If God Is Loving, Why Doesn’t He Just Forgive People?

Posted by ∙ ∙ In Devotion/Teaching

In the year that King Uzziah died I saw the Lord sitting upon a throne, high and lifted up; and the train of his robe filled the temple. Above him stood the seraphim. Each had six wings: with two he covered his face, and with two he covered his feet, and with two he flew. And one called to another and said:

“Holy, holy, holy is the LORD of hosts; the whole earth is full of his glory!” (Isaiah 6:1-3)

Cross of ChristHave you ever wondered why Jesus had to die on a cross for people’s sins? After all, if God is loving, why couldn’t he just forgive everyone instead of putting his Son through all that suffering to make atonement for sin?

We find the answer to this question in God’s attribute of simplicity. A lot of people view simplicity as meaning “uncomplicated,” something that is easy to do. True, the word is certainly used that way. When referring to God as being simple, however, we mean that God is not complex. God is pure spirit; he is not made up of a bunch of parts (John 4:24).

Let’s use an everyday cooking example to make this point. When making stew, people usually use a variety of ingredients, including meat, potatoes, grains, vegetables, broth, and various spices, to name a few. All these ingredients are combined together to make a nourishing meal. Many people view God in a similar way. They look at all of God’s attributes—including his love, holiness, goodness, righteousness, mercy, justice, and greatness—and think that all these things are combined together in the being of God.  View article →

How to make the Bible support any sexual practice in 3 easy steps

Posted by ∙ ∙ In Satire ∙ ,

Writing for The Federalist, Lutheran Pastor Hans Fiene, who is the creator of Lutheran Satire, has come up with three simple steps “that will help you pave the next mile of the Sexual Liberation Expressway and get those Bible-believing bigots off the road.”

LGBTIn the not-too-distant future, when the transgender wars are over and the stick figure placards for male and female bathrooms have been thrown in the dustbin of history, the sexual progressives will need a new sexual practice to de-stigmatize. Whether it’s incestuous marriage or some other long-oppressed form of sexual expression, the new cause will emerge, desperately in need of a defense. On that day, we will need a liberated theologian to rise from the muck of church prejudice and explain away all those pesky passages of the Bible that prevent dimwitted bigots from embracing the new orthodoxy.

While this task may seem daunting, it can actually be carried out with ease if you follow the very simple formula given to us by Eliel Cruz. In a recent article for The Washington Post, Cruz argues Christians have no legitimate grounds on which to oppose transgenderism because the erroneously-interpreted-for-2,000-years Bible actually praises the practice.

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Rejoice and be exceedingly glad

Posted by ∙ ∙ In Devotion/Teaching

 

He died a real death, but now he lives a real life, he did lie in the tomb, and it was no fiction that the breath had departed from him: it is equally no fiction that our Redeemer liveth. The Lord is risen indeed. He hath survived the death struggle and the agony, and he lives unhurt: he has come out of the furnace without so much as the smell of fire upon him. He is not injured in any faculty; whether human or divine. He is not robbed of any glory, but his name is now surrounded with brighter lustre than ever. He has lost no dominion, he claims superior rights and rules over a new empire. He is a gainer by his losses, he has risen by his descent. All along the line he is victorious at every point.

Never yet was there a victory won but what it was in some respects a loss as well as a gain, but our Lord’s triumph is unmingled glory – to himself a gain as well as to us who share in it. Shall we not then rejoice? What, would ye sit and weep by a mother as she exultingly shows her new-born child? Would you call together a company of mourners to lament and to bewail when the heir is born into the household? This were to mock the mother’s gladness. And so to-day shall we use dreary music and sing dolorous hymns when the Lord is risen, and is not only unhurt, unharmed, and unconquered, but is far more glorified and exalted than before his death?

From a sermon by Charles Haddon Spurgeon entitled “Sorrow At The Cross Turned Into Joy,” delivered November 3, 1878. Image by StephaniePetraPhoto on Flickr under Creagtive Commons License, without alteration.

Are We Brainwashing Our Children?

Posted by ∙ ∙ In Opinion ∙ , , ,

In this piece over at Answers In Genesis, Dr. Tommy Mitchell asks: Are Christians unscientific? Is it brainwashing to teach children the truth about God and the Bible? What exactly is brainwashing anyway? Dr. Mitchell explains:

Children prayingHave you ever been told that your children are Christians only because you brainwashed them? Have you been accused of keeping your children from understanding “real” science by brainwashing them with the Bible?

