Are we ‘Little Gods’? The New Breed?

From Churchwatch Central:

Due to the rise of cults across the Western world, Christianity has not really done the job of contending for the faith and been infected by a lot of unhealthy teaching. One such teaching is the idea that we, as believers, are ‘Little Gods’. This teaching was also popularized by Mormonism.

The rise of the New Order of the Latter Rain (NOLR) cult attempted to mainstream this teaching in Christianity and did so with the construction of the Charismatic movement at the beginning of the 1960s. Back then it was known as ‘Manifest Sons of God’ or ‘Manchild Company’ heresy. It was only a matter of a few decades that Joyce Meyer, Creflo Dollar, Kenneth Copeland and other popular heretics started promoting this repackaged heresy that became known as the ‘Little Gods’ heresy. They are the result of the church refusing to contend for the faith against the Latter Rain heretics.

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Former Liberty University VP Raises Concern After Calling for Meeting With ‘Your Holiness’ to Unite Evangelicals, Catholics

Christian News reports:

Concerns are being raised as Johnnie Moore, the former vice president of communications for Liberty University—which heralds itself at the world’s largest Christian university—and travel assistant to President Jerry Falwell, Jr., recently sent a letter to Roman Catholic leader Jorge Bergoglio, also known as “Pope Francis,” to request a meeting to discuss Moore’s objection to “efforts to divide Catholics and Evangelicals.”

Moore, who serves as a member of President Trump’s evangelical advisory board, wrote to Bergoglio following the publication of an article in La Cattolica Civilitas—written by Catholic priest Antonio Spadaro and Presbyterian minister Marcelo Figueroa—that condemned what they perceived as a joining together of American Catholics and Evangelicals in an “ecumicism of hate” against immigrants, Muslims and others different from them.

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See our Research Paper on Roman Catholicism

Internal Strife

Now the men and their wives raised a great outcry against their Jewish brothers (Nehemiah 5:1).

In chapter 5, the Unseen Enemy tries yet another approach. Nehemiah has successfully handled the threatened attack from without, but now he runs into a problem from within his own ranks. You may experience that too in your struggle to recover some area of your life. You may run into family problems, pressures, and problems with those who work with you, perhaps even from other brothers and sisters in the Lord. In this case it was a clash between the workers and the officials, the laborers and the overseers who were working on this project.

To a great degree these were justified complaints. Nehemiah deals with them earnestly and forthrightly. He could not change the conditions, but he reveals the real problem–usury. Usury is charging interest for money that has been loaned–a common practice in our day. The Jews were allowed to do this with other races, but Moses said that when Jews lent money to other Jews, they were not to charge any interest. Nehemiah is upset by this usury and demands that they stop. This was more than a demand to end the practice of usury. He was insisting on restitution as well. They must give back their unjust gains. Their reaction was surprising. They were stricken by conscience because they knew from the Scriptures that what they were doing was wrong. View article →

Article about Prince George as ‘a gay icon’ sparks row as politician calls write-up ‘outrageous and sick’

PinkNews article states: “The image of the prince expressing his happiness in this way led many to declare their support of George for a whole new position: gay icon.” PinkNews also shared a few tweets.  One Twitter user chirped “Prince George is definitely going to be gay.” Mirror has the story:

An article which claimed Prince George had become a “gay icon overnight” has sparked controversy, with a politician demanding an apology for the “highly inappropriate” write up.

PinkNews published a story with the headline “People think Prince George looks fabulous in this new photo,” saying people on Twitter had called him a ‘gay icon’.

But Jim Allister, party leader of the Traditional Unionist Voice (TUV) has called the article “grossly offensive” and said “sexualising a young child in this fashion is entirely inappropriate”.

He said: ‘”To take an image of a little boy and to fantasise of him being an icon for a life defined by sex is outrageous and sick.”

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Perry Noble files paperwork for new church; NewSpring says he’s not qualified to pastor

There are specific qualifications for being an overseer of a church, i.e. pastor, elder and leader that the Apostle Paul laid out in 1 Timothy 3:1-5, Titus 1:5-9, James 3:1 and Matthew 18: 15-17. Perry Noble does not meet the criteria. In July 2016 the leaders of NewSpring, the church Noble pastored, removed him from the pulpit because of his “personal behavior, which included alcohol, and marital issues.” Noble is fully aware of the scriptural guidelines for overseers; still he has decided to start a new church. Carla Field of WYFF US has the story:

Former megachurch pastor Perry Noble is not being given a second chance by the church he founded, so he is giving himself a second chance with a new church, despite church leaders saying he no longer meets Biblical standards to be a pastor.

