How Do You Know if Your Church is Healthy?

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There are healthy churches and unhealthy churches (so, so many unhealthy churches). How would you know the difference?

(Tim Challies)  Today I want to talk about the health of a local church. Are there ways we can know that a church is healthy or a way we can know it’s unhealthy? And this comes from a question I received from somebody who’s been watching these videos. Let me read the question:

“I’m curious to know how you might go about evaluating the spiritual health of the congregation? Here’s the key; are there objective ways of identifying whether a congregation is growing or stagnant and is there a clear set of biblical markers or indicators that you would use to assess whether the congregation is spiritually healthy?”  Continue reading →

Are you on the right path?

Posted by ∙ ∙ In Devotion/Teaching

23 And He was saying to them all, “If anyone wishes to come after Me, he must deny himself, and take up his cross daily and follow Me. 24 For whoever wishes to save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for My sake, he is the one who will save it. 25 For what is a man profited if he gains the whole world, and loses or forfeits himself?  Luke 9:23-26 (NASB)  (Read verse 26 on the site)

When I was in my 20’s I made a commitment to become fit enough to run one mile in under 5 minutes, run 5 Kilometers in under 18 minutes, run 5 miles in under 30 minutes, run 10 Kilometers in under 37 minutes, and run 10 miles in under an hour. By the time I was 33 years old I had accomplished the first three. I had missed my goal for the 10K by less than a minute, however, my best time for a 10 mile race was 1 hour and 4 minutes. Continue reading →

‘Raise the Rainbow Flag, We Surrender’

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Pope Francis “definitely got his nerve purging his message to a shell-shocked American Catholic community of anything that could
vaguely comfort her amid this storm.”

“Facts are notoriously stark, and numbers don’t lie: that homosexuality at all levels of the [RCC] hierarchy is a huge part of the problem is not debatable anymore.”  

(Alessandro Marinelli – The American Thinker)  These are stormy times for the Catholic Church in North America.  First, Theodore McCarrick, whose resignation as cardinal Pope Francis accepted in July.  Then the Pennsylvania grand jury report, which is having the effects of the detonation of an atomic bomb with its subsequent devastating shockwave and radioactive fallout.  As a Catholic, I would be lying if I said the mind-blowing revelations over the extent and the creepy deep-rootedness of sexual promiscuity and perversity in the clergy have not taken a toll on my trust in the Church.  As many of us are still reeling from the shock and the disgust, rage and exasperation mount. Continue reading →

Study: Children of Same-sex couples do less well than those of married couples

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“Adults should NOT be thinking about how to duct-tape a child onto any old relationship that doesn’t offer the same safety and stability that opposite sex marriage offers. We should be passing laws to strengthen marriage in order to protect children, not to weaken it.” 

(Wintery Knight) The Public Discourse reports on a recent study out of Canada.

Excerpt:

A new academic study based on the Canadian census suggests that a married mom and dad matter for children. Children of same-sex coupled households do not fare as well. Continue reading →

Consequences of Sexual Sin

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“When sexual impurity moves in, joy moves out (Ps. 51:8). The two cannot coexist in the heart at the same time. They are mutually exclusive. Joy and gladness will not move in until the lust has moved out and there has been repentance and confession.”

(Eric Davis – The Cripplegate) Life can get dicey this side of Genesis 3. Crops fail. Weather fails. Nations fail. Health fails. Resolve fails. Much of life is simply about learning to navigate disappointment and pain. But there is one thing which perhaps causes more pain than anything else; sexual sin. There’s the betrayal; the lying; the deception. There’s the severing of trust; severing of families; severing of relationships. Sexual sin in spiritual leadership packs an added severity. Churches are damaged; ministries are damaged; witness is damaged. Continue reading →

Clothe yourselves with humility toward one another

Posted by ∙ ∙ In Devotion/Teaching

15 Therefore be careful how you walk, not as unwise men but as wise, 16 making the most of your time, because the days are evil. 17 So then do not be foolish, but understand what the will of the Lord is. 18 And do not get drunk with wine, for that is dissipation, but be filled with the Spirit, 19 speaking to one another in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing and making melody with your heart to the Lord;(NASB)  (Read verses 20-21 on this site.)

