Do not fashion yourselves like unto this world

Posted by ∙ ∙ In Devotion/Teaching

3 Grace to you and peace from God the Father and our Lord Jesus Christ, 4 who gave Himself for our sins, that He might deliver us from this present evil age, according to the will of our God and Father, 5 to whom be glory forever and ever. Amen.  Galatians 1:3-5 (NKJV) 

In the late 1970’s I read of a physician in a large urban hospital finding a man admitted with many of his vital organs failing due to extreme alcohol and drug poisoning. He recognized him as one whom he had treated a few years earlier for the same problem. The man was destitute and had been given free medical care. They had treated the man as a project to recover his health. After many weeks he appeared to be completely recovered so they sent him back into the world free from the affects of drugs and alcohol. However, it looked now as if that merciful reclamation project had been totally wasted. The man died the next day. View article →

What Does Jesus’ Death Accomplish?

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(Stacie McKeever – Answers In Genesis) If Jesus suffered the punishment for death on our behalf, why do we still die?

Consider further the following:

  • Our sins are removed from us as far as the east is from the west (Psalm 103:12).
  • We are set free from the law of sin and death (Romans 8:1–4), yet we continue to sin (Paul chronicled his struggle in Romans 7).
  • Jesus “has borne our griefs and carried our sorrows” (Isaiah 53:4), yet many continue to suffer from horrible illnesses even after they receive the gift of eternal life.
  • The kingdom of God is one of righteousness, peace and joy in the Holy Spirit (Romans 14:17), yet we continue to cry and experience great sorrow.

Continue reading →

Jordan Peterson, Jung, and Hope for the Faint-Hearted

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Who is Jordan Peterson? If you don’t already know, you will, as he’s the West’s “hottest intellectual.”  Dr. Peterson’s website informs us that he’s a Professor of Psychology at the University of Toronto, a clinical psychologist, a public speaker, and the and author of “12 Rules For Life: An Antidote to Chaos.” He’s become a regular guest on the popular  Fox News show Tucker Carlson Tonight and perhaps other Fox shows as well.  Because of his popularity among people of faith, Dr. Peter Jones thought it was important to put up a warning flag about this man. What you’ll learn about him may surprise you. For one thing, he’s a big fan of famous Swiss psychologist and occultist Carl Jung.  Why does this matter? You’re about to find out. Continue reading →

Live the rest of your life for the will of God

Posted by ∙ ∙ In Devotion/Teaching

5 Walk in wisdom toward those who are outside, redeeming the time. 6 Let your speech always be with grace, seasoned with salt, that you may know how you ought to answer each one. Colossians 4:5-6 (NKJV) 

There are really only two mindsets. There is the natural man mindset that we were all born with, then there is the transformed mindset that comes as a result of being transformed by the renewal of our minds as a way of life and walking before the face of God. (Romans 12:1-2) The natural man mindset sees things of God as foolishness or unfairness while the transformed mindset is in the process of learning to see things as God sees them. View article →

CNN Host Baffled Over Charisma Magazine Founder’s ‘Willful Blindness’ in Placing Trump’s Policies Over Personal Character

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Charismatic journalist Stephen Strang’s skilled tap-dance around CNN host’s straight-forward questions rivals that of the greatest tap dancer of all time, Fred Astaire. Heather Clark of Christian News Network has the story:

CNN “New Day” co-host Alisyn Camerota grilled Charisma Magazine founder Stephen Strang on Wednesday in asking why he and other evangelicals continue to unconditionally support Donald Trump and seemingly brush aside or overlook alleged impropriety in his personal life. Continue reading →

51% of Churchgoers Don’t Know of the Great Commission

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According to new research conducted by the Barna Report, a large number of U.S. Christians are clueless that the Lord Jesus  gave specific instructions to His followers to make disciples (share the Gospel of salvation with the lost and teach them the entirety of God’s truth found in the Bible) as they go about their daily lives. Here’s Barna’s stunning report:

Matthew 28:18-20 is the most well-known biblical record of what is commonly referred to extra-biblically as “the Great Commission.” But despite the significance of these and other verses that call Christians to “go and make disciples of all nations,” a surprising proportion of churchgoing Christians in the U.S. are generally unaware of these famous words from Jesus. Continue reading →

Good Friday Was Not Cosmic Child Abuse

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The account of the crucifixion of Christ is found in the New Testament:

    • Matthew 27:33-36, And when they came to a place called Golgotha (which means Place of a Skull), they offered him wine to drink, mixed with gall, but when he tasted it, he would not drink it. And when they had crucified him, they divided his garments among them by casting lots. Then they sat down and kept watch over him there.
    • Luke 23:33, And when they came to the place that is called The Skull, there they crucified him, and the criminals, one on his right and one on his left.
    • John 19:17-18, They took Jesus, therefore, and He went out, bearing His own cross, to the place called the Place of a Skull, which is called in Hebrew, Golgotha. There they crucified Him, and with Him two other men, one on either side, and Jesus in between.

Josh Buice reminds us that “The entire scene of the cross is filled with brutality, blood, insult, shame, and death.” So, why do Christians call the day Christ was nailed to a cross Good Friday? Should we really think of His brutal crucifixion as a good day….or was it, as some say, actually “cosmic child abuse”? In his blog post over at Delivered By Grace, Pastor Buice takes on the naysayers. He writes:  

On Good Friday each year, Christians remember the most glorious sacrifice and the most horrific murder that ever occurred in human history. Why do we refer to the Friday after Thanksgiving as “Black Friday” and the Friday before Easter “Good Friday”? Should they be reversed? It’s the day set aside on the calendar to remember the substitutionary sacrifice of Jesus for the sins of his people and the heinous murder of God’s Son. Why would we celebrate that day as a good day? Many people flow through Good Friday as if it’s a normal day and they give little to no recognization for the significance of what happened on the day Jesus died. Others celebrate it from a heart of worship. Still others mock the day—calling it cosmic child abuse.  Famed atheist Richard Dawkins writes the following:

The God of the Old Testament is arguably the most unpleasant character in all fiction: jealous and proud of it; a petty, unjust, unforgiving control-freak; a vindictive, bloodthirsty ethnic cleanser; a misogynistic, homophobic, racist, infanticidal, genocidal, filicidal, pestilential, megalomaniacal, sadomasochistic, capriciously malevolent bully. [1]

Is God guilty of abusing his Son on the cross? According to Isaiah 53, “It pleased the LORD (YHWH) to crush him (Jesus)” (Is. 53:10). Some have stated that the Father was “well pleased” with his Son at the baptism (Matt. 3:17), and then he was vengeful with his Son on the cross. How should we reconcile such statements? Why was Good Friday a good day? How can the death of Jesus be considered a good thing? Is it cosmic child abuse worthy of laughter or substitutionary sacrifice worthy of worship? View article →

The Awful Reality of Hell

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“They will throw them into the fiery furnace, where there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth” (v. 42). – Matthew 13:24-43

The doctrine of eternal punishment, though unpopular and frightening, is found as a part of the confession of every branch of the Christian church. It has only been in the last century that under the influence of liberalism some have denied the reality of hell. There was a time when preachers proclaimed that “man is very bad and God is really mad.” In those days there was revival, and the church was strong and influential. Then in the nineteenth century it was decided that “man is not so bad, and God surely is not mad.” We reap the rewards of this spineless “Christianity” in society today.   View article →

Pope Francis: ‘There Is No Hell’

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(Michael W. Chapman – CNSNews) In another interview with his longtime atheist friend, Eugenio Scalfari, Pope Francis claims that Hell does not exist and that condemned souls just “disappear.” This is a denial of the 2,000-year-old teaching of the Catholic Church about the reality of Hell and the eternal existence of the soul.

