US House Votes to Permanently Ban Taxpayer Funding of Abortion

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Christian News reports:

The U.S. House of Representatives passed the No Taxpayer Funding for Abortion and Abortion Insurance Full Disclosure Act on Tuesday, essentially placing a permanent ban on taxpayer funding of abortions, as outlined in the Hyde Amendment. The matter now moves to the Senate for consideration.

The Act had been introduced by Rep. Chris Smith, R-New Jersey, a longtime supporter of the Amendment, which was first passed in 1976 to ban the use of Medicaid funds for abortion, with the exceptions of rape, incest and the life of the mother. Noting peer reviewed studies, Smith says that the Amendment has saved two million lives since its inception.

“Two million people who would have been aborted instead survived because public funds were unavailable to effectuate their violent demise, while their mothers benefited from prenatal health care and support,” Smith said on the House floor prior to the vote. “Two million survivors have had the opportunity to live and enjoy the first and most basic of all human rights—the right to life.”

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Jerry Falwell Jr Embraces Prosperity Impastor, Paula White, calls Discerning Christians ‘Pharisaical’ and ‘Self-Righteous’

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According to the Polemics Report:

Jerry Falwell Junior ascended to the stage while a chant originating on the Jerry Springer show of “Jerry! Jerry! Jerry!” came from the crowd. He would then introduce the Word-of-Faith impastor, prosperity gospel teacher, and former mistress of Benny Hinn, and do so as though she were a sister in Christ.

Falwell would then go on to interview White’s third husband, who is a musician for the rock band, Journey, and who replaced her second husband – pastor Randy White – just a few years ago. White’s rockstar husband, Jonathan Cain, spoke of God’s anointing on his music career, and credited Jesus with his success. Cain’s musical career, with which he credits God, includes songs with lyrics like…

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Repent!

Posted by ∙ ∙ In Devotion/Teaching

8 He came to Jerusalem in the fifth month, which was in the seventh year of the king. 9 For on the first of the first month he began to go up from Babylon; and on the first of the fifth month he came to Jerusalem, because the good hand of his God was upon him. 10 For Ezra had set his heart to study the law of the Lord and to practice it, and to teach His statutes and ordinances in Israel. Ezra 7:8-10 (NASB) 

If we study God’s Word from cover to cover we will find that only God is perfect. God is Sovereign. God is Holy. God is complete and perfectly righteous. On the other hand, people are none of the above. We are a fallen race who, even after God’s gracious regeneration of our hearts, must continually work out our salvation with fear and trembling. That implies that we still sin. We still fall into temptation and become entangled. Even when God graciously allows us to walk in victory for awhile, we get our eyes off of Him and on ourselves and begin to believe that we are invulnerable to the worst our flesh can throw at us. That, of course, sets us up for a next stumble. View article →

Have Christians lost the art of biblical discernment?

Posted by ∙ ∙ In Opinion ∙ , ,

By Marsha West

What exactly is discernment? It means “to distinguish, to separate out by diligent search, to examine.”

Search…examine… “Now these Jews were more noble than those in Thessalonica; they received the word with all eagerness, examining the Scriptures daily to see if these things were so.” (Acts 17:11, emphasis added) The Berean Christians didn’t take Paul’s word for anything. They listened to his teaching and then they went to the scriptures to see if what he taught was true.  Because the Bereans checked Paul’s teaching against Scripture, he commended them saying that they were “more noble than those in Thessalonica.”

Christians who are spiritually discerning are able to properly distinguish between true and false teaching. Those with discernment have wisdom. Moreover, in the Bible we’re told that a true believer possesses the mind of Christ. “The spiritual person judges all things, but is himself to be judged by no one. ‘For who has understood the mind of the Lord so as to instruct him?’ But we have the mind of Christ.” (1 Corinthians 2:15-16)

According to Bible expositor Matthew Henry:

The apostles were not guided by worldly principles. They had the revelation of these things from the Spirit of God, and the saving impression of them from the same Spirit. These things they declared in plain, simple language, taught by the Holy Spirit, totally different from the affected oratory or enticing words of man’s wisdom. The natural man, the wise man of the world, receives not the things of the Spirit of God. The pride of carnal reasoning is really as much opposed to spirituality, as the basest sensuality. The sanctified mind discerns the real beauties of holiness, but the power of discerning and judging about common and natural things is not lost. But the carnal man is a stranger to the principles, and pleasures, and actings of the Divine life. The spiritual man only, is the person to whom God gives the knowledge of his will. … And the apostles were enabled by his Spirit to make known his mind. In the Holy Scriptures, the mind of Christ, and the mind of God in Christ, are fully made known to us. It is the great privilege of Christians, that they have the mind of Christ revealed to them by his Spirit. They experience his sanctifying power in their hearts, and bring forth good fruits in their lives. (Source – bold added)

Only the spiritual man (regenerate) possesses the knowledge of God’s will….because he has the mind of Christ.  Henry calls to our attention that it is through reading the scriptures that the spiritual man receives the knowledge of His will.

