Ministering by publicly aligning to things hidden because of shame while walking in craftiness and adulterating the Word of God

Posted by ∙ ∙ In Devotion/Teaching

21 Therefore what benefit were you then deriving from the things of which you are now ashamed? For the outcome of those things is death. Romans 6:21 (NASB)

Back in 2006 thru 2008 or so we were vociferously debating what was going on in the seeker sensitive churches all around us as they abandoned expository preaching, replacing it with topical sermons, entertainment, drama, dance, videos, et cetera. In fact, that was how this ministry began, that is, in ministering to those dear brethren who had lost their churches to hostile takeovers by the Purpose Driven paradigm. I remember how we struggled to come up with the “core” reason they seemed to be so successful. Things sure have progressed, or is it actually the opposite with the gospel contextualization having replaced all of that with the goal of church globalization within the framework of Dominonism and/or “the New Evangelism?” I remember some of the debates from that time and as I look back on it now, I see what was actually happening. Of course, at the time, as the Hegelian Dialectic is in play and Diaprax is in one of its incremental changes, it is difficult to see the “big picture.” As we look back at what was done and how it was accomplished by those devoted to their globalization agenda we can see clearly that we were dealing with the forces of our enemy who were dedicated to “ministry” via the practice of cunning in disgraceful, underhanded ways as they tampered with God’s Word for their own ends (2 Corinthians 4:1-2). My brethren, those who truly belong to Christ cannot minster in such a way. View article →

Mark Driscoll: Worship God with Your Wallet to Put Content on My Website

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Warren Throckmorton of Patheos fills us in on what disgraced “pastor” Mark Driscoll is up to these days. Throckmorton demonstrates how Driscoll plans to “monetize his sermons.” He writes:

Mark DriscollYesterday, Mark Driscoll continued his Jonah sermon series at The Trinity Church in Scottsdale AZ. The series is interesting and has provides some additional tidbits of information for those interested in the implosion of Mars Hill Church. I will get to that in future posts. For now, I want to point out a new innovation for The Trinity Church, or at least it seems different than how Mars Hill did it.

Yesterday, Driscoll exhorted his new flock to “worship God with our wallet, we’ll give unto the Lord so that the message of Jesus goes forth.” Watch:

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Obama’s Transgender Video: Cops Must Ignore Local Laws, Science

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According to Warner Todd Huston of Breitbart, the DOJ is training law enforcement officers “to suppress their power of observation, forget what they learned about biology, and ignore local laws that exclude men from women’s public bathrooms.” He writes:

TransgenderBarack Obama’s Department of Justice has issued a transgender training video directing police to automatically accept claims by people that they have switched their sex, and to ignore local laws regarding sexual privacy in public bathrooms. The 12-minute video presents a dramatized situation where a woman calls the police after she sees a transgender man enter a public women’s restroom. The transgender man then tells the police officer “I was in the restroom but I’m a woman.”

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Target is discounting everything to win shoppers back amid boycott

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Target seems to be getting desperate in their effort to win shoppers back.  As previously reported, a large number of people have chosen to boycott the superstore because transgender men are allowed to share women’s restrooms and fitting rooms. What was Target’s solution?  To spend $20 million to add single-stall restrooms — but the restrooms are for those who are uncomfortable sharing a restroom with someone of the opposite sex. Now management has decided to discount everything in the store to win boycotters back.  What we learn from all this is that boycotting can make a difference. Business Insider has the story:

Target StoreTarget is launching a first-of-its-kind one-day sale to try and boost back-to-school shopper traffic amid a boycott over its bathroom policy.

The retailer is offering a 10% discount on everything in its stores and online on Sunday. Target is calling the event #TargetRunDay.

It marks the first time Target has ever offered a 10% discount both in stores and on its website.

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A Moment For Discernment In Books

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Bud Ahlheim of Pulpit & Pen addresses the list of bestselling “Christian” books. Ahlheim reminds us that “authentic believers must inject biblically-commanded discernment into every area of life. And in no area is it more demanded, perhaps, than the reading of so-called “Christian” books.”  He writes:

Now whatI haven’t looked at the “Christian Bestsellers” list, as compiled by the Evangelical Christian Publishers Association, in quite some time. I made the mistake of doing so this morning.

You can find the list HERE. Just be warned, if you practice discernment (as you should, 1 Thessalonians 5:21) and have concern for the right handling of God’s Word, you may need to brace yourself for the onset of righteously indignant angst. It’s that bad.

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Consumers in 17 States Face Double-Digit Rate Hikes Under Obamacare

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The Daily Signal reports:

Barack Obama applauds ObamacareConsumers in 19 states will see increases to their health insurance rates, most in the double digits, for 2017, according to publicly available data filed with state insurance regulators.