Educators and other “experts” who embrace evolution declare that children taught to reject an evolutionary worldview will never understand the world around them. Many say that such children will be academic failures. Children will grow up to be unproductive citizens of the modern world, these experts warn, if they do not accept molecules-to-man evolution over millions of years as fact.

Secularists often claim that children who reject evolution have been “brainwashed.” Is this really true? Are some children being brainwashed? If so, is it Bible-believing Christians who are doing the brainwashing?

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Western Christians’ Bible reading crisis

Posted by ∙ ∙ In Opinion ∙ , ,

Professing Christians are not reading their bibles as much as they used to — and some Christians don’t read it at all.  Beth Stolicker of Mission Network makes a good case as to why Christians must read and memorize Scripture.  As Christians “we need to be able to recall full Scriptures, the redemption story, and the Bible’s full frame. That’s hard to do if Christians are only familiar with a few verses here and there.”  Stolicker offers tips to engage with God’s Word:

BibleWhen was the last time you picked up your Bible and spent time reading more than a couple of verses? If it’s been a while, you’re not alone.  

An unfamiliar crisis

Today, the average American adult’s attention span lasts for about 12 minutes. But, this isn’t a long enough time to really suck the marrow of life from Scripture’s bones. Chief Executive Officer at Biblica, Carl Moeller shares some insight.

“Christians, just like others in the culture, don’t read as much as they used to. And, this is a real crisis when we as evangelical Christians base our faith on the teachings of God’s Word,” Moeller explains.

“If we’re not reading God’s Word, it’s going to be very difficult for us to understand what He wants from us and how He wants us to live.”

There are Christians living without religious freedom, striving to memorize entire books of the Bible. Yet, some of us with religious freedom struggle to open ours. As Western Christians, have we lost, to some extent, what it means to live for Christ? To seek Him above all things in the midst of our busy, rushing, stressful days? Have we become a Martha instead of a Mary?

Possibly.

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Pope Francis: Global Warming a “Sin,” Man Can Atone by Recycling and “Car-Pooling”

Posted by ∙ ∙ In News ∙ , , ,

The Pope of Rome has announced a new list of environmental sins.  In all seriousness he said that global warming and loss of biodiversity is a sin that humans must atone for by recycling, planting trees and lowering our carbon footprint. Breitbart has the story:

Carbon footprintIn his message for the “World Day of Prayer for the Care of Creation” Thursday, Pope Francis said that human-induced global warming, as well as a loss of biodiversity are “sins” against God, which must be atoned for by planting trees, avoiding the use of plastic and paper and “separating refuse.”

“Global warming continues, due in part to human activity,” Francis said, adding that “2015 was the warmest year on record, and 2016 will likely be warmer still.”

“This is leading to ever more severe droughts, floods, fires and extreme weather events. Climate change is also contributing to the heart-rending refugee crisis. The world’s poor, though least responsible for climate change, are most vulnerable and already suffering its impact,” he wrote.

Repeatedly citing the Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew, who has “courageously and prophetically continued to point out our sins against creation,” Francis made his own a new list of such environmental sins, which include pollution, global warming and deforestation.

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 Check out our Research Paper on Roman Catholicism

Greg Laurie’s Continuing Slide Into Apostasy

Posted by ∙ ∙ In Opinion ∙ , ,

CRN has warned you about Calvary Chapel rock star Greg Laurie for quite some time (here).  Many other discernment bloggers have alerted the evangelical community as well.  In a piece over at Pulpit & Pen, Jeff Maples offers numerous reasons why Bible believing Christians must flee from the so-called evangelist.  According to Maples, “With Greg Laurie, it isn’t about sound doctrine and a solid Gospel message that saves–it’s about “filling the stadiums with youth” to “bring about revival.” It’s a numbers game. It’s about “uniting denominations” into a single, watered-down, inoffensive, ear-tickling, man-pleasing entertaining religion of harmonious solidarity.”  Maples continues:

WOLF IN SHEEPS CLOTHINGGreg Laurie has been a prominent figure in Christendom for quite some time. He is the senior pastor of Harvest Christian Fellowship in Riverside, CA, one of the largest churches in America. Many have touted him as being the next Billy Graham. In the likeness of Billy Graham’s crusades, Laurie has invested endless efforts in his Harvest Crusades since the early 1990’s, reaching audiences in the hundreds of thousands at every event. Laurie’s popular style of watered-down preaching and making the adulterated Word of God more palatable to the world has helped his empire grow tremendously, and transform Laurie into a celebrity.