Noble, the former pastor of NewSpring church, filed paperwork July 14 with the South Carolina Secretary of State to incorporate Second Chance Church. The filing shows the request as made by a nonprofit in good standing.

Noble founded NewSpring more than 20 years ago after holding services in a living room, according to the NewSpring website. The church grew to 17 campuses with more than 30,000 members.

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Disney Preschooler Animation ‘Doc McStuffins’ Features Family With ‘Two Moms’

Christian News reports:

A watchdog group that monitors the promotion of sin in children’s entertainment is expressing concern over a recent episode of the preschooler-geared cartoon “Doc McStuffins,” which featured an animated depiction of the lesbian moms of two children.

“Controversial topics and lifestyle choices should be left up to the parents to discuss and Disney Junior should not introduce this to young children,” said the organization One Million Moms in a blog post. “Just because an issue may be legal or because some are choosing a lifestyle doesn’t make it morally correct. Disney should stick to entertaining and providing family-friendly programming instead of pushing an agenda.”

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How can the blind lead the blind unless they both fall into a pit?

 

12 Then the disciples came and said to Him, “Do You know that the Pharisees were offended when they heard this statement?” 13 But He answered and said, “Every plant which My heavenly Father did not plant shall be uprooted. 14 Let them alone; they are blind guides of the blind. And if a blind man guides a blind man, both will fall into a pit.” Matthew 15:12-14 (NASB) 

What is Sola Scriptura? This is a Latin phrase. Sola has the idea of “alone,” “ground,” or “base” while scriptura means “writings” and refers to Sacred Scripture or what we refer to in the vernacular as The Holy Bible. Sola Scriptura means that Sacred Scripture alone is authoritative for the faith and practice of the Christian. That being true it must also be true that “all Scripture is ‘God breathed’ (given of inspiration of God) and is profitable for teaching, reproof, correction, instruction in righteousness… (2 Timothy 3:16).” Sola Scriptura was the rallying cry of the Protestant Reformation. One of first things the Reformers did after breaking from the Roman Catholic Church was to translate the Bible into the common language of their people. This was violently resisted by the Roman Church with many translators, such as William Tyndale, paying with their lives for putting a non-Latin Bible into the hands of the common people. View article →

With Blessing From TD Jakes, Chris Hill Says He’s Ready for Ministry 3 Months After Affair Scandal

According to Scripture, if someone commits adultery and other grave sins, he or she is permanently disqualified as a spiritual overseer — a person who functions in leadership. Evidently TD Jakes hasn’t read 1 Tim 3:1-5 that clearly states the qualifications of a church leader:

The saying is trustworthy: If anyone aspires to the office of overseer, he desires a noble task. Therefore an overseer must be above reproach, the husband of one wife, sober-minded, self-controlled, respectable, hospitable, able to teach, not a drunkard, not violent but gentle, not quarrelsome, not a lover of money. He must manage his own household well, with all dignity keeping his children submissive, for if someone does not know how to manage his own household, how will he care for God’s church?

Despite what the scriptures teach, Bishop Jakes announced that he feels that disgraced pastor Chris Hill is ready for ministry after just 3 months of “professional counseling.” It is astonishing that Jakes would completely disregarded the Apostle Paul’s instruction that anyone who does not have his household in order (Blair doesn’t) and who has shown a lack of self-control (adultery) is not to be serving in church leadership, especially if it’s in a position that’s connected to the ministry of the gospel.