Before we move on, we must add a word of caution from blogger and author Tim Challies.  Speaking on discernment in “How can I increase my spiritual discernment?” he wrote:

Some have mistakenly defined spiritual discernment as a God-given awareness of evil or good spiritual presences—the ability to tell if a demon is in the room. While some people may possess this capability, it is not the biblical meaning of discernment. Spiritual discernment ultimately has to do with wisdom and the ability to distinguish truth from error.

So – how do Christians grow in spiritual discernment?  Two ways.  By allowing the Holy Spirit to be their guiding light; likewise, thorough carefully studying the Bible.

What should we do to determine if a person’s teaching is unbiblical? We are commanded to test what’s being taught. In fact, Paul urges believers to “test everything; hold fast what is good.” (1 Thessalonians 5:21) Likewise, John encourages us to “test the spirits to see whether they are from God.” How does one test a spirit?  By reading the scriptures, in context, for that’s where Truth is found. Why is “testing” so important? “For many false prophets have gone out into the world.” (1 John 4:1) False prophets/teachers distort the truth….which is why the Bible refers to them as false teachers and wolves in sheep’s clothing.  It’s no exaggeration to say that a large number of charlatans knowingly—and without a smidgeon of guilt–lie through their teeth. Admittedly, examining someone’s teaching is no easy task.  But nowhere in Scripture are we told that it should be left to “professionals”; it is clearly our responsibility.

We mustn’t ignore the fact that any teaching that fails to line up with what the scriptures say is not from God! And if the Bible’s not the source of his/her teaching, most likely its source is the “spiritual forces of evil in heavenly places.”  Satan’s not called the father of lies because he’s a truth teller!

Far too many Christians rely on the discernment of other believers, like those of us involved in online discernment ministries. It’s okay to learn from each other (iron sharpens iron) but, again, we must do as the Bereans did – test!  Regrettably, when it comes to testing for errors, a growing number of professing Christians deserve a failing grade.

Because so many people spend a huge amount of time on one form of technology or another, it’s easy to see why the views so many evangelicals hold is derived from TV preachers, radio/podcast personalities, best-selling books, popular bloggers and even social media. Many individuals who claim to be evangelicals search religious TV networks such as TBN, Daystar and God TV looking for a spiritual fix.  Unbeknownst to them, they’re exposed to rank heresy taught by Word of Faith (WoF) teachers like Benny Hinn, Kenneth Copeland, Paula White, Joyce Meyer, Fred Price, Creflo Dollar as well as “life coach” Joel Osteen.

If Christians would take the time to test those mentioned above, they’d discover that their teaching is decidedly unbiblical. The fact of the matter is that WoF is a theological cult. What often happens when this fact is pointed out to those who have bought into the teaching of these wolves is that they become defensive, even enraged, take aim and “shoot the messenger.”  Sadly, many professing Christians prefer to hold onto their conspiracy theories, unbiblical philosophies and their distorted view of Scripture than spend time studying the Bible, in context.  As the saying goes: Context, context, context!  Why?  For the reason that taking a verse out of its proper context leads to error. According to 2 Timothy 3:16, all Scripture is “God-breathed” which means that the words on the page are inspired by or come directly from God, not from the writers.  We’re commanded to read, study, and understand God’s Word.  But first we must pray and ask the Holy Spirit for guidance so that we are able to discern the things of God. (1 Corinthians 2:14) In John 16:13 we learn that the Spirit of truth guides us into all truth.

What about believers who claim that they hear directly from God, those who say “God spoke to me”…“God told me” to do …”I felt led to”…I sensed that God wanted me to___”  You fill in the blank.  “There is no divining of the will of God through feelings or extra-biblical visions or pictures that appear in our minds or voices we hear,” says Mike Ratliff. “God will never violate the truths He has given to us in His Word.”