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Ask Not for Whom the Volcano Erupts; It Erupts for Thee: A Response to David Gushee

Posted by ∙ ∙ In Opinion ∙ , , ,

Albert Mohler, president of Baptist Theological Seminary responds to David Gushee, a “progressive evangelical” who penned a piece for Religion News Service arguing that the “middleground” is disappearing on LGBT rights.  Recently we posted Professor Denny Burk’s response entitled “The Disappearing ‘Middleground’ and the Coming Conflict” which you will find here.  Not surprisingly, Gushee’s article caused quite a stir in the evangelical community.  Shortly thereafter Gushee took on his critics, Dr. Mohler being one of the most prominent.  In the blog post he wrote he reveals the following:

Volcano lavaWhen those on the receiving end of Gushee’s stern advice complained about both the tone and the substance of his essay, he responded with a second essay in which he offered this analogy: “I was saying: ‘Watch out, I notice that volcano over there is smoking ominously, and if it erupts, hot molten lava will wash over you.’ I was not saying: ‘I hope that the volcano erupts, and hot molten lava washes over you.'”

He was merely describing and predicting, he insisted, not at all prescribing what should happen. But there is a big problem with that defense. The language and framing that he deploys in both of his articles (and in his recent book projects as well) clearly imply that conservative Christians are a menace to the cause he champions. He has described evangelical Christians as the last major hold-outs on the road to full LGBT equality, and he claims to be a full convert to the LGBT cause. (emphasis added)

Later in the article Dr. Mohler declares: “Professor Gushee’s warning has been both delivered and received. His words clarify where we stand, and I agree that the earth is shaking under our feet.”

We urge you to read Dr. Mohler’s piece in its entirety and then share it far and wide.

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The Basis of Christian Marriage

Posted by ∙ ∙ In Devotion/Teaching ∙ ,

God never intended nor does He condone same-sex “marriage.”  Theologian R.C. Sproul reveals God’s plan from the very beginning: “Therefore a man shall leave his father and his mother and hold fast to his wife, and they shall become one flesh” (Gen 2: 24). Listen to a lecture R.C. did many years ago or read his words here:

Gay marriage

What is wrong with this picture?

Some years ago, I attended an interesting wedding. I was especially struck by the creativity of the ceremony. The bride and the groom had brainstormed with the pastor in order to insert new and exciting elements into the service, and I enjoyed those elements. However, in the middle of the ceremony, they included portions of the traditional, classic wedding ceremony. When I began to hear the words from the traditional ceremony, my attention perked up and I was moved. I remember thinking, “There is no way to improve on this because the words are so beautiful and meaningful.” A great deal of thought and care had been put into those old, familiar words.

Today, of course, many young people not only are saying no to the traditional wedding ceremony, they are rejecting the concept of marriage itself. More and more young people are coming from broken homes, and as a result, they have a fear and suspicion about the value of marriage. So we see couples living together rather than marrying for fear that the cost of that commitment may be too much. They fear it may make them too vulnerable. This means that one of the most stable and, as we once thought, permanent traditions of our culture is being challenged.

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With Redefinition of Marriage, America’s Very Survival Is at Risk

Posted by ∙ ∙ In Opinion ∙ , ,

Lynn Wardle, writer for CNSNews, warns: “When marriage is de-valued or marginalized all of society is at risk. When families are weakened, our entire society, our freedoms, our prosperity, and our way of life also are endangered.”  Wardle writes:

It is not unlikely that future scholars of social history will identify the public policy controversies in the United States concerning the legal meaning of marriage as the defining social issue for this generation of Americans.  Certainly, it has been one of the most, if not the most, divisive, contentious, and fervently debated issues in America during the first sixteen years of the twenty-first century.

Supporters of the legalization of so-called same-sex “marriage” will note that by the time the Supreme Court of the United States decreed in June 2015 in Obergefell v. Hodges, 576 U.S. __, 135 S.Ct. 2584 (2015), that all American states (and, by clear implication, the federal government as well) must permit and recognize same-sex marriage, same-sex couples already could marry in more than two-thirds of the states.