Pastor Todd Pruitt, co-host of Mortification of Spin, says “there are certain virtues that must characterize the lives of overseers (1 Tim 3; Titus 1) precisely because there are certain moral demands placed upon those who exercise oversight in the household of God.” When a pastor commits adultery his sin opens the door for the mockery of the gospel says Pruitt. “The adulterous pastor does untold damage to the public witness of the church and invoking God’s sovereignty and grace cannot soften or in any way excuse that fact.” (source) Leonardo Blair fails to mention the biblical role of the overseer in his piece over at Christian Post, a site CRN does not endorse. Following is his report:

Three months after resigning as senior pastor of The Potter’s House Church of Denver over an alleged affair with a married parishioner, Pastor Chris Hill says he is ready to come back following counseling and a public show of repentance Sunday. His mentor, Bishop T. D. Jakes of Potter’s House of Dallas, laid hands on him and declared restoration.

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UK Christian festival features Islamic ‘worship’ chants

Syncretism is a “diabolically inspired supermarket of truth and error in the postmodern Church.” Berean Research fills us in on a “Christian” festival coming to the UK:

Imagine learning Quranic chants from an anti-Christ religion, to worship our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ?  That’s exactly what’s going on at a so-called “Christian” festival this month.  Christian worshipers at the annual Greenbelt Christian festival near London can now learn Islamic worship chants to Allah.

It’s a Chrislamic syncretism that will be taught to kids, teens and adults August 25 – 28. The social justice/environmental festival is called Greenbelt 2017: The Common Good. Which explains a lot.  The chanting lessons are taught at the festival by the Ansari Qadiri Rifai Tariqa,  an international non-profit group, which invites Christians to learn how to use basic universal  Sufi chants. Greenbelt Christian leaders say the chants are rhythmic, and have healing properties.  Festival-goers are invited to “come, enter in, learn and participate”.

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Five Service Members Sue Trump for Reinstating Ban on ‘Transgenders’ in U.S. Military

Christian News reports:

Five service members have filed a lawsuit against President Trump in an effort to challenge his reinstatement of the government’s ban on openly-transgendered persons serving in the U.S. Armed Forces.

“Plaintiffs have undergone medical treatment for the purpose of gender transition,” the complaint, filed by the National Center for Lesbian Rights and GLBTQ Legal Advocates and Defenders, outlines. “Plaintiffs have served honorably and successfully in the military since coming out as transgender, and their transgender status has not had any detrimental effect on their ability to serve or to fulfill their duties.”

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What does it mean when the Bible says that the Son is the Express Image of God?

 

1 In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. 2 He was in the beginning with God. John 1:1-2 (NASB) 

I heard a sermon a long time ago in which the preacher defined a cult as any religious group that called itself Christian but denied the orthodox view of our Triune God. That means that those who deny the Doctrine of the Trinity, according to that definition, are not Christians, but heretics. The man-centered part of each of us, that is the flesh, rebels from such a strict “legalistic” view, but as our faith becomes more and more God Centered in all its aspects, that view becomes entirely justified in our hearts because as we come to know God as He reveals Himself to His children, we will not doubt His Word nor will we attempt to overlay His truth with “altered” truth nor will we add to it nor subtract from it nor take it out of context in order to make it more man-centered. If we compromised and did those things we would do so in order to become more acceptable to the majority and not be excluded and hated by the world and those who call themselves Christians, but who are really just part of the world system. View article →

IN RETURN FOR $1,144, TRUMP’S PRIMARY RELIGIOUS ADVISER WILL PROVIDE ‘DELIVERANCE’

Anyone who thinks Paula White is a Christian does not understand the Gospel of Jesus Christ nor do they grasp what the Christian faith is all about. We say this because Pastrix Paula holds to the heretical Word of Faith prosperity gospel which saves no one. What President Trump seems not to realize is that his spiritual adviser, close friend and confidant is a wolf in sheep’s clothing, as this piece over at The Intellectualist makes clear:

Tump’s primary spiritual adviser, Paula White, claims that in return for $1,144 she will use her best efforts to ensure spiritual deliverance.

According to the Christian Post [a site CRN does not endorse]:

Ms. White is in many ways, an example of the “prosperity gospel“, a movement that claims God, through Jesus Christ, shows divine favor on some by blessing them with wealth.

It is unclear how Mr. Trump and Ms. White initially met one another, but the President relies on her to organize his meetings with other evangelical leaders according to fellow evangelical Jim Bakker.