Televangelists, who pretend to have a direct pipeline to God, prance around in front of the TV camera, claiming to hear a “word from the Lord.” At the risk of sounding divisive, most televangelists teach outright heresy (I can prove it), so why would God speak to them at all? Frauds should not expect to hear from God; they should expect to be rebuked by God.

What are we to do about false teachers?  We are to “Take no part in the unfruitful works of darkness, but instead expose them. (Ephesians 5:11) To expose means “to reprove with conviction upon the offender,” says Ratliff.  So we must point out to the offender their error.  And if they do not listen and repent? Then we “prove to the Body of Christ that this is so using the Word of God to show how they are not being obedient to God.” (Source)

The goal for every Christian is to eliminate aberrant and heretical teaching and all that this includes from Christ’s church. The only way for this to happen is for each of us to become a Berean.  So with this I mind, those who love the Lord Jesus must “contend [fight in its defense] for the faith that was once for all delivered to the saints.” (Jude 1:3)

I’ll close with a quote from Dr. Albert Mohler:

The tragedy that evangelicals have lost the art of biblical discernment must be traced to a disastrous loss of biblical knowledge. Discernment cannot survive without doctrine.

Research

Discernment

CRN has compiled a list of false teachers and several other professing Christians we’ve warned you about over the years. The list also contains those we must keep an eye on plus movements, organizations and “frauds, phonies and money-grubbing religious quacks” to mark and avoid as per Romans 16:17-18

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International Planned Parenthood Will Lose U.S. Funds Because of Trump’s Pro-Life Policy

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CNSNews reports:

The International Planned Parenthood Federation and Marie Stopes International, two major beneficiaries of U.S. funding, indicated Monday they will not comply with a newly-reinstated policy that prohibits federal funding for organizations that promote or perform abortions around the world.

The IPPF acknowledged it will lose $100 million U.S. tax  dollars for its programs, but declared that it and its partners in 170 countries around the world “will not sign a policy that denies human rights and puts the lives of women at risk.”

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Obama Gave $221 Million to Palestinians in Last Hours

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According to Breitbart:

The Associated Press reported Monday that former President Barack Obama released $221 million in U.S. funding for the Palestinian Authority on the morning of Friday, January 20 — just hours before he was to leave office. The AP details:

A State Department official and several congressional aides say the outgoing administration formally notified Congress it would spend the money Friday morning, just before Donald Trump became president.

More than $227 million in foreign affairs funding was released at the time, including $4 million for climate change programs and $1.25 million for U.N. organizations.

At least two GOP lawmakers had placed holds on the Palestinian funds. Congressional holds are generally respected by the executive branch but are not legally binding.

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Subjectivism is the great danger of private interpretation of the Bible

Posted by ∙ ∙ In Devotion/Teaching

13 But when He, the Spirit of truth, comes, He will guide you into all the truth; for He will not speak on His own initiative, but whatever He hears, He will speak; and He will disclose to you what is to come. 14 He will glorify Me, for He will take of Mine and will disclose it to you. John 16:13-14 (NASB) 

Even though it is discounted by many today, the Protestant Reformation was a wonderful work by God in that the Gospel was freed from the captivity of the apostate Roman Catholic Church. Over the centuries the Gospel had become obscured as the Bishop of Rome was declared perfect with authority over Scripture. Any resistance to his authority was dealt with through excommunication followed by being burned at the stake. The Reformation not only recovered the Gospel and Justification by Faith, the Bible became available to the common people whereas before this, no one was allowed to read it by the edicts of the Pope.

At Luther’s trial at the Diet of Worms when pressed to recant of His teachings he proclaimed, “Unless I am convicted by Scripture and plain reason–I do not accept the authority of popes and councils, for they have contradicted each other–my conscience is captive to the Word of God. I cannot and I will not recant anything, for to go against conscience is neither right nor safe. God help me. Amen.” View article →

Pure Flix an arm of dominionist International Coalition of Apostolic Leaders

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Berean Research has the story on Pure Flix Entertainment, a Christian film and television studio that “produces, distributes, acquires and markets Christian and family-friendly films”:

Is Christian-themed movie subscription site PureFlix a strategic tool of the New Apostolic Reformation, or does this movie company simply focus on delivering films with a pro-Christian message? I’m about to make a case for the former.

We know that one of the hallmarks of the NAR (New Apostolic Reformation) movement is taking dominion over seven spheres of life on Earth, in order to activate the reign of Jesus’ Kingdom. It’s called the “7 Mountain Mandate,” in which Christians are to dominate and fix business, government, media, education, the family, religion, and arts and entertainment.

