For it is better, if it is the will of God, to suffer for doing good than for doing evil

Posted by ∙ ∙ In Devotion/Teaching

17 For it is better, if it is the will of God, to suffer for doing good than for doing evil. 18 For Christ also suffered once for sins, the just for the unjust, that He might bring us to God, being put to death in the flesh but made alive by the Spirit, 19 by whom also He went and preached to the spirits in prison, 20 who formerly were disobedient, when once the Divine longsuffering waited in the days of Noah, while the ark was being prepared, in which a few, that is, eight souls, were saved through water. 21 There is also an antitype which now saves us—baptism (not the removal of the filth of the flesh, but the answer of a good conscience toward God), through the resurrection of Jesus Christ, 22 who has gone into heaven and is at the right hand of God, angels and authorities and powers having been made subject to Him. 1 Peter 3:17-22 (NKJV) 

The Lord Jesus Christ suffered unjustly on behalf of those He came to save because it was God’s will. He perfectly accomplished God’s purposes in this. Even though those in Emergence Christianity are attempting to hijack our Lord’s Crucifixion for their own purposes, let us never forget that His violent, physical execution did terminate His earthly life when He was “put to death in the flesh”, nevertheless, He was “made alive in the Spirit” on the third day. … View article →

Beware of false prophets, who come to you in sheep’s clothing but inwardly are ravenous wolves

Posted by ∙ ∙ In Devotion/Teaching

15 “Beware of false prophets, who come to you in sheep’s clothing, but inwardly they are ravenous wolves. 16 You will know them by their fruits. Do men gather grapes from thornbushes or figs from thistles? 17 Even so, every good tree bears good fruit, but a bad tree bears bad fruit. 18 A good tree cannot bear bad fruit, nor can a bad tree bear good fruit. Matthew 7:15-18 (NKJV) 

Who can we trust? I have been in many separate discussions with friends over that last several weeks and months pertaining to the seeming escalation of growing apostasy all around us. Some have lamented that it seems that there is no one who can be trusted anymore. I made the comment several nights ago to a friend that it was becoming increasingly more difficult to trust the fruit of those who minister for money or whose livelihood depended upon popularity. This is really nothing new. Our Lord, in His Sermon on the Mount, told us to beware of false prophets who come to us in sheep’s clothing, but inwardly are ravenous wolves. … View article →

The Fortune-Telling ‘Encounter Gospel’ of Bethel & the NAR Explained

Posted by ∙ ∙ In Satire ∙ , , ,

(Steven Kozar – Museum of Idolatry) Tired of getting no results with old-fashioned, Bible-based Christianity? It’s time to go off the map with Bill Johnson, Kris Vallotton and all of their New Apostolic Reformation friends! In this first episode of this series we will focus on the fortune-telling aspect of the “Encounter Gospel,” so get out your tarot cards, oops… I mean get out your Destiny Cards and let’s get started! Here’s a quick summary of the new and better Gospel of the Kingdom:

    • People aren’t really that bad, they just need to be convinced of how special they are-they need to understand their “true identity.”
    • Religion is the real source of people’s problems, not rebellion against God (sin).
    • God is desperately trying to get people to “accept” Him, but He’s been hindered by the historic Christian Church, with its specific, Biblical teachings about Salvation, Heaven and Hell, The Atonement of Jesus Christ, and all other forms of unnecessary “head knowledge” found in the Bible.
    • People would believe in God if they could just see some proof for themselves.
    • Bethel teaches how to give people the proof they need to believe that God is real, He loves them, and He wants all of their dreams to come true so they can fulfill their “Destiny.” Continue reading →

Biola University – Going . . . Going . . . Gone As President Takes Sabbatical At Catholic Contemplative Monastery

Posted by ∙ ∙ In Opinion ∙ , ,

(Lighthouse Trails) For many years, Lighthouse Trails has written about the slide that Biola University in Southern California has taken into contemplative spirituality. Our first indication that the school was heading that way was in February of 2006 when we learned that Biola was actively participating in a publication called Conversations Journal, a magazine whose primary purpose is to bring contemplative spirituality to the church, and editorial involvement includes names such as Richard Foster, Basil Pennington (a Catholic mystic), Tilden Edwards (co-founder of the panentheistic Shalem Institute), and others of the contemplative viewpoint. Since then, we have watched as Biola has gotten whole-heartedly on the contemplative band wagon with its own Institute for Spiritual Formation through Biola’s Talbot School of Theology. Continue reading →

Court Rules Against Amish Family’s Religious Beliefs, Orders Them to Use Electricity

Posted by ∙ ∙ In News ∙ ,

(Western Journal) An Old Order Amish family in Pennsylvania will have to abandon their religious beliefs and hook up their home to the public sewer system, a Commonwealth Court panel decided earlier this month.