William Carey (1761-1834) was a Baptist missionary to India. He was a pastor in England before going to the mission field where he served the Lord for 41 years translating the Scriptures. He never returned to England. When he became ill with the disease that would kill him, he was asked to select the Biblical text to be used at his funeral. View article →

Camp Followers Endanger the Church

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“It’s a camp exalting a Jesus who is a feminist, a sexual libertine and a socialist. Faith leaders like Franklin Graham are considered fools. Jonathan absorbs rhetoric from Black Lives Matter without questioning the manipulative race- baiting, anti-law-enforcement agenda.”

(Linda Harvey – MissionAmerica)  Jonathan is a self-labeled Christian. He listens to CNN every day and never questions that he’s getting a reliable version of the truth.

What’s wrong with this picture?

Jonathan has a worldview issue but also a “camp” issue.

Which camp are you in? Have you decided? Continue reading →

Masters University Placed On Probation by Accrediting Agency

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“If you read the reports from WASC yourself, you’ll see that they didn’t make any clear accusations, but asked questions that need to be resolved.”

(JD Hall – Pulpit & Pen)  Masters University, the school associated with Grace Community Church and the esteemed John MacArthur, has been placed on probation by the Western Association of Schools and Colleges (WASC). According to WASC, there are a number of deficiencies that Masters must improve upon for them to come out from under their probationary status. Continue reading →

The Potter and the Clay

Posted by ∙ ∙ In Devotion/Teaching ∙

We have commented in previous messages about the many things God uses to teach his people, these remarkable visual aids which appear from time to time in this book whereby God imparts lessons to this prophet. Jeremiah was sent down to the potter’s house, and there he saw three simple things, conveying to him a fantastic lesson. You may have observed the same things that Jeremiah did, for the art of making a pot has not changed through the centuries. The wheel is now turned by an electric motor, but that is about the only difference. Even this is still controlled by the foot of the potter. The clay is the same as it has always been. The potter is the same, with his capable hands, working to mold and shape the clay into the vessel he has in mind. View article →

Brown University provides ‘safe spaces’ … for men

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Program helps students ‘unlearn’ toxic masculinity

(Michael Jones – The College Fix)  Brown University is working to help its male students “unlearn” and “unpack” their masculinity.

A program at the Ivy League institution provides “safe spaces for men to unpack all of the things they have learned about masculinity and what it means to be a man,” according to its website.

“Rigid definitions of masculinity are toxic to men’s health,” campus officials state online under the heading: “Unlearning Toxic Masculinity.” Continue reading →

Pennsylvania AG: Cardinal under scrutiny over report on priest abuse ‘is not telling the truth’

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Cardinal Donald Wuerl

“The predatory behavior of Father Ernest Paone dated back to the 1960s and he was shuffled from parish to parish all over the country, according to the grand jury report.”

(Jake Tapper & Clare Foran — CNN)  Pennsylvania Attorney General Josh Shapiro is accusing Cardinal Donald Wuerl, the archbishop of Washington, of “not telling the truth” as he attempts to defend himself amid criticism and calls for his resignation over the release of a Pennsylvania grand jury report detailing allegations of widespread predatory behavior by more than 300 priests against more than 1,000 children. Continue reading →

TD Jakes’ wife shares photos of yoga session at The Potter’s House

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“You may perform the moves without consciously seeking the demonic trance they were designed to help you attain, but it would seem you are playing, quite literally, with fire. And then the question is why?”

(Leonardo Blair – Christian Today)  Serita Jakes, wife of popular televangelist Bishop T.D. Jakes, has shared a series of photos showing members of a women’s group at The Potter’s House of Dallas enjoying a “taste of yoga” as a part of a healthy living endeavor, despite traditional Christian opposition to yoga. Continue reading →

Praise be unto the Lord!