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It Gets Worse: Bill Clinton Paid To Install Hillary’s Private Server With Taxpayer Money

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Breitbart reports:

Bill ClintonFormer president Bill Clinton used taxpayer funds from cash provided to him as an ex-president to pay for employees to set up the family’s private email server, according to a new report from Politico.

Clinton drew money from the General Services account to pay part of his aide Justin Cooper’s salary — the same person who helped set up a private email server in Clinton’s home.

It goes deeper.

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Elevation’s Code Orange Revival – 10 Day Heresy Parade Coming Soon

Posted by ∙ ∙ In Opinion ∙ , ,

What Jeff Maples of Pulpit & Pen describes as “the hurricane of heresy and panoply of prevarication” known as Code Orange Revival is baaaack.  A few years ago Ken Silva referred to COR as a devival of “Seeker Driven/attractional people-pleasing” event with “celebrity preachers, loud worship music and subsequent emotional highs.” Now we learn that COR will return to prophet-preacher Steven Furtick’s Elevation Church.  Maples has the story:

Code Orange RevivalRemember a few years ago when Matt Chandler rained on Steven Furtick’s parade? It was at Elevation Church’s 2012 Code Orange Revival. Chandler was invited as a guest speaker at, well, except for Chandler himself, this perfidious event adorned with scripture-twisting fabricators of false glory. Furtick, who is well known for reading himself into a biblical text, yet only in places where he clearly doesn’t belong, it appears, has cleaned his hands of anyone willing to challenge his false theology of what our friend Chris Rosebrough calls “narcigesis” (narcissistic eisegesis). We’re not sure why Chandler was ever invited in the first place, though it could be due to his charismatic leanings. But we’re sure of one thing–he won’t be invited back.

Fast forward four years later. The hurricane of heresy and panoply of prevarication in 2016 will be painful, to say the least, to anyone with any sense of biblical discernment, and love for God. The ten-day event will end with a two-day female festival of falseness that includes well-known charlatan and purveyor of “another gospel,” Joyce Meyer, and Word of Faith pastrix out of Hillsong, Australia, Christine Caine. Other speakers include Craig Groeschel, Louie Giglio, Carl Lentz, Dharius Daniels, John Gray, Levi Lusko, and of course, Elevation Church’s very own swindler of diabolical debauchery, Steven Furtick.

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Original Sin, Total Depravity, and Free Will

Posted by ∙ ∙ In Devotion/Teaching

8 If we say that we have no sin, we are deceiving ourselves and the truth is not in us. 9 If we confess our sins, He is faithful and righteous to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness. 10 If we say that we have not sinned, we make Him a liar and His word is not in us. 1 John 1:8-10 (NASB) 

Sacred Scripture’s diagnosis of sin is as a universal deformity of human nature found at every point in every person (1 Kings 8:46; Romans 3:9-23; 7:18; 1 John 1:8-10 see above). Both the Old Testament and the New Testament describe sin as rebellion against God’s rule, missing the mark God set for us to aim at, transgressing God’s law, offending God’s purity by defiling oneself, and incurring guilt before God the Judge. The moral deformity is dynamic: sin is an energy of irrational, negative, and rebellious reaction to God. It is a spirit of fighting God in order to play god. The root of sin is pride and enmity against God, the spirit seen in Adam’s first transgression, and sinful acts always have behind them thoughts and desires that one way or another express the willful opposition of the fallen heart to God’s claims on our lives. View article →

NAR leader Brian Simmons writes a new chapter of the Bible

Posted by ∙ ∙ In Opinion ∙ , ,

Holly Pevic of Spirit of Error examines the Passion Translation which has been selling well. Has the author of this Bible been given new, divine revelation? Does he have special authority and insight to translate the Bible and to reveal new Scripture?  Definitely not, says Pevic. Following are her reasons not to purchase this so-called Bible:

Passion translationI’ve written a series of posts about Brian Simmons because I consider his new “translation” of the Bible, the Passion Translation, to be one of the most dangerous developments in the New Apostolic Reformation(NAR).

