Enduring suffering for doing what is right finds favor with God

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2 My soul longed and even yearned for the courts of the Lord; My heart and my flesh sing for joy to the living God. Psalms 84:2 (NASB)

I try to reread John Bunyan’s Grace Abounding to the Chief of Sinners from time to time. I need the perspective change found there at times so that I quit listening to the wrangling nature of my flesh and, instead, crucify it, take up my own cross and follow my Lord. That means, I follow His example instead.

18 Servants, be submissive to your masters with all respect, not only to those who are good and gentle, but also to those who are unreasonable. 19 For this finds favor, if for the sake of conscience toward God a person bears up under sorrows when suffering unjustly. 20 For what credit is there if, when you sin and are harshly treated, you endure it with patience? But if when you do what is right and suffer for it you patiently endure it, this finds favor with God. 1 Peter 2:18-20 (NASB)   View article →

Contemporary Christian artists see ‘Third Great Awakening’ coming

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This piece appeared in “fair & balanced” Fox News. But it isn’t fair or balanced, as Caleb Parke, who penned it, mentions nary a word about all the controversy over Bethel Church in Redding CA and its head pastor and NAR “apostle” Bill Johnson. Johnson is presented in a good light even though his teaching is provably heretical.

Highly influential contemporary “Christian” band Jesus Culture, a “petri dish for growing young new heretics,” was birthed at Bethel.  Parke interviewed a few band members for his piece and included some of their songs. Take a moment to listen to the nonsensical lyrics. Clearly the message doesn’t come close to lining up with Scripture, which means that the band is spreading false teaching around the globe through their music. Church leaders who choose to use Jesus Culture’s “worship” music, and there are many, have unwittingly introduced heresy into their churches.   Continue reading →

HERE WE GO: Millennial Democrats EMBRACE Socialism

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“Talk of popular control of the means of production is anathema to many older Democrats, even very liberal ones. It plays a lot better with the young; one recent survey shows that 61 percent of Democrats between 18 and 34 view socialism positively…”

(Ben Shapiro – Daily Wire)  A few months ago, Hillary Clinton was asked about whether her self-identification as a capitalist had hurt her among members of her own core constituency. She said it had. She was right. And the Democratic Party is now moving openly in the direction of embracing socialism. Continue reading →

Christian transformation vs works righteouosness

Posted by ∙ ∙ In Devotion/Teaching

2 And do not be conformed to this age, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind that you may discern the will of God, that which is good and well pleasing and perfect. Romans 12:2 (translated from the NA28 Greek text)

Despite the fact that the unregenerate refuse to accept what I am about to say as being true, it does not change the fact that it is the truth. The true Christian walk is one of faith that results in faithfulness while the counterfeit or false Christian walk is one of works righteousness that results in a pragmatic form of religious works meant to counter failures of the flesh. The true Christian will be on a path of continual, progressive transformation unto Christlikeness that will result in God using him or her in doing His good works (Ephesians 2:10). …    View article →

Lord God, please do not take your sustaining grace from us!

Posted by ∙ ∙ In Devotion/Teaching

30 It was Hezekiah who stopped the upper outlet of the waters of Gihon and directed them to the west side of the city of David. And Hezekiah prospered in all that he did. 31 Even in the matter of the envoys of the rulers of Babylon, who sent to him to inquire of the wonder that had happened in the land, God left him alone only to test him, that He might know all that was in his heart. 2 Chron. 32:30-31 

I doubt if any professing Christian who is a genuine child of God has not come to that sobering and often devastating realization in which God has taken His hand away just enough so that decisions are made and actions are taken apart from His wise counsel. The consequences of our going it alone are humbling to say the least. God tests us in these circumstances to show us what is really in our hearts. We are placed in circumstances in which the wise and Christian thing to do would be to seek God’s face and move only as He leads, but if we are honest we must confess that in these circumstances our self-righteousness comes to the fore or we operate from pride or instead of mortifying our sin, we indulge our flesh. These are not marks of the unregenerate my brethren, but of the children of God. I am convinced that God uses these things to show us what we are really made of and, therefore, we are humbled and become more usable in the Kingdom.  Continue reading →

God Told Me…

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“God told me . . . ,” when referring to personal revelation or vision, steps away from the faithfulness of the living God who gave us the Scriptures as his revelation. 

(Phil Newton — Founders Ministries)  “God told me . . . .”

That remark with attached comment can be heard quite often among Christians. We generally consider it as just a figure of speech common in Christian circles to express a feeling, a sense, an impression, or a leading that one believes has come from God. But while using that phrase, such a statement isn’t construed as divine revelation. Continue reading →

House Republicans Grill Rosenstein over Trump-Russia

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“So how do we resolve the conflict? Not legally. It gets resolved through the political weapons the Framers gave the two branches. The outcome depends on how much damage each side is willing or able to inflict on the other, and how much damage each is willing to sustain rather than give in. It is rare that one side achieves total victory; almost always, there is a compromise — and the sooner they get to it the better.”

(Andrew C. McCarthy – National Review)  “You’re the boss.”