The Yoder family abstains from using electricity due to their religious beliefs, especially when the public grid is the source of the power. Instead of the modern-day sewer system, the family uses an “old-fashioned privy” — an outhouse — that doesn’t require electricity or running water. View article →

Who Is Jesus?

Posted by ∙ ∙ In Devotion/Teaching ∙
He was with God in the beginning. Through him all things were made; without him nothing was made that has been made. (John 1:2-3)
 
John says without any doubt that Jesus is God. He declares that Jesus is the Creator of all things. This accounts for Jesus’ strange and remarkable personality. He is the originator of all things. Eight times in the opening chapter of Genesis it says. And God said. God said, Let there be light, and there was light. God said, Let there be a firmament between the heavens and the earth and there was. God said, Let the earth bring forth trees and vegetation, and these sprang into being. The Son of God, was speaking into being what the Father had designed in that amazing mind of his. View article →

The Modern Blasphemy of the Holy Spirit

Posted by ∙ ∙ In Opinion ∙ , , ,

Those involved in the New Apostolic Reformation (NAR) continually blaspheme the Holy Spirit. This is a grave sin, brethren. Sadly, people involved in this movement refuse to receive correction, even when it is coming from highly regarded Bible scholars. A complete misunderstanding of the function and activity of the Holy Spirit in the life of the believer has become epidemic in the Church. For example, charismatics would have us believe that the Spirit of God is responsible for bringing people to a point of making strange sounds, crawling on all fours, heads and bodies shaking uncontrollably, crying, laughing (dubbed “Holy Laughter“), getting “drunk in the Spirit,” and other bizarre phenomena. Are charismatics right in saying that this sort of behavior is a manifestation of the Spirit? No, says Bible expositor John MacArthur. Continue reading →

Paula White Reps. Scrub Web Page of Language Urging ‘First Fruits’ Offering of Day, Week, Month’s Wages, ‘Consequences’ for Not Giving

Posted by ∙ ∙ In News ∙ , , ,

(Heather Clark – Christian News Network) Following media reports and public backlash over the matter, representatives for false teacher Paula White, who also serves as the chair of President Trump’s Evangelical Advisory Board, have scrubbed a page on White’s website of any mention that she had urged followers to give a “first fruits” offering of a day, week, or month’s wages—and that there are “consequences” for those who don’t give God their first fruits out of “ignorance or direct disobedience.” Continue reading →

Twitter Censors Conservative Speech

Posted by ∙ ∙ In News ∙ , ,

In the latest undercover Project Veritas video investigation, current and former Twitter employees are on camera explaining steps the social media giant is taking to censor political content that they don’t like.

This video release follows the first undercover Twitter exposé Project Veritas released on January 10th which showed Twitter Senior Network Security Engineer Clay Haynes saying that Twitter is “more than happy to help the Department of Justice with their little [President Donald Trump] investigation.” Twitter responded to the video with a statement shortly after that release, stating “the individual depicted in this video was speaking in a personal capacity and does not represent or speak for Twitter.” The video released by Project Veritas today features eight employees, and a Project Veritas spokesman said there are more videos featuring additional employees coming. View article →

The Doctrine of the Atonement of Christ

Posted by ∙ ∙ In Devotion/Teaching

11 And not only that, but we also rejoice in God through our Lord Jesus Christ, through whom we have now received the reconciliation. Romans 5:11 (NKJV) 

The very heart of Christianity is the doctrine of the Atonement. Is it no wonder that so many proclaiming a “new type of Christianity” also attempt to do away with this doctrine? Any attempts to redefine Christianity by modifying or eliminating this doctrine are marks of heresy. I have seen professing Christians argue and write off former brothers in the faith over aspects of our faith that are nowhere near as vital to orthodoxy as the doctrine of the Atonement.  … View article →

Your smartphone is making you stupid, antisocial and unhealthy. So why can’t you put it down?

Posted by ∙ ∙ In Opinion ∙ ,

(Eric Andrew-Gee – The Globe and Mail)  “They have impaired our ability to remember. They make it more difficult to daydream and think creatively. They make us more vulnerable to anxiety. They make parents ignore their children. And they are addictive, if not in the contested clinical sense then for all intents and purposes.”

In the winter of 1906, the year San Francisco was destroyed by an earthquake and SOS became the international distress signal, Britain’s Punch magazine published a dark joke about the future of technology.