The interview between Scalfari and the Pope was published March 28, 2018 in La Repubblica. The relevant section on Hell was translated by the highly respected web log, Rorate Caeli. Continue reading →

Sin Didn’t Kill Jesus—God Did

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(Tim Challies) This sponsored post is adapted from The Gospel According to God: Rediscovering the Most Remarkable Chapter in the Old Testament by John MacArthur—a book explaining the prophetic words of Isaiah 53 verse by verse, highlighting important connections to the history of Israel, the New Testament, and our lives today.

A Shocking Truth

The reality of Christ’s vicarious, substitutionary death on our behalf is the heart of the gospel according to God—the central theme of Isaiah 53. Continue reading →

‘Roseanne’ BLOWS UP In The Ratings. Trump Supporters Cheer. But There’s One Really Big Problem For Conservatives.

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(Ben Shapiro – Dailywire) On Tuesday night, Roseanne’s reboot premiered — and it blew up in the ratings. Fully 18.2 million Americans between the ages of 18-49 watched the show. It received a 5.1 rating. It was the best Tuesday night premier for ABC since 2006. Americans tuned in in shocking numbers.

Many conservatives are overjoyed at this — they see it as a cultural moment of great import, because Roseanne’s character is a Trump supporter. She shellacks Hillary on the show. Her sister, a purported Hillary supporter, couldn’t even bring herself to vote Hillary — she voted for Jill Stein. Continue reading →

The transformed mindset vs the natural man mindset

Posted by ∙ ∙ In Devotion/Teaching

17 Now the Lord is the Spirit; and where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is liberty. 18 But we all, with unveiled face, beholding as in a mirror the glory of the Lord, are being transformed into the same image from glory to glory, just as by the Spirit of the Lord. 2 Corinthians 3:17-18 (NKJV) 

As believers mature in Christ they will find that they will also, by the Spirit, be turning over all parts of their lives to the sovereignty of God. This is a huge part of the process God uses to transform us unto the image of the Son. What is our part? View article →

New CBS Sitcom ‘Living Biblically’ Decried as ‘Hollywood Mockery of Christians’

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(Heather Clark – Christian News Network) “The script for Living Biblically reads like it has been written by your typical, cynical, atheistic, internet trolls, as the story lines feed into almost every stereotypical caricature of Christianity that we find on the World Wide Web.”

Despite its producers stated intentions not to be offensive, but to bring religion into primetime television, a blasphemous new sitcom on CBS called “Living Biblically” is being decried as a “Hollywood mockery of Christians” and in need of prayer itself. Continue reading →

Backlash after Planned Parenthood branch tweets: ‘We need a Disney princess who’s had an abortion’

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(Fox News) A local Planned Parenthood office in Pennsylvania had some advice for the creators at Disney Tuesday after tweeting about the need for princesses who have “had an abortion” or are “trans.”

The tweet from Planned Parenthood Keystone, which was viewed by Fox News but has since been deleted, said, “We need a disney princess who’s had an abortion. We need a disney princess who’s pro-choice. We need a disney princess who’s an undocumented immigrant. We need a disney princess who’s actually a union worker. We need a disney princess who’s trans.” View article →

EC’s Frank Page resigns over ‘personal failing’

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(Baptist Press) Frank S. Page has resigned as president and chief executive officer of the Southern Baptist Convention’s Executive Committee, effective today (March 27) over what is described as “a morally inappropriate relationship in the recent past.”

Florida pastor Stephen Rummage, chairman of the Executive Committee, released a 300-word statement Tuesday afternoon (March 27) in behalf of the EC’s officers noting the circumstances of Page’s resignation:

“Last evening, the officers of the Southern Baptist Convention Executive Committee met via phone conference with Dr. Frank Page during which he announced his plans for retirement. Today, I spoke with Dr. Page and learned that his retirement announcement was precipitated by a morally inappropriate relationship in the recent past. Continue reading →

All in Christ are actually damaged goods

Posted by ∙ ∙ In Devotion/Teaching

9 Do you not know that the unrighteous will not inherit the kingdom of God? Do not be deceived. Neither fornicators, nor idolaters, nor adulterers, nor homosexuals, nor sodomites, 10 nor thieves, nor covetous, nor drunkards, nor revilers, nor extortioners will inherit the kingdom of God. 1 Corinthians 6:9-11 (NKJV) (Read verse 11 on the site)