I recently ran across a television interview Simmons did last year on “Sid’s Roth’s It’s Supernatural,” where he makes a number of startling statements about his so-called translation–statements showing just how dangerous it is. I’ve highlighted some of those statements below, but before I list them, I want to be clear: this new translation of the Bible is not something that’s on the radical fringes of the NAR. It’s been endorsed by some of the movement’s most influential apostles and prophets, including Bill Johnson (of Bethel Church in Redding, Calif.), Che Ahn (formerly of HRock Church in Pasadena, Calif.), and James Goll (Encounters Network). And it’s selling very well. It needs to be on your radar. And if you know anyone who’s thinking about using it, warn them to run. I’ll show you why.

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Is Administration Doing Anything About ISIS Genocide Against Christians? Lawsuit Filed

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CNSNews reports:

Obama and KerrySeeking to establish what the Obama administration is doing in response to the genocide being waged by the Islamic State of Iraq and Syria (ISIS/ISIL) against Christians, the American Center for Law and Justice (ACLJ) filed a lawsuit Tuesday, after the State Department failed to respond to earlier to Freedom of Information Act requests.

It’s been five months and 14 days since Secretary of State John Kerry declared, in response to a legislative requirement – and after months of advocacy from the ACLJ and others – that atrocities being carried out by ISIS against Christians, Yazidis, and other minorities in the areas it controls constitutes genocide.

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The Dumbing Down of College Curriculums

Posted by ∙ ∙ In Opinion ∙

According to Charles Sykes of The Daily Signal, “a survey sponsored by the National Endowment for the Humanities in 1989 found that a majority of college seniors would flunk even a basic test on Western cultural and historical literacy: 25 percent could not distinguish between the thoughts of Karl Marx and the United States Constitution (or between the words of Winston Churchill and those of Joseph Stalin), 58 percent did not know Shakespeare wrote ‘The Tempest,’ and 42 percent could not place the Civil War in the correct half-century”  So with this in mind the question we must ask ourselves, says Sykes, “is no longer whether students have learned specific bodies of knowledge; it is whether they are learning anything at all.” He writes:

College EducationLet’s concede at the outset that many students find their college years enlightening and enriching. But something is rotten in the state of academia, and it is increasingly hard not to notice.

There once was a time when employers could be reasonably certain that college graduates had a basic sense of the world and, as a minimum, could write a coherent business letter. That is simply no longer the case, as some academic leaders appear ready to admit.

Harvard’s former president, Derek Bok, mildly broke ranks with the academic cheerleaders when he noted that, for all their many benefits, colleges and universities “accomplish far less for their students than they should.” Too many graduates, he admitted, leave school with the coveted and expensive credential “without being able to write well enough to satisfy employers … [or] reason clearly or perform competently in analyzing complex, nontechnical problems.”

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Our old self

Posted by ∙ ∙ In Devotion/Teaching

5 For if we have become united with Him in the likeness of His death, certainly we shall also be in the likeness of His resurrection, 6 knowing this, that our old self was crucified with Him, in order that our body of sin might be done away with, so that we would no longer be slaves to sin; 7 for he who has died is freed from sin. Romans 6:5-7 (NASB) 

Post-modern preaching is man-centered, that is, it is geared to cause hearers of it to be self-focused instead of God-focused. In this seeker-sensitive approach to preaching with all the emphasis being on self-awareness and self-improvement and self-esteem, is there any need for Christ and the Cross or repentance with the help of the indwelling Holy Spirit? If you are honest you must say no and then as you think theologically about it consider this, this is just another example of the natural outflow of Pelagianism, which is at the root of post-modern “christianity.” The leaders in the seeker-sensitive movement discount the Cross of Christ and the Gospel and put the person at the center of all things. This is why they continually insist that their disciples look within to find their true self while covenanting with them to keep certain values and obey their commitments. In other words, this is a form of law keeping and has nothing to do with grace nor the Gospel. Let’s look at what the Bible says about our true nature and what we can and cannot do as Christians. View article →

Married for God

Posted by ∙ ∙ In Reviews ∙ ,

Blogger, author and book reviewer Tim Challies reviews Christopher Ash’s Married for God: Making Your Marriage the Best It Can Be.

Marriage

It’s not like we’re hurting for books on marriage. In fact, there may be more Christian books on marriage than on any topic besides prayer. This means that any new book has to be awfully good to stand out from an already-crowded field. It was pure joy, then, to read Christopher Ash’s Married for God: Making Your Marriage the Best It Can Be and see it do exactly that. It is one of the very best books on marriage I have ever read—and I’ve read a lot of them.

