnered” with folks “connected to the LGBTQ+ community” to promote their new line of shoes known as the company’s “Pride Collection.” An 11-year-old child named Desmond Napoles, a so-called “drag kid” who goes by “Desmond is Amazing,” is one of the featured promoters. Continue reading →

Steele’s stunning pre-FISA confession: Informant needed to air Trump dirt before election

Posted by ∙ ∙ In Opinion ∙ , , , , ,

“For the first time, we have written proof the U.S. government knew well before the FBI secured the FISA warrant that Steele had a political motive and Election Day deadline to make his dossier public.”

(John Solomon – The Hill) If ever there were an admission that taints the FBI’s secret warrant to surveil Donald Trump’s campaign, it sat buried for more than 2 1/2 years in the files of a high-ranking State Department official.

Deputy Assistant Secretary of State Kathleen Kavalec’s written account of her Oct. 11, 2016, meeting with FBI informant Christopher Steele shows the Hillary Clinton campaign-funded British intelligence operative admitted that his research was political and facing an Election Day deadline. Continue reading →

John 1:1 and the Holy Trinity

Posted by ∙ ∙ In Devotion/Teaching

1 In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God , and God was the Word. John 1:1 (translated from the NA28 Greek text)

Carefully examine the four Greek examples I placed at the top of this post. The first one is from the Textus Receptus, which is the Greek behind the KJV. The next two are from the middle of the 19th century with Tichendorf’s New Testament predating Wescott and Hort’s by about 9 years or so. The last example is of the Nestle-Aland 28th Edition, which is what I use here. I pray that you noticed that there is no differences in the text other than the NA28 used a capital eplison at the beginning of the verse and the rest did not. Continue reading →

Of Course We Should Continue Criticizing the Work of Rachel Held Evans

Posted by ∙ ∙ In Opinion ∙ , , , , ,

Worse yet, she accuses the authors of the Bible of being blasphemous liars, allegedly speaking for God in literally hundreds of passages when it was “really” what they wanted.  She quoted this with her approval:  God never told the Israelites to kill the Canaanites. The Israelites believed that God told them to kill the Canaanites.

(Get a load of the tweets at the end)

(Eternity Matters)  The Bible didn’t shy away from criticizing Judas after he died, so why would we ignore Rachel Held Evans’ false teachings?  And given that her death will lead many to read her works, it is as important as ever to respond to her falsehoods. Continue reading →

Jerry Falwell Jr. denies report of Michael Cohen’s help sought in alleged ‘racy photo’ matter

Posted by ∙ ∙ In News ∙ , , ,

Reuters had reported that it obtained a taped conversation between Cohen and comedian Tom Arnold, in which Cohen reportedly says Falwell asked him to intervene in a situation where someone possessed the type of photos that would typically be kept “between husband and wife.”

(Joseph A. Wulfsohn – Fox News)  Liberty University President Jerry Falwell Jr. has denied asking former Trump attorney Michael Cohen to intervene in a case where someone reportedly claimed to possess racy “personal” photos that were potentially embarrassing to Falwell and his wife, as a news outlet reported Tuesday. Continue reading →

Is Marxism All That Bad?

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

“The preferred term these days is Neo-Marxism, and while even this term is not used in political circles, it now defines a more humane variant of its atheistic forebear. Actually this version of Marxism, sometimes called “cultural Marxism,” is even more radical than the old Marxism. It has to go beyond the anti-capitalist liberation of the worker because the free market eventually took care of the worker’s economic needs. Neo-Marxism brings a full-orbed Marxist cosmology—a complete worldview seeking to liberate from any creational norms not just the worker’s economic situation but the worker’s psyche and his or her sexual fantasies.” 

(Peter Jones – truthxchange)  I have long vowed not to employ simplistic theological and spiritual categories in debates over politics, since there are genuine Christians in each political party. But as some politicians lunge to wild extremes, Christians need to pause long enough to understand the larger picture. Ultimately, politics starts with worldview. Do we need to be “woke” and if so, to what? Is the new vision valid and valuable? Continue reading →

Love of the world

Posted by ∙ ∙ In Devotion/Teaching

1 I appeal to you therefore, brothers, by the mercies of God, to present your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and acceptable to God, which is your spiritual worship. 2 Do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewal of your mind, that by testing you may discern what is the will of God, what is good and acceptable and perfect. (Romans 12:1-2 ESV)

One of the markers of Christian genuineness is separation from the World. This isn’t a physical removal from planet Earth or a disintegration of the body of a Christian…. Continue reading →

Trump’s Advisor, Paula White, Pronounces Herself an Apostle and Appoints Son as Replacement

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“So today, I am officially installing Pastor Brad and Pastor Rachel as the senior pastors of over City of Destiny. Everybody stand up on your feet, because this is God’s plan. I am moving to what I call oversight pastor, but let me explain that. That is apostolic, but I just haven’t embraced the title, though. … But as apostolic overseer of City of Destiny, today officially, it’s all been done legally, officially, we are City of Destiny. Welcome to your new beginning.”

(JD Hall – Pulpit & Pen)  Paula White Cain, the thrice-married minister and former mistress of Benny Hinn, has pronounced herself to be an Apostle of Christ and installed her son as the new pastor of her church. While her son is the new lead pastor, White will serve as an “oversight pastor.” Continue reading →

A High School Girl’s Life After Transgender Students Join Her Sport

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Selina Soule shares what it’s like being forced to compete against biological boys.

“It’s not like we’re saying that we don’t like transgender people. It’s just an equality issue where these girls are trying their absolute hardest to try and get those good things on their college resumes, and then it just gets completely taken away from them because there’s a biological male racing against them.”

(Christian Daily Reporter)  When two high school athletes who were born male but identify as female took first and second place at Connecticut’s girls indoor track championship this year, it wasn’t just a local news story.

To some, it was a story of triumph and courage. The winner, a junior from Bloomfield High School, set a girls state indoor record of 6.95 seconds in the 55-meter dash, and went on to win the New England titles in both the 55-meter dash and the 300-meter dash. Continue reading →

The Fright of James Comey

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“Comey has never adequately explained his role in inserting FBI informants into a presidential campaign, and the degree to which his decision might have been taken in conjunction with other intelligence agencies or with the knowledge of the then-attorney general or President Obama. The New York Times of all publications is apparently investigating the use of FBI informants to sandbag the Trump campaign—during Comey’s directorship. To my knowledge, no previous FBI director—perhaps not even J. Edgar Hoover—had unilaterally placed FBI informants into a presidential campaign during the general election.”

(Victor Davis Hanson – American Greatness)  In a recent op-ed, fired FBI Director James Comey was back again preaching to the nation about the dangers of Donald Trump and his capacity to corrupt any top-ranking federal official of lower character than Comey’s own. Continue reading →