Since June, insurance companies have been submitting proposed rate requests to state departments of insurance for the 2017 plan year. The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services also has to approve rates for insurers selling on Obamacare’s exchanges.

States are now in the process of reviewing those requests and ultimately deciding whether to approve or alter the insurers’ proposals for next year.

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New Concerns Arise About Mental Health Of College Students

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According to CBS Boston:

Mental HealthNew concerns arise about the mental health of students on college campuses all across the country.

Dr. Gene Beresin, a psychiatrist and Executive Director of The Clay Center for Young Healthy Minds at Massachusetts General Hospital, says 50% to 60% of college students have a psychiatric disorder.

“What I’m including in that is the use of substances, anxiety, depression, problems with relationships, break-ups, academic problems, learning disabilities, attentional problems,” says Dr. Beresin. “If you add them all up 50% doesn’t seem that high.”

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For I determined to know nothing among you except Jesus Christ, and Him crucified

Posted by ∙ ∙ In Devotion/Teaching

1 And when I came to you, brethren, I did not come with superiority of speech or of wisdom, proclaiming to you the testimony of God. 2 For I determined to know nothing among you except Jesus Christ, and Him crucified. 1 Corinthians 2:1-2 (NASB) 

The manner of our Lord’s death was one designed by the Romans to humiliate its criminals. The cross was a place of shame, disgrace, humiliation, indignity, degradation, and ignominy. The Roman soldiers were experts at this form of execution in which the criminal was beaten, undressed, arms spread and nailed to a cross-beam, feet nailed to a vertical beam, and hoisted above the ground for the world to see. However, as we read in 1 Corinthians 2:1-2 (above), Paul decided to know nothing among those to whom he preached and ministered except Jesus Christ and Him crucified. View article →

From a Course on Miley Cyrus to ‘Identity-Based Housing,’ Examples of Lunacy on College Campuses

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The Daily Signal has a piece by economist Walter Williams informing us that our hard earned tax dollars have been paying for some ludicrous courses as you can see from the headline.  Williams writes:

Georgetown University offers “Philosophy and Star Trek”

As the fall semester begins, parents, students, taxpayers, and donors should be made aware of official college practices that should disgust us all.

Hampshire College will offer some of its students what the school euphemistically calls “identity-based housing.” That’s segregated housing for students who—because of their race, culture, gender, or sexual orientation—have “historically experienced oppression.”

I’d bet the rent money that Hampshire College will not offer Jewish, Irish, Polish, Chinese, or Catholic students segregated housing. Because there is no group of people who have not faced oppression, Hampshire College is guilty of religious and ethnic discrimination in its housing segregation policy.

University of Connecticut administrators think more black men will graduate if they spend more time together. According to Campus Reform, they are building a new residence hall to facilitate just that.

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Southern Baptist Convention Allowing Women in the Pulpits?

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According to Jeff Maples of Pulpit & Pen, Steven Furtick’s wife, Holly, has taken to the Elevation Church stage to “twist Scripture, and lead people to a rightful misunderstanding of God’s Word.”  Maples writes:

Twist KnotFor God is not a God of confusion but of peace. As in all the churches of the saints, the women should keep silent in the churches. For they are not permitted to speak, but should be in submission, as the Law also says. If there is anything they desire to learn, let them ask their husbands at home. For it is shameful for a woman to speak in church. – 1 Corinthians 14:33-35

I’m not sure what’s so difficult to understand about this passage. I didn’t write it. The Apostle Paul wrote it. Historically, Southern Baptists believe that all Scripture is God-breathed (2 Tim 3:16)–that is, written under the inspiration of the Holy Spirit. So if you have a problem with it, take it up with your Creator.

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University of New Mexico Chancellor Admits Brains of Aborted Babies Dissected During “Summer Workshop”

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Christian News Network reports:

Baby in the wombA chancellor at the University of New Mexico was recently recorded acknowledging that a staff member acquired the brains of aborted babies to use for dissection at a high school summer camp.

New Mexico Alliance for Life recently uploaded a short video in which Dr. Paul Roth, the chancellor of the University of New Mexico (UNM) Health Sciences Center and dean of the School of Medicine, is asked about the matter.

“Can I please ask you to say what you said before regarding the workshop with human fetal remains with high school students?” Marcie May with New Mexico Alliance for Life asks in the footage.

“Yes, we had a faculty member who obtained some tissue, and during one of these summer workshops dissected, I think, one or two fetal brains,” Roth replies, nodding.