Posted by ∙ ∙ In Devotion/Teaching

33 Oh, the depth of the riches both of the wisdom and knowledge of God! How unsearchable are His judgments and unfathomable His ways! 34 For who has known the mind of the Lord, or who became His counselor? 35 Or who has first given to Him that it might be paid back to him again? 36 For from Him and through Him and to Him are all things. To Him be the glory forever. Amen. Romans 11:33-36 (NASB) 

I remember several years ago in Broken Arrow, Oklahoma, my wife and I were sitting in our auditorium at our church, waiting for worship service to start. In the seats behind us were several ladies who were of my parents generation. We could hear them talking very clearly. They were discussing the music and worship songs that they liked and disliked. Just a few weeks earlier, the contemporary Christian Music group Sierra had performed during our morning worship service. It was awesome. However, the opinions I was hearing from behind us left me thinking. View article →

Do not participate in the unfruitful deeds of darkness

Posted by ∙ ∙ In Devotion/Teaching

6 Let no one deceive you with empty words, for because of these things the wrath of God comes upon the sons of disobedience. 7 Therefore do not be partakers with them; 8 for you were formerly darkness, but now you are Light in the Lord; walk as children of Light 9 (for the fruit of the Light consists in all goodness and righteousness and truth), 10 trying to learn what is pleasing to the Lord. 11 Do not participate in the unfruitful deeds of darkness, but instead even expose them; 12 for it is disgraceful even to speak of the things which are done by them in secret. 13 But all things become visible when they are exposed by the light, for everything that becomes visible is light. 14 For this reason it says, “Awake, sleeper, And arise from the dead, And Christ will shine on you.” 15 Therefore be careful how you walk, not as unwise men but as wise, 16 making the most of your time, because the days are evil. 17 So then do not be foolish, but understand what the will of the Lord is. Ephesians 5:6-17 (NASB) 

What does it mean to “participate in the unfruitful deeds of darkness”? Read the entire passage of Ephesians 5:6-17 (above), and then we will look at the word participate, and at what unfruitful deeds of darkness are. Continue reading →

The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints Want to Drop the ‘Mormon’ Moniker

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LDS Prophet Russell M. Nelson

“But here’s the thing: the Mormon faith is not the true church of Jesus Christ, and to say so threatens to lead untold numbers of people astray. The truth is that the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints is completely incompatible with biblical Christianity.” 

(Chris Queen – PJ Media)  The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints conjures up plenty of different images. Some people equate the Latter Day Saints with bland, middle-of-the-road public figures like Mitt Romney or (if you’re old enough) the Osmonds. Others may think of polygamy. Still others may recall those eager, if dorky, young missionaries making their way through town in their short-sleeve white shirts and ties. Continue reading →

Press needs to restore its credibility on FBI and Justice Department

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“This is an absolutely stunning development, suggesting a “deep state” conspiracy hidden even from superiors and driven on the basis of undisclosed dollars ultimately from the opposition candidate going to the wife of a DOJ official. Even moderate senators like Lindsey Graham (R-S.C.) have been shocked by this and called for a special counsel to investigate the FBI.”  

(Mark Penn – The Hill)  I will never call the mainstream media “the enemy of the people.” But I will call them out for having strayed from fairly reporting some of the biggest stories of the last two years. No matter how egregious their errors, they insist on pointing fingers elsewhere and reinforcing their political biases, in ways unimaginable to those of us who grew up in the Walter Cronkite era. Continue reading →

California Senate passes bill banning books, therapy to help unwanted gay attraction

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The First Amendment to the United States Constitution forbids laws “abridging the freedom of speech” or “prohibiting the free exercise” of religion. The California Constitution affirms that “[e]very person may freely speak, write and publish his or her sentiments on all subjects,” and that “[f]ree exercise and enjoyment of religion without discrimination or preference are guaranteed.”

(Calvin Freiburger – LifeSiteNews) – The California Senate voted Thursday to approve the nation’s broadest proposed ban on treatment for overcoming unwanted same-sex attractions. Continue reading →

Nadia Bolz-Weber Steps Down from Pastorate: Replaced by Gay Man Married to Drag Queen

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Lutheran pastor Nadia Bolz-Weber

Humber [Bolz-Weber’s replacement] came to HFASS from St. Gregory of Nyssa Episcopal Church in San Francisco. He is “married” to a man who pretends to be a woman and is a “drag queen.” His partner’s drag name is “Fruit Bomb.” 

(Pulpit & Pen) Nadia Bolz-Weber retired from her pastorate at the House for All Sinners and Saints (ELCA) and was replaced by a gay Episcopal man who is married to a drag queen who goes by the name “Fruit Bomb.” This is not satire.