NAR leaders are very methodical about these takeovers, as you can read about in the extra links below. But what fascinates me is the arts and entertainment sphere. In doing research I stumbled across, quite by accident, a sub ministry of a highly influential group called the International Coalition of Apostolic Leaders, or ICAL for short.

ICAL was brought to America in 2000 by “Apostle” John P. Kelly, who set up shop in Fort Worth, Texas. Kelly was “directed by the Lord” to ask C. Peter Wagner to accept the position of Presiding Apostle over the network of apostles. New Apostolic Reformation is the term Wagner gave to this movement that encompasses hundreds of similar apostolic networks around the world, but not everyone uses Wagner’s exact terminology.  Another common term for the movement is “apostolic and prophetic.” The late Wagner turned the keys back over to Kelly, whose ICAL mission statement reads:

“ICAL is designed to connect apostles’ wisdom and resources in order that each member can function more strategically, combine their efforts globally, and effectively accelerate the advancement of the Kingdom of God into every sphere of society.” (Mission statement)

On its website, you can find out which leaders have been appointed as modern-day “Apostles,” who are to rule over all Christians and bring forth utterances of actual fresh words – oracles if you will – of God Almighty Himself.    View article →

Research:

New Apostolic Reformation (NAR)

Why Christians Submit to the Government

Posted by ∙ ∙ In Opinion ∙ , ,

Over at the Grace to You blog, Cameron Buettel shares his view that Christians “are never called to go to war with our mission field.”  He believes that “our interactions with civic leaders and rulers should be fueled by our desire to further the gospel.”  In Romans 13:1 Paul makes it clear that we must submit to the authorities in power. So, “what should that subjection look like for a Christian living in a dark and fallen world?” queries Buettel. Moreover, “Is there a threshold of evil where Paul’s command no longer applies?”

Cameron Buettel not only communicates his own view on this controversial subject.  He also quotes Pastor John MacArthur and includes a sermon he gave on Romans 13:2-5 you’ll want to listen to.

Today a new American president will be sworn into office. Maybe you like him. Maybe you don’t. Whatever the case, your view of the president should not determine how you relate and respond to the government as a Christian. Romans 13:1 provides the standard: “Every person is to be in subjection to the governing authorities.”

But submission never comes naturally to our seemingly autonomous existence. It’s even harder when we have to bow in subjection to wicked rulers with evil policies. That’s the bitter pill Christians have had to swallow in recent decades, as we’ve wrestled with our consciences over increasingly evil political agendas.

For many of us, our moral outrage is soothed with thoughts of sanctified rebellion. The thought of sticking it to the man and being spiritual about it appeals to our righteous indignation. We know we’re supposed to obey the law, but doesn’t God make exceptions for bad laws?

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Women’s March sponsored by Communist Party USA among others

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Trevor Loudon of New Zeal reveals the names of some of the groups that sponsored the Women’s March that was held over the weekend:

One of the many radical groups who sponsored the anti-Free Market, anti-Trump temper tantrum thinly disguised as a “Women’s March” the day after the inauguration of President Donald Trump was the Communist Party USA, whose organization was unapologetically featured at the Women’s March website as a “partner” of the march.

While the New York Times asks “what’s next” after the “success of the Women’s March,” but fails to mention the radical nature of the organizers, as usual.

Other associated groups include the Human Rights Campaign (co-founded by accused pedophile Terry Bean and responsible for the template used to push the ‘bathroom bills’ across America), Planned Parenthood, Americans for Democratic Action, Democratic Socialists of America, Demos, NARAL, EMILY’s List, and many, many others.

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Christian authenticity

Posted by ∙ ∙ In Devotion/Teaching

21 Jesus said to him, “If you wish to be complete, go and sell your possessions and give to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven; and come, follow Me.” Matthew 19:21 (NASB) 

The message of salvation that is normally preached or taught in the vast majority of churches these days has been contaminated with Humanism. The focus is on becoming a Christian for some great benefit or reward from God. Masses of people respond to that false gospel as well. The genuine gospel that our Saviour preached during His earthly ministry may have mentioned the benefits of being saved, but He emphasized the cost of becoming His disciple in such a way that it caused many of His hearers to not follow Him anymore. In fact, whenever He saw that the people were flocking to Him to have their felt needs met, He would speak a message to them that expressed that those who are His disciples are the ones who have counted the cost and seen that the eternal is all that truly matters. View article →

What does the Bible tell us about God’s righteous judgment?