That was Representative Jim Jordan’s terse rejoinder during a feisty exchange with Deputy Attorney General Rod Rosenstein at the House Judiciary Committee’s oversight hearing on Thursday. The Ohio Republican was blasting Rosenstein over information Republicans say Justice Department officials have concealed from Congress for a year. Continue reading →

Rachel Held Evans Acknowledges Abortion Targets Minorities; Is Still For It

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“Held Evans says that she is “pro-life” in her convictions, but doesn’t necessarily think abortion should be illegal (hint: that’s not being pro-life).”

(Pulpit & Pen)  The eventuality of President Donald Trump nominating a second Supreme Court Justice in the first year-and-a-half of his presidency has liberals in a tizzy (the previous two presidents were only able to nominate two justices over the two full four-year terms). Likewise, social conservatives are elated with the possibility of a second pro-life appointee to the highest court by President Trump. … Continue reading →

Prayer’s Humility

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…we have sinned and done wrong. We have been wicked and have rebelled; we have turned away from your commands and laws. We have not listened to your servants the prophets, who spoke in your name to our kings, our princes and our ancestors, and to all the people of the land. (Dan 9:5-6)

Daniel’s prayer begins with the confession of sin. But the remarkable thing is that this man, according to the record, has no sin charged against him. Never once in Scripture are we told that Daniel did anything wrong. Now, I am sure he did wrong things. Certainly, sin must have appeared in his life, because Scripture tells us that no man is without sin, but the record does not give us any account of it. But in specific ways Daniel confesses his own sin and the sin of his people: He says, “We have sinned; we have been wicked; we have turned away, we have not listened.” View article →

Bill Hybels, Willow Creek Have ‘Undone 40 Years of Trust:’ Scot McKnight on Sexual Misconduct

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“Willow Creek’s leadership chose what I said immediately was an egregiously unwise decision: it chose to narrate the allegations as lies, the women as liars, and the witnesses to the women as colluders.” 

(Stoyan Zaimov – Christian Post)  New Testament scholar and author Scot McKnight, who attended Willow Creek Community Church for 10 years, is speaking out on the sexual misconduct accusations against founder Bill Hybels, saying that he and the church have “undone 40 years of trust.” Continue reading →

Teen Vogue Promotes Marxism in Recent Article

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“College campuses and high schools are using Marx to put America on trial. Consequently, many millennials believe they should have a right to the wealth of others and, if other people have more than they do, they should get an “equal” share.”

(Bellamy Harden – Movieguide)  Picture a world where you don’t have to work, and everyone gets along. Sounds pretty good, right? And, almost too good to be true. That’s because it is. The magazine Teen Vogue doesn’t seem to think so, however. Continue reading →

Hillsong Worship Pastor’s Evolution Comments Spark Fierce Debate Among Christians

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“After seeing the intense reaction that arose from suggesting evolution is “undeniable,” Houston  hedged a bit by offering some context  to his earlier tweet.”

(Tré Goins-Phillips – Faith Wire)  Hillsong Church has, over the years, hardly avoided the limelight, often finding itself at the center of hotly-contested debates. Now one of its biggest leaders is running headlong into the creation debate.

Joel Houston,  eldest son of the Sydney-based church’s founders, lead musician in the worship band Hillsong United, and co-pastor of Hillsong Church in New York City, tweeted Monday that “evolution is undeniable.” Continue reading →

The five responses to the resurrection of Jesus

Posted by ∙ ∙ In Devotion/Teaching

1 Now after the Sabbath, as it began to dawn toward the first day of the week, Mary Magdalene and the other Mary came to look at the grave. 2 And behold, a severe earthquake had occurred, for an angel of the Lord descended from heaven and came and rolled away the stone and sat upon it. 3 And his appearance was like lightning, and his clothing as white as snow. 4 The guards shook for fear of him and became like dead men. Matthew 28:1-4 (NASB) 

Jesus is Risen! He is Risen Indeed! According to Paul in his first epistle to the church in Corinth, the doctrine of the Resurrection of Jesus Christ is the lynchpin of our faith.

13 But if there is no resurrection of the dead, not even Christ has been raised; 14 and if Christ has not been raised, then our preaching is vain, your faith also is vain. 1 Corinthians 15:13-14 (NASB)    View article →

Pastor Laments Professing Christians Who Defend TV Drama ‘Lucifer’: ‘It Is Deceptive Lie … to Claim Devil Could Be Redeemed’

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“Those who are banking on going to Heaven because of the delusion that even the devil is saved should be aware of the fact that Jesus warned that unless we repent we will perish (Luke 13:3, 5). The Scriptures further warn ‘without holiness, no one will see the Lord’ (Hebrews 12:14b).” 

(Heather Clark – Christian News)  A California pastor who is known for his warnings about the glorification of evil by Hollywood and the secular music industry has weighed in on reports that Netflix has decided to pick up the fourth season of the fantasy police drama “Lucifer” and the fact that a number of professing Christians are defending the show in asserting that it contains a positive message that if Satan can be redeemed by God, then anyone can. Continue reading →

Here’s Why the Florist and the Baker Aren’t Like The Red Hen’s Owner

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Jack Phillips and Baronelle Stutzman were happy to sell their products but not their creative skills to advance a cause they oppose religiously.