First published in the U.K. in 2007, Married for God has only just made its way across the Atlantic thanks to Crossway. Ash, who serves as Writer in Residence at Tyndale House in Cambridge, describes his book simply: It’s “a straightforward account of what the Bible teaches about marriage.” He offers it for consideration in a variety of contexts: for individuals who wish to use it for private study, for engaged couples preparing for marriage, for married couples interested in an informal marriage refresher, or for churches to use as the foundation for a brief course on marriage.

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The SBC’s wisdom about Disney

Posted by ∙ ∙ In Opinion ∙ , , ,

David Roach of Baptist Press examines The Disney Company’s move  away from Judeo-Christian religious practices to secular and even idolatrous practices. According to Roach, portrayals of marriage and gender roles have changed. Because Disney children’s entertainment “contain elements that seem likely to influence children away from Christian doctrine and morality,” should parents not allow their children to watch Disney movies and shows?  Roach writes:

Disney characters 2In anticipation of watching Disney’s “Finding Dory” with my children in the theater this summer, I pulled up the trailer on my phone and noticed what appeared to be a scene featuring a lesbian couple with a baby.

The scene passes quickly, and co-director Andrew Stanton told USA Today the two animated women, who caused a significant internet stir, “can be whatever you want them to be.”

Still, viewing that scene — and other moments in the Disney movies my daughters love — has reminded me of Southern Baptists’ wisdom in 2005 when they pledged in conjunction with ending an eight-year Disney boycott “to continue to monitor the products and policies of The Disney Company.”

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Church of England parishes consider first step to break away over sexuality

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The Telegraph reports:

Church of England - Canterbury CathedralA group of parishes is preparing what could be the first step towards a formal split in the Church of England over issues such as homosexuality, with the creation of a new “shadow synod” vowing to uphold traditional teaching.

Representatives of almost a dozen congregations in the Home Counties are due to gather in a church hall in Tunbridge Wells, Kent, later this week for the first session of what they say could eventually develop into an alternative Anglican church in England.

Organisers, drawn from the conservative evangelical wing of Anglicanism, say they have no immediate plans to break away – but are setting up the “embryonic” structures that could be used to do so if the established church moves further in what they see as a liberal direction.

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These things I have spoken to you that you not be caused to stumble

Posted by ∙ ∙ In Devotion/Teaching

1 Ταῦτα λελάληκα ὑμῖν ἵνα μὴ σκανδαλισθῆτε. 2 ἀποσυναγώγους ποιήσουσιν ὑμᾶς· * ἀλλʼ ἔρχεται ὥρα ἵνα πᾶς ὁ ἀποκτείνας ὑμᾶς δόξῃ λατρείαν προσφέρειν τῷ θεῷ. 3 καὶ ταῦτα ποιήσουσιν ὅτι οὐκ ἔγνωσαν τὸν πατέρα οὐδὲ ἐμέ. 4 ἀλλὰ ταῦτα λελάληκα ὑμῖν ἵνα ὅταν ἔλθῃ ἡ ὥρα αὐτῶν μνημονεύητε αὐτῶν ὅτι ἐγὼ εἶπον ὑμῖν. Ταῦτα δὲ ὑμῖν ἐξ ἀρχῆς οὐκ εἶπον, ὅτι μεθʼ ὑμῶν ἤμην. 5 νῦν δὲ ὑπάγω πρὸς τὸν πέμψαντά με, καὶ οὐδεὶς ἐξ ὑμῶν ἐρωτᾷ με· ποῦ ὑπάγεις; 6 ἀλλʼ ὅτι ταῦτα λελάληκα ὑμῖν ἡ λύπη πεπλήρωκεν ὑμῶν τὴν καρδίαν. 7 ἀλλʼ ἐγὼ τὴν ἀλήθειαν λέγω ὑμῖν, συμφέρει ὑμῖν ἵνα ἐγὼ ἀπέλθω. ἐὰν γὰρ μὴ ἀπέλθω, ὁ παράκλητος οὐκ ἐλεύσεται πρὸς ὑμᾶς· ἐὰν δὲ πορευθῶ, πέμψω αὐτὸν πρὸς ὑμᾶς. 8 καὶ ἐλθὼν ἐκεῖνος ἐλέγξει τὸν κόσμον περὶ ἁμαρτίας καὶ περὶ δικαιοσύνης καὶ περὶ κρίσεως· 9 περὶ ἁμαρτίας μέν, ὅτι οὐ πιστεύουσιν εἰς ἐμέ· 10 περὶ δικαιοσύνης δέ, ὅτι πρὸς τὸν πατέρα ὑπάγω καὶ οὐκέτι θεωρεῖτέ με· 11 περὶ δὲ κρίσεως, ὅτι ὁ ἄρχων τοῦ κόσμου τούτου κέκριται. John 16:1-11 (NA28)