Posted by ∙ ∙ In Devotion/Teaching

18 For the wrath of God is revealed from heaven against all ungodliness and unrighteousness of men who suppress the truth in unrighteousness, 19 because that which is known about God is evident within them; for God made it evident to them. 20 For since the creation of the world His invisible attributes, His eternal power and divine nature, have been clearly seen, being understood through what has been made, so that they are without excuse. Romans 1:18-20 (NASB) 

It seems that the default theology of Man is “Justification by Death.” Justification is a legal term where a person is declared “not guilty” by a judge. No one seems to have a problem with the concept of all people being sinners. However, our culture says that all people will be sent to Heaven when they die regardless of how they lived their lives. Once there, they will receive rewards or lose rewards based on the quality of their character. This is why the Doctrine of Hell is seen as “judgmental” and “Pharisaical” by those of the “New Evangelism” or any form of postmodern “christianity.” View article →

Ashley Judd Accuses Donald Trump of Having ‘Wet Dreams’ About His Daughter at Women’s March

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Actress and left-wing zealot Ashley Judd had some very nasty things to say about President Donald Trump at the star-studded DC march on Saturday. After viewing the video it is CRN’s opinion that unhinged is an appropriate way to describe the Hollywood star. According to Breitbart “During Saturday’s Women’s March in Washington, DC, Ashley Judd ranted, “I am not as nasty as your own daughter being your favorite sex symbol, like your wet dreams infused with your own genes.”

Judd’s disgusting rant becomes far worse than that, so before you click the link we warn you to brace yourself.

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Evangelical Fuller Seminary to Lead Plan to Foster Unity With Muslims, Address Islamophobia

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Fuller Theological Seminary was once a prestigious seminary. Not anymore. According to Berean Research, “Fuller was one of the first seminaries to become infected by emergent thought.”  BR also reported that professor Daniel Kirk changed his position on LGBT inclusion in the church and announced that he now fully affirms same-sex relationships.

That was in Oct 2015.  Now The Gospel Herald is reporting that “Fuller Seminary teams are working with Calvin Theological Seminary and the Lausanne Movement to assemble American evangelical leaders across a broad spectrum of perspectives, values and commitments to foster unity and solidarity in Christian approaches to engaging Muslims.”  Moreover, “a meeting of evangelical leaders is slated to be held at Calvin Theological Seminary this August. Deemed an ‘intra-evangelical’ conversation, the meeting will address respective hopes, fears and questions about moving toward more positive, unified relationships with Muslims.”

Fuller is promoting unity with Islam, which is a pagan religion, in spite of the fact that God commands His people: Do not be unequally yoked with unbelievers. For what partnership has righteousness with lawlessness? Or what fellowship has light with darkness? What accord has Christ with Belial? Or what portion does a believer share with an unbeliever? What agreement has the temple of God with idols? (2 Cor 6:14).

Julie Brown Patton has the story:

Fuller Theological Seminary received a new $50,000 grant from the Henry Luce Foundation to assist evangelical communities in fostering peaceful, respectful engagement with Muslims neighbors. Fuller is the largest multi-denominational seminary in the world.

Mark Labberton and Richard Mouw, president and president emeritus of Fuller Theological Seminary, suggest dedicated work is needed to bring together American evangelicals to address hostility toward Muslims and find ways to counter Islamophobia.

Within the American context, both Islam as a religion, and its Muslim adherents, continue to garner a lion’s share of the public’s attention said Labberton.

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‘Ecumenism For Trump’ Trumps Scriptural Commands For Key Evangelical Leaders

Posted by ∙ ∙ In Opinion ∙ , ,

Bud Ahlheim off Pulpit & Pen reminds us that God commands His people not to engage in a spiritual enterprise with non-believers.  And yet some high profile evangelical leaders ignored the Lord’s command and participated in an interfaith prayer service at the National Cathedral. Ahlheim reveals who these men are:

There’s a supplicant from the Navaho Nation. A few from the now-defunct faith of Judaism. There are Roman Catholics. There’s at least one Hindu. Mormons are represented, as are Baha’is of the United States. Islam and Sikh’s will be there. Episcopalians, Greek Orthodox, Presbyterians, independent charismatics, and Buddhism have a place in the line-up too. And, because no event of ecumenism could possibly be complete without them, so too will Southern Baptists be involved.

The Washington National Cathedral is the site for the “interfaith” prayer service that is to be held the day after the inauguration. Many high profile evangelicals have been involved in the event during recent history. In 1985, Billy Graham preached a sermon at Reagan’s inaugural service.   Since then, the likes of Foursquare’s Jack Hayford, Soujourners’ Jim Wallis, and North Point’s Andy Stanley have all stood on the dais.