Bolz-Weber is the giant Amazon-esque, tattoo-graffiti’d, potty-mouthed impastor who has referred to herself as a “dyke” (she is married to a man, however). … Continue reading →

God’s Faithfulness

Posted by ∙ ∙ In Devotion/Teaching ∙

But the Lord is with me like a mighty warrior; so my persecutors will stumble and not prevail. They will fail and be thoroughly disgraced; their dishonor will never be forgotten. Lord Almighty, you who examine the righteous and probe the heart and mind, let me see your vengeance on them, for to you I have committed my cause. Jeremiah 20:11-12

Previously in this chapter, Jeremiah poured out his complaint to the Lord while he was in the stocks. But now faith comes to Jeremiah’s rescue and begins to strengthen him. Faith counterattacks to uphold the tottering prophet. Jeremiah is now fighting back against the assault he is victim of. He begins now to reckon on reality, to count as truth what God had made known to him. That is the way to handle any frightening situation. …  View article →

Vatican Cardinal: ‘Homosexual Culture’ In The Church Part Of Abuse Crisis

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“Now it seems clear in light of these recent terrible scandals that indeed there is a homosexual culture, not only among the clergy but even within the hierarchy, which needs to be purified at the root. It is of course a tendency that is disordered.”

(Paul Bios – Daily Wire)  Cardinal Raymond Burke has called upon Pope Francis to clean up what he calls a “homosexual culture” in the Church that has contributed to the sex abuse crisis. Continue reading →

Be skeptical of Dr. Oz’s remedies and Rick Warren’s ‘plans’ (Reprise)

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FLASHBACK FRIDAY

This article by CRN managing editor Marsha West was published January 15, 2015

Dr. Mehmet Oz, who is a renowned cardiothoracic surgeon, author and host of a successful TV show, has involved himself in some, um, questionable cures for what ails you. According to a Fox News report, a recent study showed that “Half of Dr. Oz’s health advice is bad.” Die-hard Oz fans will more than likely ignore the study results and continue tuning into his TV show for advice from him and the panel of doctors that appear regularly, even knowing that Oz and the other doctors often recommend products straight out of Quacksville.

Our idols would never steer us wrong, would they? I mean, Oz wouldn’t allow his fans to purchase remedies that have little basis in fact or that many in the scientific community agree are bogus. Test the “cures” and you will find that, in some cases, what they recommended is on par with the sort of thing you’ll find in a witches brew – bat wings, spider legs and crow bones. Continue reading →

Christian Author Jen Hatmaker Gives ‘Free Mom Hugs’ During LGBT Pride Parade

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Hatmaker went on to write that her “arms were never empty,” noting many ran toward her and others from her congregation and told them things like, “I miss this,” “My mom doesn’t love me anymore,” “My dad hasn’t spoken to me in three years,” and, “Please just one more hug.”

(Tré Goins-Phillips – Faith Wire)  Well-known Christian author Jen Hatmaker drew attention over the weekend when she and members of her church attended an LGBT pride parade in Austin, Texas, to offer “free mom hugs” to fellow demonstrators. Continue reading →

What is the danger of entering temptation?

Posted by ∙ ∙ In Devotion/Teaching

9 “Pray, then, in this way: ‘Our Father who is in heaven, Hallowed be Your name. 10 ‘Your kingdom come. Your will be done, On earth as it is in heaven. 11 ‘Give us this day our daily bread. 12 ‘And forgive us our debts, as we also have forgiven our debtors. 13 ‘And do not lead us into temptation, but deliver us from evil. [For Yours is the kingdom and the power and the glory forever. Amen.’] (Matthew 6:9-13 NASB)

In this post we will look at the danger of “entering temptation.” There is no doubt that most believers walk in defeat in this battle much if not most of the time. On top of the guilt and self-abhorrence that are natural products of Christians sinning, there is also the battle fatigue that comes upon them which results in more guilt simply for being “tempted” in the first place. Of course, much of this can be blamed on faulty theology and an extreme drought in the area of teaching the Biblical truth about sin and temptation from our pulpits and Bible studies. To understand the danger of “entering temptation” we must first understand what it is and what it is not. View article →