There is a push in the United States to make it illegal to preach the truth from God’s Word where it pertains to the sin of homosexuality. Of course the emphasis of those laws or initiatives is to protect the rights of certain people based on their sexual preference, which is also called gay rights. They say that to preach what the Bible says about homosexuality is to foment hate; therefore, the laws are placed under the umbrella of hate crimes. View article →

March for Our Lives Says Gov’t Is Our Savior — It’s Not

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(Michael Anthony – FaithZette) Be very aware of what this movement is about — and how many of our freedoms are under threat

Let’s get something straight quickly, as the March for Our Lives events all across the country on Saturday, March 24, 2018, continue to spur discussion and debate: It’s not the federal government’s job to create freedom, but rather to get out of the way and let freedom happen.

Freedom comes from God, not the government.

More and more, the federal government appears to be replacing God — and so many people seem to love it. Continue reading →

Transgender Proudly Admits to Drugging Attendees at Conservative Conference

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(The Western Journal) A transgender woman claimed to be drugging attendees of a conservative conference in Phoenix, Arizona on Saturday morning.

The biological male and an alleged Starbucks employee — identified on Twitter as “Lauren” — claimed to be slipping estrogen pills into the drinks of unsuspecting customers at the conference.

“I love my job at the phoenix convention center starbucks and i love slipping my spare estradiol pills in the coffee of anyone wearing a #WesternConservativeConference lanyard,” Lauren tweeted. View article →

‘In Christ Alone’ Dropped From Presbyterian Church Hymnal Over Lyric Dispute And Scriptural Debate

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(HuffPost) Fans of a beloved contemporary Christian hymn won’t get any satisfaction in a new church hymnal.

The committee putting together a new hymnal for the Presbyterian Church (USA) dropped the popular hymn “In Christ Alone” because the song’s authors refused to change a phrase about the wrath of God.

The original lyrics say that “on that cross, as Jesus died, the wrath of God was satisfied.” The Presbyterian Committee on Congregational Song wanted to substitute the words, “the love of God was magnified.” View article →  …  Disclaimer

Unworldliness is the state of being dead in Christ

Posted by ∙ ∙ In Devotion/Teaching

11 See with what large letters I have written to you with my own hand! 12 As many as desire to make a good showing in the flesh, these would compel you to be circumcised, only that they may not suffer persecution for the cross of Christ. 13 For not even those who are circumcised keep the law, but they desire to have you circumcised that they may boast in your flesh. Galatians 6:11-16 (NKJV) (Read verses 14-16 on the site)

We cannot walk by faith, abide in Christ, take up the Yoke of Christ, run the race God has set before us, and be living sacrifices if we have a worldly focus. If we are enamored with the world and its ways then we are not doing any of these things. …  View article →

LGBT Activist Rewrites ‘Little Women’ To Make Main Character A Lesbian

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(Paul Bios – Dailywire) “I wanted to see ourselves in the characters”

According to an exclusive by Entertainment Weekly, Louisa May Alcott’s classic novel “Little Women” will be “reimagined” in a graphic novel in honor of its 150th anniversary. Except this one will have a twist: The title character Jo March will be lesbian.

“A whole new generation is about to be introduced to Louisa May Alcott’s Little Women, the classic novel will be adapted into a vibrant graphic novel form for young readers, in celebration of its 150th anniversary,” reports EW.  View article →

Come Out From Them and Be Separate

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Here’s Mike Riccardi’s latest installment of a series he’s writing on those “whom the faithful Christian minister may legitimately partner with in ministry,” a series we highly recommend. In this installment he urges Bible believers not to unite in ministry with the world, “even that part of the world that goes to church and calls themselves worshipers of Jesus.” He describes who these people are and explains why we shouldn’t even pray with them, and that includes those who identify as Roman Catholics. In Riccardi’s view it’s unthinkable to join hands and pray with apostates. It’s also unbiblical, as you will see in his piece over at The Cripplegate. He writes: Continue reading →