(Chris Potts – LifeZatte)  One of these is not like the others.

Editorialists across the country have been falling all over themselves to compare Stephanie Wilkinson — co-owner of The Red Hen restaurant in Lexington, Virginia, and famous, overnight, for kicking White House press secretary Sarah Sanders out of her establishment — to Jack Phillips and Barronelle Stutzman. Continue reading →

How to do effective Biblical evangelism

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4 Do not answer a fool according to his folly, Or you will also be like him. 5 Answer a fool as his folly deserves, That he not be wise in his own eyes. Proverbs 26:4-5 (NASB) 

Evangelism that is biblical is not numbers or results based as if it is a process we can control through methodology. The seeker-sensitive form of evangelism, on the other hand, is totally numbers or results based, and, therefore, uses methodologies to boost perceived effectiveness by increased numbers of “decisions for Christ.” The seeker-sensitive form of evangelism assumes that God is helpless to save anyone outside of their efforts. It ignores passages such as John 3:5-8 and Ephesians 2:1-10. View article →

‘Media Chieftains’ Must ‘Pull Back’ Liberal Mobs Before ‘Tragedy’ Strikes

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“And there are still some, Democratic members of Congress, entertainment figures, religious leaders, media chieftains like Jeff Zucker at CNN or Andy Lack at NBC. They’re silent now, cowering and complicit in all of this, but the country badly needs them to cool the rhetoric and rein in the mob. No more Nazi talk on their TV channels. No more screaming at people in restaurants.”

(Nicholas Fondacaro – News Busters) It has only been a year since a deranged Democrat tried to pull off a mass assassination attempt against Republican Congressmen at a baseball practice. With the left’s targeting of Trump administration officials and others for harassment, which was being egged on by California Congresswoman Maxine Waters (D), many reasonable people were rightfully fearful that we might be headed for a tragedy. Continue reading →

Important facts about The Passion Translation

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“I put together a fact sheet on The Passion Translation, showing — quickly and concisely — what this “translation” claims to be and why people need to beware of its growing use in churches. I posted the fact sheet below and included a link to a PDF you can download. I encourage you to distribute it widely — online, through social media, and by giving printed copies to friends, pastors and other church leaders.” – Holly Pivec

Passion Translation Fact Sheet

Composed by Holly Pivec, author and blogger at Spirit of Error (www.spiritoferror.org)

Who is Brian Simmons?

Brian Simmons is the founder of Stairway Ministries in Wichita, Kansas.  He’s also an “apostle,” working under the apostle Ché Ahn, with Harvest International Ministry, an apostolic network of 25,000 churches and organizations in 65 nations. He spent eight years working with New Tribes Mission in the rain forest of Panama as a church planter, Bible translator and consultant. … Continue reading →

Pray at all times

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17 And take the helmet of salvation, and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God.18 With all prayer and petition pray at all times in the Spirit, and with this in view, be on the alert with all perseverance and petition for all the saints, 19 and pray on my behalf, that utterance may be given to me in the opening of my mouth, to make known with boldness the mystery of the gospel, 20 for which I am an ambassador in chains; that in proclaiming it I may speak boldly, as I ought to speak. Eph 6:17-20 (NASB) 

Ungodly focus is the focus that everyone has except for the Spirit-filled believer. This focus is oriented to self. Believers who are self-focused are either baby Christians or they have succumbed to Satan’s attacks against them. These attacks are designed specifically to render each believer powerless and without a Christlike testimony. He does this with temptations, fiery darts, that are designed to bring believers to be self-satisfied, self-sufficient, and spiritually arrogant. Of course, these are the marks of a Christian who is not humble, but whose pride is in control.  View article →

5 Reasons Churches Should Teach Theology to Children

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“From an early age, children can have an understanding of being linked to church history and the generations that have gone before—to those who have spoken the same words together about God, humanity, sin, redemption, heaven, and hell.”

(Jon Nielson — Crossway)  The Importance of Biblical Literacy

There is no substitute for parents and church leaders presenting the clear, simple, powerful Word of God to the children in their midst. We need to be reading the Bible to the children in our families and church congregations. We need to be teaching the Bible to the children in our families and church congregations. The children in our midst must become acquainted and conversant with the Bible during their early years; we must ensure that, as much as it depends on us! Continue reading →

Supreme Court Sides With President Trump and Calif. Pregnancy Centers

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TWO BIG DECISIONS HANDED DOWN BY THE HIGH COURT:

Court Upholds Trump Travel Ban, Rejects Discrimination Claim  

(Mark Sherman – AP) The Supreme Court on Tuesday upheld President Donald Trump’s ban on travel from several mostly Muslim countries, rejecting a challenge that it discriminated against Muslims or exceeded his authority.

The 5-4 decision Tuesday is the court’s first substantive ruling on a Trump administration policy, and the president quickly tweeted his reaction: “Wow!” Continue reading →