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Be encouraged!

Posted by ∙ ∙ In Devotion/Teaching

6 And he said to me, “These words are faithful and true”; and the Lord, the God of the spirits of the prophets, sent His angel to show to His bond-servants the things which must soon take place.

7 “And behold, I am coming quickly. Blessed is he who heeds the words of the prophecy of this book.” Revelation 22:6-7 (NASB) 

Here is v7 in Greek:

7 καὶ ἰδοὺ ἔρχομαι ταχύ. μακάριος ὁ τηρῶν τοὺς λόγους τῆς προφητείας τοῦ βιβλίου τούτου. Revelation 22:7 (NA28)

The words “behold, I am coming soon” in Greek are ἰδοὺ ἔρχομαι ταχύ, which literally says, “Behold, I come quickly.” The word ταχύ, quickly, can also mean “without delay” or “by surprise” or “suddenly.” If we look at the context, we see that this part of Revelation follows the central visionary section of the book. From v6 on, we see promise, exhortation, and confirmation all with the goal of stirring up hope for the coming of the Lord Jesus. However we translate ταχύ, we must remember that our Lord spoke these words and He meant them to be an encouragement to us. Therefore, as we look at the hostile takeover of the visible church by the wicked, instead of being discouraged, we should look to the soon return of our Lord, who will settle all accounts. Therefore, our part must be to remain faithful regardless of what these evil people are doing. Even if every church in our town goes hard after these new “missional” and “spiritual formation” teachings, we do not have to be part of that nor can we. We must not follow after these things even if we become quite lonely and separate from the crowd. God knows all about this and will sustain us. View article →

Obama Shows His True Colors as He Leaves Office

Posted by ∙ ∙ In Opinion ∙ , ,

“With no reason to suppress his more radical instincts any longer, the president embraced them on his way out the door,” wrote syndicated columnist Charles Krauthammer in a piece published over at National Review.  What did the former president do on his way out that was so radical?  Krauthammer reveals the details:

Barack Obama did not go out quietly. His unquiet final acts were overshadowed, in part by a successor who refused to come in quietly, and in part by Obama’s own endless, sentimental farewell tour. But there was nothing nostalgic or sentimental about Obama’s last acts. Two of them were simply shocking. Perhaps we should have known. At the 2015 White House Correspondents’ Dinner, he joked about whether he had a bucket list: “Well, I have something that rhymes with bucket list.”

Turns out, he wasn’t kidding. Commuting the sentence of Chelsea Manning, one of the great traitors of our time, is finger-in-the-eye willfulness. Obama took 28 years off the sentence of a soldier who stole and then released through WikiLeaks almost half a million military reports plus another quarter-million State Department documents.

The cables were embarrassing; the military secrets were almost certainly deadly. They jeopardized the lives not just of American soldiers on two active fronts — Iraq and Afghanistan — but of locals who were, at great peril, secretly aiding and abetting us. After Manning’s documents release, the Taliban “went on a killing spree” (according to intelligence sources quoted by Fox News) of those who fit the description of individuals working with the United States.

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Praying for Political Leaders

Posted by ∙ ∙ In Opinion ∙ ,

Biblical Counseling Coalition has a piece by Paul Tautges where he discusses why praying for political leaders is so important. First and foremost, God commands us to pray for them. Tautges writes:

When we commit to praying for our leaders (whether or not we agree with them), God is pleased with us and is pleased to work in their hearts according to His will. In relation to this divinely given duty, one passage in particular contains fundamental principles every believer needs to understand. Paul says in 1 Tim. 2:1–4:

First of all, then, I urge that entreaties and prayers, petitions and thanksgivings, be made on behalf of all men, for kings and all who are in authority, so that we may lead a tranquil and quiet life in all godliness and dignity. This is good and acceptable in the sight of God our Savior, who desires all men to be saved and to come to the knowledge of the truth.

In these verses we hear the apostle’s plea to us to be obedient to God by praying for our leaders.

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Liberal churches are dying as conservative churches thrive

Posted by ∙ ∙ In Opinion ∙

In a piece over at Pittsburgh Post-Gazette, David Millard Haskell, professor of religion and culture at Wilfrid Laurier University, discusses a new study he conducted and some of his findings.  What will surely surprise many professing Christians is this:

[C]onservative Protestant theology, with its more literal view of the Bible, is a significant predictor of church growth, while liberal theology leads to decline.