1 “These things I have spoken to you that you not be caused to stumble. 2 They will put you away from the synagogues but an hour is coming that those killing you believe they are offering service to God. 3 And these things they will do because they have not known the Father or Me. 4 But these things I have spoken to you that when their hour comes you might remember them that I told you. But I did not say these things to you from the beginning because I was with you. 5 But now I am going to the one who sent Me and none of you asks Me, ‘Where are you going?’ 6 But because I have spoken these things to you, sorrow has filled your heart, 7 but I tell you the truth, it is better for you that I go away for if I do not go away, the Encourager will not come to you. But if go, I will send Him to you 8 and having come, He will convict the world concerning sin and concerning righteousness and concerning judgment. 9 Concerning sin because they do not believe in Me. 10 Concerning righteousness because I go to the Father and you no longer see Me. 11 Concerning judgment because the ruler of this world has been judged.” John 16:1-11 (translated from the NA28 Greek text)

In v1 the words, “you not be caused to stumble” translate μὴ σκανδαλισθῆτε. The adverb μὴ or mē is “a primary particle of qualified negation.” For instance, I could have rendered it “may not.” The verb σκανδαλισθῆτε is the Aorist Tense, Subjunctive Mood, Active Voice form of σκανδαλίζω or skandalizō, “to offend, shock, excite feeling of repugnance.” It should be obvious that we get our English word “scandalize” from this word. This verb tense refers to simple, undefined action rather than repetitive action. The active voice is referring to action done by the subject, which would be those to whom our Lord was speaking. Now, what is our Lord talking about here? Some translations like the ESV render this as saying “falling away.” The KJV simply says “not be offended.” When we are persecuted for our faithfulness or if those with whom we stand there will be the temptation for us to stumble in either fear or offense or some other motivation that our enemy will attempt to inflict upon us. Our Lord is saying He is speaking these words to us so that this will not happen. View article →

Assemblies of God Leader Dr. George Wood Joins New Age Sympathizer Leonard Sweet at Luther 2017 (Another Step Toward Rome?)

Posted by ∙ ∙ In Opinion ∙ , , ,

From Berean Research:

George WoodDr. George Wood caught flack when he and Oral Roberts University President Billy Wilson co-chaired the ecumenical gathering Empowered21 Global Congress .  Many well-known New Apostolic Reformation/Dominionists (NAR) leaders were featured at the event. For those unfamiliar with the NAR, check out our White Paper on this dangerous cult.  In a nutshell, the NAR teaches that God is restoring the lost offices of church governance, namely the offices of prophet and apostle.  Among the speakers at E21 were self-proclaimed NAR “Prophetess to the Nations” Cindy Jacobs and “apostle” Bill Johnson of Bethel “Church” in Redding CA.  We reported on E21 here, here, here,here and here.   Now we learn from Lighthouse Trails that Dr. Wood will share a platform with Emergent Church theologian Leonard Sweet.

Berean Research cautions:

“You may decide to share this on your social media accounts and find that there are some who will become over-the-top defensive and willing to overlook what is a continuing pattern of red flags with Assemblies of God Supt. George O. Wood.  I myself have landed in hot water with angry pastors simply by sharing reports of Mr. Wood’s ecumaniacalism with Mormons a few years back.

Folks may ask, “Is it a crime to appear on stage with someone?” Guilt by association doesn’t mean much, unless there is a continuing pattern, and unless it’s more of an affiliation than a simple six-degrees-of-separation appearance.  In this case, consider that Leonard Sweet is the conference organizer. And no, Wood never did share the Gospel with the young Mormon students.”

Now on to the article:

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The disappearing “middleground” and the coming conflict

Posted by ∙ ∙ In Opinion ∙ , ,

Christian PersecutionDenny Burk, Professor of Biblical Studies at Boyce College, tells us that “David Gushee has written a column for Religion News Service arguing that the “middleground” is disappearing on LGBT rights.”