Under the headline, “Forecasts for 1907,” a black and white cartoon showed a well-dressed Edwardian couple sitting in a London park. The man and woman are turned away from each other, antennae protruding from their hats. In their laps are little black boxes, spitting out ticker tape.  View article →

Regarding the James White-Michael Brown Connection

Posted by ∙ ∙ In Opinion ∙ , , ,

Phil Johnson, Executive Director of Grace to You, weighs in on the White-Brown controversy. He writes:

It seems this week’s episode of “Too Wretched for Radio” unleashed a minor Tweetstorm. A few points have been raised that apparently still need clarification:

  1. It does not trouble me that James White and Michael Brown are friends. As far as their personal relationship is concerned, it surely holds some potential for good. Indeed, Dr. Brown could use more friends whose theological convictions are rooted in Scripture rather than the latest “fresh word” from the mouths of demonstrably false prophets in Redding, CA; Sydney, Australia; Kansas City; TBN; the NAR; or some other nest of charismatic extremism. Continue reading →

Moody Bible Institute President, COO Resign Amid Board’s ‘Unanimous Decision’ for ‘New Season of Leadership’

Posted by ∙ ∙ In Opinion ∙ ,

(Christian News Network) “Moody Radio host Julie Roys also recently published an article asserting, among other allegations, that the school was not being vigilant to root out liberal professors, that it had allowed an official to violate Moody’s bylaws and that it was ‘fostering an atmosphere of fear and intimidation.’”

The president and COO of Moody Bible Institute have submitted their resignations amid controversy over the direction of the historic institution, and in light of the board’s “unanimous decision” for “new leadership.”  View article →

Arrogance, unbelief, and Sola Scriptura

Posted by ∙ ∙ In Devotion/Teaching

Sola Scriptura       In Sacred scripture alone we find

Sola Gratia             Salvation is by grace alone

Sola Fide                Through faith alone

Solus Christus       In Christ alone

Soli Deo Gloria!     For the glory of God alone!

3 Now when the tempter came to Him, he said, “If You are the Son of God, command that these stones become bread.” 4 But He answered and said, “It is written, Man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word that proceeds from the mouth of God.’” Matthew 4:3-4 (NKJV) 

Unbelief is the fruit of arrogance. I hear nearly every day from some Emergent/Post-Modern know-it-all that certainty is the product of pride and the only ones who are truly humble are those who view uncertainty in all things as a virtue. What is unbelief in this context? … View article →

Putting the Evangel in Evangelicalism

Posted by ∙ ∙ In Opinion ∙ , ,

Pastrix Paula White, Pastor Robert Jeffress and other religious leaders praying for  then presidential GOP candidate Donald Trump.

Why do so many people who outright reject the Christian worldview and choose to live like heathens self-identify as evangelical Christians? For this reason, many Christians, especially in the Reformed camp, say that the label “evangelical” has outlived its purpose. The term has become identified with the Christian Right. Tim Challies reminds us that a large number of evangelicals are not on board with “the alignment of major Evangelical leaders with President Trump and also the stretching of the label to people who functionally deny the ‘evangel’ (good news) at the heart of the word.” (Source) Continue reading →

Themes (or Challenges) for Reformed Christians in 2018

Posted by ∙ ∙ In Opinion ∙ , ,

Blogger, author and book reviewer Tim Challies asks: What themes do you think will be prominent among Reformed people in 2018?

In the following blog post, Challies offers his own ideas and addresses his top three, beginning with “Further Defining Complementarianism,” the view that God calls men, not women, to be the leaders in the home and the church. (1 Tim. 2:12). Those who hold this view insist that women cannot be pastors. Not surprisingly, women having authority over men has become a highly contentious issue in the Church; thus it’s #1 on the list.

So now to what Tim Challies believes are going to be the top three challenges for the Reformed Church in 2018: Continue reading →

Why genuine Christians persevere

Posted by ∙ ∙ In Devotion/Teaching

37 All that the Father gives Me will come to Me, and the one who comes to Me I will by no means cast out. 38 For I have come down from heaven, not to do My own will, but the will of Him who sent Me. 39 This is the will of the Father who sent Me, that of all He has given Me I should lose nothing, but should raise it up at the last day. 40 And this is the will of Him who sent Me, that everyone who sees the Son and believes in Him may have everlasting life; and I will raise him up at the last day.” John 6:37-40 (NKJV) 

28 And I give them eternal life, and they shall never perish; neither shall anyone snatch them out of My hand. 29 My Father, who has given them to Me, is greater than all; and no one is able to snatch them out of My Father’s hand.John 10:28-29 (NKJV) 

The Doctrines of Grace are all tremendous blessings to the believer since they teach us that our salvation is God’s Work from beginning to end, top to bottom, and side to side.  View article →

Heresy Hunters Guide (Part 1): Why God has called Christians to be ‘Heresy Hunters’.