According to Haskell:

Mainline Protestant churches are in trouble: A 2015 report by the Pew Research Center found that these congregations, once a mainstay of American religion, are now shrinking by about 1 million members annually. Fewer members not only means fewer souls saved, a frightening thought for some clergy members, but also less income for churches, ensuring their further decline.

Faced with this troubling development, clergy members have made various efforts to revive church attendance. It was almost 20 years ago that John Shelby Spong, a U.S. bishop in the Episcopalian Church, published his book “Why Christianity Must Change or Die.” It was presented as an antidote to the crisis of decline in mainline churches. Bishop Spong, a theological liberal, said congregations would grow if they abandoned their literal interpretation of the Bible and transformed along with changing times.

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How to know who the false prophets are

Posted by ∙ ∙ In Devotion/Teaching

4 And Jesus answered and said to them, “See to it that no one misleads you. 5 For many will come in My name, saying, ‘I am the Christ,’ and will mislead many. 6 You will be hearing of wars and rumors of wars. See that you are not frightened, for those things must take place, but that is not yet the end. 7 For nation will rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom, and in various places there will be famines and earthquakes. 8 But all these things are merely the beginning of birth pangs. 9 “Then they will deliver you to tribulation, and will kill you, and you will be hated by all nations because of My name. 10 At that time many will fall away and will betray one another and hate one another. 11 Many false prophets will arise and will mislead many. 12 Because lawlessness is increased, most people’s love will grow cold. 13 But the one who endures to the end, he will be saved. 14 This gospel of the kingdom shall be preached in the whole world as a testimony to all the nations, and then the end will come. Matthew 24:4-14 (NASB) 

When I encounter those whose theology and eschatology has been colored by presuppositions, philosophies, and the teachings of some theologians that the Church’s main function is to establish and prepare God’s Kingdom here on this Earth so the Lord will return and to claim it, I wonder how seriously these people take Scripture passages such as Matthew 24:4-14 (above). These same people are all about making all secular culture conform to Christianity. I find it very difficult to line that up with what our Lord said in Matthew 24 about what things would be like before he actually did return. What is the reality? Will the Church totally take over the world in this age? From what I have studied in the New Testament, the Church is a called out “congregation” of people that are despised, persecuted, and put to death for their faith as they live for the glory of their Lord in this life. The point of that is to attain a greater resurrection in the next age. Let’s see what our Lord said about the reality of what we have to deal with in this age as the Church. View article →

‘Hamilton’ Creator Celebrates Terrorist

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Recently, soon to be former President Barack Obama commuted the sentence of convicted terrorist Oscar Lopez-Rivera which came as a shock to many Americans. Heather Hunter of Lifezette reveals that “Lopez-Rivera was a leader of the FALN Marxist Puerto Rico terrorist group, which claimed responsibility for more than 120 domestic bombings, resulting in several dead, dozens injured, and millions of dollars in property damage. He used his apartment to coordinate bomb-making efforts.” Evidently the creator of the hit broadway play “Hamilton” is a fan of the terrorist. Hunter has the details:

Remember back in November when Vice President-Elect Mike Pence took his family to see the Broadway musical “Hamilton,” and the actor who plays Aaron Burr lectured and harassed him from the stage?

And remember Lin-Manual Miranda, creator of “Hamilton,” who applauded the highly irregular instance of that actor, Brandon Dixon, using the theatrical platform to deliver a broadside against the newly elected administration?

Well, earlier this week, President Obama granted 209 commutations and 64 pardons in one day. Most of us focused on the commutation of Chelsea Manning’s sentence. The U.S. Army private, who was serving 35 years for leaking thousands of classified documents to WikiLeaks, now will get out in May.

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Defrauding Millions: Bethel Church and Benny Hinn Together

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Jeff Maples of Pulpit & Pen reports that arch heretic Benny Hinn, who is well known for “fake healings, false prophecies and promises of fortune through his false teachings” was invited to grace the stage of Bethel Church in Redding CA by NAR “Apostle” Bill Johnson who pastors the church. Maples writes:

If you go to an evangelical church in America, you’ve probably heard Bethel’s music. This means that your church is paying royalties to Bethel Church and their artists which directly supports their ministries. Songs like This is Amazing Grace by Phil Wickham and Love Came Down by Bizzy B are popular songs you’d probably recognize from your modern worship service. While being able to rightly refer to this music as “worship” is questionable, at best, one thing is for certain–their music supports the church that backs them. And that church is Bethel Church in Redding, California.