Before we get to Burk’s excellent piece, readers should know that David Gushee is a “progressive evangelical” who serves on Sojourners’ board of directors.  Sojourners founder, Jim Wallis, is one of President Obama’s “spiritual advisers.”  Wallis insists that he’s an evangelical Christian even though he has abandoned the biblical gospel for the “social gospel.”  According to Wikipedia:

As a Christian ethicist, Gushee has periodically been out spoken about current controversial societal topics. His positions on such issues as climate change, torture, and LGBT rights have often put him into conflict with his traditional evangelical constituency.

Many evangelicals believe that because of his support of left-wing causes, Gushee is not a true evangelical. For one thing, he “agrees with the sexual revolutionaries that traditional Christians are guilty of invidious discrimination.”

Keeping in mind Gushee’s background, let’s hear what Professor Burk has to say on what he sees as the inescapable persecution of Christians who stand fast for the Truth. Burk informs us that the very liberal Gushee wrote the following warning intended for Bible believing Christians:

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Team Obama’s new low in the name of “trans rights”

Posted by ∙ ∙ In News ∙ , , ,

New York Post reports:

Transgender7One of the top guardians of American freedoms just entered the fight against the Obama administration’s insane excesses in the name of “trans rights.”

The Department of Health and Human Services recently issued rules telling doctors they can’t decline to perform gender-reassignment surgery on kids if it’s recommended by a “mental health professional.” Refusal could be a career-ender.

How crazy is the rule? Well, for starters, most trans teens identify differently later in life — yet reassignment surgery is often irreversible, and even less-radical procedures can be harmful, as HHS’ own medical experts note.

Not to mention that the Hippocratic Oath (and basic human conscience) enjoins doctors from doing procedures they believe harmful to their patients.

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Do not be foolish, but understand what the will of the Lord is

Posted by ∙ ∙ In Devotion/Teaching

1 Παρακαλῶ οὖν ὑμᾶς, ἀδελφοί, διὰ τῶν οἰκτιρμῶν τοῦ θεοῦ παραστῆσαι τὰ σώματα ὑμῶν θυσίαν ζῶσαν ἁγίαν εὐάρεστον τῷ θεῷ, τὴν λογικὴν λατρείαν ὑμῶν· 2 καὶ μὴ συσχηματίζεσθε τῷ αἰῶνι τούτῳ, ἀλλὰ μεταμορφοῦσθε τῇ ἀνακαινώσει τοῦ νοὸς εἰς τὸ δοκιμάζειν ὑμᾶς τί τὸ θέλημα τοῦ θεοῦ, τὸ ἀγαθὸν καὶ εὐάρεστον καὶ τέλειον. Romans 12:1-2 (NA28)

1 Therefore, I urge you brothers through the compassions of God to present your bodies as living, holy sacrifices, well pleasing to God, which is your spiritual service. 2 And do not be conformed to this age, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind that you may discern the will of God, that which is good and well pleasing and perfect.  Romans 12:1-2 (translated from the NA28 Greek text)

Both the Apostle John and the Apostle Paul used light and darkness in analogies pertaining to spiritual life and spiritual death. For instance, in John 1:4, 5 the Apostle says, “ἐν αὐτῷ ζωὴ ἦν, καὶ ἡ ζωὴ ἦν τὸ φῶς τῶν ἀνθρώπων· καὶ τὸ φῶς ἐν τῇ σκοτίᾳ φαίνει, καὶ ἡ σκοτία αὐτὸ οὐ κατέλαβεν.” Or, “In Him was life, and the life was the light of men; and the light shines in the darkness and the darkness does not grasp it.” In order to lay the foundation for this discussion on understanding the Lord’s will, it is imperative that we first understand what is being said in these two verses. First, the “Him” in v4 refers back to ὁ λόγος or “the Word” from v1. This is, of course, our Lord Jesus Christ. In v4, we learn that in Him was ζωὴ or zōē, “life.” This ζωὴ is not simply the life we all have here and now, but was φῶς τῶν ἀνθρώπων or the “the light of men.” What does that mean? This light comes from God and brings to this dark world true knowledge, moral purity, and the light that shows the very presence of God. Finally, notice that this light shines into the darkness, but the darkness does not “receive, admit, or grasp” it. Those who understand the will of God are in His light. Those who do not are in darkness. View article →