Posted by ∙ ∙ In Opinion ∙ , ,

(Churchwatch Central) Christians are called to love Jesus the way he asked us to:

“If you love me, you will keep my commandments.” John 14:15

Sadly, not only do many Christians neglect this command in the church today, the results of ignoring Jesus’ Words regarding false teachers has spiritual consequences:

  1. Unloving towards both God and neighbour;
  2. Exposing the church to more apostacy;
  3. Representing a bad witness to a lost and dying world;
  4. Spiritually harming many people in the church and in the community;
  5. Watering down and complicating the simplicity of the gospel and the Christian confession of faith;
  6. Making evangelism harder regarding new converts finding safe churches where the gospel is not tainted by false teaching or associated with false teachers.

Continue reading →

Paula White Urges Followers to Give ‘First Fruits’ Offering of a Day, Week or Month’s Wages

Posted by ∙ ∙ In News ∙ , , ,

(Christian News Network) Prosperity preacher Paula White, who also serves as the chair of President Trump’s Evangelical Advisory Board, is urging her followers to give a “first fruits” financial offering with the start of 2018, stating that there are “consequences” for those who don’t do so out of “ignorance or direct disobedience.”

“As you remember the Lord your God, according to Deuteronomy 8:18, through your first fruits offering, He gives you the power to acquire wealth to establish His covenant,” she wrote in a post on her website, accompanied by a YouTube video. View article →

The Gatekeepers of False Teachers Calling Out Renowned Christian Apologist

Posted by ∙ ∙ In Opinion ∙ , , ,

The blog, Bible Thumping Wingnut (BTWN) has shown Christian apologist James White of Alpha and Omega Ministries to be in “sinful error,” according to Pulpit & Pen:

He has gone from doing some merely unwise things to clearly sinful things, and he is digging in as hard and fast as he can go while beginning to disqualify himself from Christian ministry right before our eyes. White has resorted to ad hominem attacks, sadly against some of the very leaders who have defended him in the past. He seems unwilling to listen to those who are well aware of Michael Brown’s errors and the dangers of the New Apostolic Reformation. Most are beginning to see it. Continue reading →

Manna and faith

Posted by ∙ ∙ In Devotion/Teaching

4 Then the Lord said to Moses, “Behold, I will rain bread from heaven for you. And the people shall go out and gather a certain quota every day, that I may test them, whether they will walk in My law or not. Exodus 16:4 (NKJV) 

Most Christians I know do not walk by faith. They may claim that they do, but when their circumstances evolve so as to put them in a corner with a clear black and white choice to trust God or play it safe, they rarely step out on faith trusting God. Instead, they choose the easy way out which is always the wrong choice because it does not lead to the blessings of God or the peace of God or into His light. View article →

Hollywood and Media Have Already Chosen Their Candidate for 2020

Posted by ∙ ∙ In News ∙ , , ,

(LifeZette) President Donald Trump has been in the White House for one year, but some of his opponents have already decided on the person they want to run against him in 2020.

Oprah Winfrey gave a fiery speech Sunday night after winning the Cecil B. DeMille Golden Globe award. Her speech seemed intended as a rallying cry for inclusion — but it turned political at times. And it was almost solely geared toward women.  View article →

Why You Should Stay Married? And How? Part 1

Posted by ∙ ∙ In Opinion ∙ , ,

(Matt Recker – Proclaim & Defend) Many believers who have been married for years and who may even know intellectually all that the Bible says on this matter, still often end up divorcing their spouse. Others reading this may want to know this about their marriage: is there any hope? There is a tremendous spiritual battle for our homes today and sadly, many divorces split Christian homes every year.

For many men, the command to love their wife sounds like an invitation to step on a nail. For many women, the command to submit to their husband may sound like an invitation to jump off a cliff. For others, remaining in their marriage sounds like banging their head against the wall when they already have a migraine headache. While this blog is not an attempt to give a comprehensive view of marriage and divorce, I hope this will give fresh hope for those struggling in marriage and help to all in seeing the permanency of the marriage covenant. Continue reading →

The hidden pitfall of Bill Johnson’s ‘Red Letter Revival’

Posted by ∙ ∙ In Opinion ∙ , , ,

Holly Pivec summarizes the three ways NAR “Super Apostle” Bill Johnson, senior pastor of the notorious Bethel Church in Redding CA, seeks to discover WIFD — what the Father is doing. Not surprisingly there’s a danger in what Johnson is doing as you will see in Pivec’s piece over at Spirit of Error. She writes:

Yesterday I read chapter 8 of Bill Johnson’s book Hosting the Presence: Unveiling Heaven’s Agenda. In this chapter, titled “Red-Letter Revival,” Johnson teaches that Jesus is the standard for people to follow — his words, his life, and his ministry. And Jesus’ primary mission, writes Johnson, was to reveal God the Father by doing only what he saw the Father doing. Continue reading →