Bethel Church is a New Apostolic Reformation (NAR) church pastored by the “Apostle,” Bill Johnson. Bethel Church is a hothouse for serious theological error and heresy. Bill Johnson and his associates are advocates of the heresy known as Word of Faith (WoF), which teaches that through your words you have the ability to access the power of your faith or your fears–that is, your words have power. It is then taught that this power can be used to funnel material wealth and health into your life.

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CNN: Assassinating Trump Could Keep Obama Administration in Power

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CNN host Wolf Blitzer and contributor Brian Todd spent valuable airtime fantasizing about what would happen if the far left’s dream came true and both Donald Trump and Mike Pence were blown up on Inauguration Day. Breitbart has the disturbing story:

As the nation prepares for the peaceful transfer of power on Inauguration Day, CNN is dreaming up scenarios whereby the Obama administration can keep power if President-elect Donald Trump and Vice President-elect Mike Pence were blown up as they prepared to take to oath of office.

On the Wednesday, January 18 broadcast of CNN’s The Situation Room, host Wolf Blitzer aired a segment with a chyron featuring the headline “Developing Now.” During that “developing” segment, Blitzer and correspondent Brian Todd discussed what would happen if the unthinkable occurred on January 20.

Blitzer introduced the segment, saying, “What if an incoming president and his immediate successors were wiped out on day one?” and from there, CNN contributor Brian Todd took over to outline the line of succession if an attack blew up the inaugural dais, killing both Trump and Pence.

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Consider yourselves to be dead to sin, but alive to God in Christ Jesus

Posted by ∙ ∙ In Devotion/Teaching

6 But the righteousness based on faith speaks as follows: “DO not say in your heart, ‘Who will ascend into heaven?’ (that is, to bring Christ down), 7 or ‘Who will descend into the abyss?’ (that is, to bring Christ up from the dead).” 8 But what does it say? “The word is near you, in your mouth and in your heart”—that is, the word of faith which we are preaching, 9 that if you confess with your mouth Jesus as Lord, and believe in your heart that God raised Him from the dead, you will be saved; 10 for with the heart a person believes, resulting in righteousness, and with the mouth he confesses, resulting in salvation. Romans 10:6-10 (NASB) 

Since God drew me into spiritual boot camp in 2004 I have read many of the Reformers.  I have also read as much as I can of what are referred to as the Ante-Nicene Fathers such as Polycarp and Irenaeus. The Reformers were used by God to recover the Gospel which had become hidden and corrupted by the apostate Roman Catholic Church. The Reformers such as Luther and Calvin were good theologians, but also former Catholics. Their form of “religiosity” was highly effected by their years in the R.C.C. On the other hand, Polycarp was a disciple of the Apostle John while Irenaeus was his disciple. Reading them gives us a very different view of “church structure.”  Nowhere in their writings do we see state churches or massive cathedrals or Christian leaders becoming national leaders, etc. No, they served the Lord during a time when Christians were persecuted, that is, during the time of the Roman Empire. Bishops had been appointed by the Apostles and these Bishops would appoint Bishops in other churches they planted and select their successors. Irenaeus said that way of doing things kept the church from pursuing false teachers and false doctrines because they had the Word from Apostles themselves (the New Testament) and their teachings passed down directly from them to their Bishops who passed it down and so forth. As I read about their focus during that time in Church History they talked a great deal about “The Resurrection.” Polycarp was martyred when he was in his late 80’s  because he would not worship Caesar as lord. He told the Romans who were going to burn him that he was excited about his “better resurrection” because he was going to share in the sufferings of Christ. I’m sorry, but I don’t see or hear much preaching or teaching about the resurrection in our time that we should be excited about it like Polycarp was. Instead, we hear about Heaven. View article →

Leaving the NAR Church: Dina’s Story

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Berean Research presents Dina’s compelling story of how she left the New Apostolic Reformation cult.:

“I was so addicted to the experience that I was always on the hunt for more.”

Dina’s story is one of many from people I’ve met who desire as I do to see the NAR (New Apostolic Reformation) movement exposed for what it is: An anti-biblical counterfeit that sounds almost like biblical Christianity.

In this series, I want to take readers beyond the textbook What is the New Apostolic Reformation Movement explanation, into the personal experiences from those who have been there, and what happened when God opened their eyes to the truth.

Eight years ago, Dina left the church she was a member of.  This is her story in her own words.

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