In an essay titled, “How Paula White, Donald Trump’s Spiritual Adviser, Harms Christians of Color,” Writer Nicola A. Menzie, a critic of Ms. White’s practices says the following:

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Documents Show DOJ Was in Panic Mode After Loretta Lynch’s Secret Meeting With Bill Clinton Was Exposed

According to Katie Pavlich of Townhall, hundreds of documents related to the Clinton/Lynch secret meeting do exist and show beyond a doubt the DOJ was in panic mode. Not surprisingly, one Washington Post reporter tried to make the story go away. Pavlich writes a fascinating report and includes some of the documents:

When former Attorney General Loretta Lynch and President Bill Clinton were busted secretly meeting aboard Lynch’s private plane last summer by a local television reporter, a number of government watchdog groups filed lawsuits for documents surrounding the meeting. After all the FBI, under the jurisdiction of the Department of Justice, was actively investigating Democrat presidential candidate Hillary Clinton for mishandling classified information at the time. In response to information requests, the FBI and DOJ said documents didn’t exist.

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We Ignored Our Nuclear Arsenal While North Korea Developed Theirs

Breitbart reports:

Center for Security Policy President Frank Gaffney joined SiriusXM host Raheem Kassam on Wednesday’s Breitbart News Daily to discuss the North Korean nuclear crisis.

“There’s a lot of history here, and most of it’s pretty ugly,” Gaffney responded when Kassam asked him to trace the origins of the nuclear standoff.

“I think, basically, since the end of the Korean War, we’ve had a succession of administrations – Republican and Democratic – who have faced a very unhappy reality, Raheem,” Gaffney said. “And that is the massive, if uneven, shall we say, North Korean military … so closely positioned at the Demilitarized Zone to Seoul, the capital of South Korea, that at will, from a standing start, they could essentially devastate the 24 or so million people who live in and around that capital city.”

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How should Christians communicate with apostates?

8 To sum up, all of you be harmonious, sympathetic, brotherly, kindhearted, and humble in spirit; 9 not returning evil for evil or insult for insult, but giving a blessing instead; for you were called for the very purpose that you might inherit a blessing. 10 For, “The one who desires life, to love and see good days, Must keep his tongue from evil and his lips from speaking deceit. 11 “He must turn away from evil and do good; He must seek peace and pursue it. 12 “For the eyes of the Lord are toward the righteous, And His ears attend to their prayer, But the face of the Lord is against those who do evil.” 1 Peter 3:8-12 (NASB) 

This era of the Church is one of extreme deception due to compromise with the standards and focus of the world. Separation between the Church and the world is not being kept. Instead, the holy barrier between the two has been breached as false prophets have welcomed in not only the world and its ways into their churches, but have also embraced the mysticism of the Eastern religions. Syncretism is the new byword. On the other hand, God is good. He keeps His promises. The Lord told Peter that He is the one building His Church and no evil will ever be able to destroy it. (Matthew 16:18) If this is true, and it is because our Lord spoke it, then how do we reconcile the rapid apostasy of so much of the visible Church with what He said? God always keeps a remnant during times of rampant apostasy. These Christians are the small group whom God has reserved who have not bowed the knee to Baal. These are also the ones in whom God is developing Christlikeness and through the fires of persecution by those in the visible Church who have succumbed to the heresies and ungodliness going on in it, He is teaching them how to stand firm and never compromise with evil. In this they learn the difference between debate and dialogue and know that the former actually clarifies the truth and why they hold to it while the latter is only a conversation which has the intent of compromising the truth. View article →

The Changing of the Apostolic Guard: 13 Names to Watch

Holly Pivec of Spirit of Error penned this piece in 2013. She lists 13 self-professed apostles, prophets and teachers that we should keep an eye on; likewise, she reveals the reasons these people are influential in the NAR cult. Pivec mentions the Grand Poobah of the NAR, C. Peter Wagner who passed away in October 2016. Number 1 on the list is “Super Apostle” Bill Johnson, senior co-pastor of Bethel Church in Redding, CA.

I think we are witnessing a time of leadership transition in the New Apostolic Reformation (NAR) movement. The first-generation NAR leaders–those who formulated the major teachings of the NAR movement–have begun stepping aside and a new generation of apostles and prophets have risen to take their places.

The first-generation leaders–and particularly apostle C. Peter Wagner and prophet Bill Hamon –developed much of the theological framework for the NAR movement, including teachings about the restored church offices of apostles and prophet and dominionism. But these first-generation leaders are aging–both Wagner and Hamon are in their 80s.  Thus, the torch is being passed to the next generation of NAR leaders.

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Transgender camp offers programs for children as young as 4

This is the world in which we now live. Fox News has the story:

A summer camp for transgender and “gender fluid” children is taking in children as young as 4.

The camp seems like any other. Children arrive with a packed lunch, make friendship bracelets, sing songs and get silly. But each day at check-in, campers make a name tag with their pronoun of choice. Some opt for “she” or “he” while others choose “they” or something else.

And enrollment at the camp is booming. The number of children at the San Francisco Bay area camp has tripled to about 60 youngsters, from age 4 to 12, since it opened three summers ago, with kids coming from as far away as Los Angeles, Washington, D.C. and even Africa. There is talk of opening branches of the camp across the country.

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Fido And Fluffy Are Ruining The Environment, UCLA Study Says

According to Hollywood Patch: 

When it comes to global warming, Fido and Fluffy are part of the problem, a new study by UCLA indicates.

Most cat or dog lovers would say they can’t imagine living in a world without pets, but as the threat of global warming increases, environmentally conscious pet lovers may need to make some tough choices, according to the study.

Pet ownership in the United States creates about 64 million tons of carbon dioxide a year, UCLA researchers found. That’s the equivalent of driving 13.6 million cars for a year. The problem lies with the meat-filled diets of kitties and pooches, according to the study by UCLA geography professor Gregory Okin.

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Lutheran ‘Pastor’ Allows Son Who Likes Pink, Female Fashion to ‘Transition’ to Girl

Christian News reports:

A pastor of a Lutheran church in New Jersey was recently featured in an online video in which he and his wife told the story of their 10-year-old son, who they have allowed to present as female for the past two years.

Christopher Bruesehoff of Holy Counselor Lutheran Church in Vernon and his wife Jamie state that their son Benjamin, who now goes by the name Rebekah, began showing an interest in pink and sparkles at a young age, and became more discontent with being grouped with the boys.

“Rebekah has always been gender non-conforming,” Jamie states in the video released by Barcroft TV. “As young as two or three she gravitated to typically feminine things. She loved pink and sparkles and all things girly. And that was fine with us.”

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The Christian is a new creation

What shall we say then? Are we to continue in sin that grace may abound? By no means! How can we who died to sin still live in it? Do you not know that all of us who have been baptized into Christ Jesus were baptized into his death? We were buried therefore with him by baptism into death, in order that, just as Christ was raised from the dead by the glory of the Father, we too might walk in newness of life. For if we have been united with him in a death like his, we shall certainly be united with him in a resurrection like his. We know that our old self was crucified with him in order that the body of sin might be brought to nothing, so that we would no longer be enslaved to sin. For one who has died has been set free from sin. Now if we have died with Christ, we believe that we will also live with him. We know that Christ, being raised from the dead, will never die again; death no longer has dominion over him. For the death he died he died to sin, once for all, but the life he lives he lives to God. So you also must consider yourselves dead to sin and alive to God in Christ Jesus. Let not sin therefore reign in your mortal body, to make you obey its passions. Do not present your members to sin as instruments for unrighteousness, but present yourselves to God as those who have been brought from death to life, and your members to God as instruments for righteousness. For sin will have no dominion over you, since you are not under law but under grace. (Romans 6:1-14 ESV)

The Doctrine of Regeneration tells Christians that the life they live now will not be as it once was, but will take on the characteristics of regeneration. The Christian is a new creation. The attributes of this pertain to spiritual quality rather than physical substance, however, the evidence of it will become manifest in how the Christian walks through each day and deals with the circumstances of life. View article →

The felt-needs gospel is no Gospel at all

From Berean Research:

Have you ever fallen for a feel-good gospel that ministers to your ache for feeling special, or longing for admiration from a god who dances over you and thinks you’re the apple of his eye? What about sermon messages or books that help you look deeply into your past pains, or prayers that ask God for visions of His dream for your future?

Unfortunately, many churches, conferences and Christian program materials are designed to meet the felt needs of the sheep, ultimately focusing on themselves rather than a risen Savior, or using Him as a means to an end. Today we feature our guest blogger Grace Scott, who has researched the dangers of a so-called Felt-Needs Gospel, which is really no gospel at all:

The “Felt Needs” Gospel                                                        Guest post by Grace Scott

We must be aware of men (and women) who are influencing the next generation to have a low view of sin. We as moms, dads, pastors, grandparents, and youth leaders, need to protect them from the subtle but false teaching that pervades much of American Christianity in the form of a “felt needs” Gospel. The premise is that ministering to “felt needs” will predispose seekers to the gospel message. However, having “felt” needs met promotes a low view of God, an erroneous view of sin, and can actually hinder understanding of the Gospel message.

Bill Johnson, Mike BickleBrian HoustonJoyce Meyer, and Christine Caine are very well-known and written about as examples of false teachers with a global platform.

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Male cosmetics counters could hit department stores in five years, L’Oreal boss says

According to The Telegraph:

Male make-up counters could become a reality within five years, the UK boss of L’Oreal has said, as it is no longer a taboo for the “selfie generation”.

In an interview with the Daily Telegraph, Vismay Sharma, the cosmetics giant’s UK managing director, said that demand for make-up among men was growing fast.

Speaking about the industry as a whole, he said male-targeted counters in department stores and drug stores could be a reality in “five to seven years”.

According to Mr Sharma taboos are changing and make-up is becoming more accepted for men among what he describes as the “selfie generation”.

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How Trump’s Transgender Military Ban May Help America Preserve Natural Law

Alex McFarland tackles what great thinkers throughout history have called self evident truth or “natural law.” He points out that, “The framers of the Constitution understood that if we recognize God’s weaving of natural law and objective morality into the fabric of life, we could experience a blessed ‘manifest destiny.'” However, if these things are not recovered, McFarlad warns that “we will continue to head toward inevitable tragedy.” He believes there’s hope for the reason that in decreeing that the US armed services “not capitulate to the transgender lobby, the president actually scored a point for the defense of natural law.”

Here’s Alex McFarland’s piece over at LifeZette:

After centuries of its banning by Rome, the edict of Milan made Christianity legal in A.D. 323. Emperor Constantine not only deemed that Christianity was not a threat to the nation and culture, but two years later, he made it the official state religion.

Countless writers have speculated whether Constantine embraced Christianity out of sincere conversion, or of mere political opportunism.

A case can be made either way, and it’s doubtful we will know definitively in this life. Though he certainly couldn’t have known the ramifications of his decisions, Constantine’s support for Christianity would benefit the entire world and immeasurably change history.

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Antichrists, discernment, and faithfulness

1 But the Spirit explicitly says that in later times some will fall away from the faith, paying attention to deceitful spirits and doctrines of demons, 2 by means of the hypocrisy of liars seared in their own conscience as with a branding iron, 3 men who forbid marriage and advocate abstaining from foods which God has created to be gratefully shared in by those who believe and know the truth. 1 Timothy 4:1-3 (NASB) 

According to the words of our Lord Jesus Christ in John 15 the mark of Christian authenticity is abiding or remaining in Him. This is not simply a continual profession of faith, but a remaining faithful to Christ in our orthodox Christian faith. According to Paul, It is a two-fold action of departing from the faith and giving heed to seducing spirits, and doctrines of devils. The Apostle John called the Christian leaders who do this antichrists. View article →

Standing Up To The Enemy

The God of heaven will give us success. We his servants will start rebuilding, but as for you, you have no share in Jerusalem or any claim or historic right to it (Nehemiah 2:20).

The men who opposed the rebuilding of the wall stood outside the covenant of promise. None of the three had any claim to the promise of God to inherit the land. That is why Nehemiah took this stand.

The form their opposition took is also prophetic of our struggles. They first mocked and ridiculed. This is usually the first weapon the enemy employs. You may have felt it when you began to recover from your ruin. Your friends laughed at your desires to change. They may have ridiculed your religious convictions and resented with scorn your implied criticisms of their conduct.

Also, Nehemiah’s enemies began to threaten and slander him with charges of rebellion and disloyalty. If ridicule does not work, then the opposition stiffens and becomes openly unfriendly and threatening. It is the next level of resistance that those who seek to rebuild will encounter. View article →