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Evidence of Christian authenticity and proper use of discernment

Posted by ∙ ∙ In Devotion/Teaching

8 But no one can tame the tongue; it is a restless evil and full of deadly poison. 9 With it we bless our Lord and Father, and with it we curse men, who have been made in the likeness of God; 10 from the same mouth come both blessing and cursing. My brethren, these things ought not to be this way. 11 Does a fountain send out from the same opening both fresh and bitter water? 12 Can a fig tree, my brethren, produce olives, or a vine produce figs? Nor can salt water produce fresh. James 3:8-12 (NASB) 

Is the following statement true or false? Good works authenticate true faith. I know that for a growing segment of the church visible this is, for them, a loaded question that they will refuse to either address or answer, but if you pin them down, they will say “false.” However, if you are Biblically centered, that is, if you are centered on the fact that God’s Word is His Truth and it is the gift He has given to His people to be the source of His Truth for their time in this life, then the only answer you can give is “yes” because that is what the Bible clearly teaches. Let’s look at a passage (James 3:1-12) that clearly reveals this principle. View article →

Asking the Right Questions about Intersex Athletes — Part 2

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We recently posted part 1 of a piece by Professor Denny Burk where he tackled the intersex condition called 5-ARD that affects male sexual development.  At the Olympic games an athlete with the testosterone level of a man competed as a woman and won the gold medal in the 800m. In part 2 Burk explains how Christians can deal with sexual development issues biblically and with compassion.  He writes:

XY chromosomesYesterday, we looked at a controversy about an Olympic athlete who is reported to suffer from an intersex condition. Today, we acknowledge that from a Christian perspective, there are larger issues for us to consider than the male and female divisions of Olympic competition. Cases like this one raise questions about the givenness of the male-female binary. Christians have always affirmed the teaching of Genesis 1:27, which says

“And God created man in His own image, in the image of God He created him; male and female He created them.”

Jesus himself reaffirmed the givenness of this binary in his remarks on divorce in Matthew 19:4. This distinction between male and female underlies the very fabric of biblical anthropology. It is no small point to the Christian faith.

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Are We Living in the Last Days?

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Listen to how Dr. R.C. Sproul answers this question:

Jesus ReturnWe have to be careful not to be guilty of what Jesus rebuked the Pharisees for—what I call the Red Sky Syndrome. If you recall, Jesus rebuked the Pharisees because they had an ability to predict the weather. They could look at the sky, and if it was red at night, they would say, “Sailor’s delight.” And if it was red in the morning, they would say, “Sailors take warning.” But they missed the signs of the times, and they missed the first advent of Christ. They missed the coming of the Messiah right in their midst in spite of the fact that a host of biblical prophecies heralded the appearance of Jesus on the scene—and Jesus rebuked them for it.

When somebody asks me, “Are we in the last days?” I suspect what they mean by that is, “Are we near the last chapter of history prior to the coming of Jesus Christ?” I can’t say yes or no. So I will say, “Yes, and I don’t know.” The sense in which I say yes is this: We have been in the last days since the first advent of Christ. And so the Scriptures tell us that we are to be living in the spirit of diligence and of vigilance from the time that Jesus departed this planet in clouds of glory until he returns. But when people ask me, “Are we living in the last days?” I suspect what they mean by that is, “Are we living in the last minutes of the last hour of the last day?” Do I think that the return of Jesus is close; is it on the horizon?

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Poll: Americans giving up on God, miracles

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According to the Washington Examiner:

No GodHalf of Americans who have left their church no longer believe in God, leading a surge of nearly one quarter of the nation who have no affiliation with any religion, according to a new survey.

Pew Research Center said Wednesday that 49 percent of what they term “nones” left their church and religion because they “don’t believe.” Another 20 percent said they don’t like organized religion. Other reasons included “common sense” and a lack of believe in miracles.

The survey is the latest from Pew that demonstrates a growing trend in America: More and more people are junking religion and many are giving up on God.

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The things which are seen are temporal, but the things which are not seen are eternal

Posted by ∙ ∙ In Devotion/Teaching

15 For all things are for your sakes, so that the grace which is spreading to more and more people may cause the giving of thanks to abound to the glory of God. 16 Therefore we do not lose heart, but though our outer man is decaying, yet our inner man is being renewed day by day. 17 For momentary, light affliction is producing for us an eternal weight of glory far beyond all comparison, 18 while we look not at the things which are seen, but at the things which are not seen; for the things which are seen are temporal, but the things which are not seen are eternal. 2 Corinthians 4:15-18 (NASB) 

Religion, if it is worth anything, is worth everything; but it is worth little if it is not worth suffering for. – Matthew Henry

There has been such a long drought of the Word of God being rightly divided by true shepherds of the flock in so much of the visible Church that the spiritually weak and immature believers make up the vast majority. Their understanding of God is not well developed. When suffering comes upon them they react in a complete misinterpretation of what is going on. It is as if they expect everyone to love them and their problems will be over simply because they are now Christians. The Bible is very clear, genuine believers are the ones who endure to the end and they will suffer for Jesus’ sake. View article →

Almost Everything the Media Tell You About Sexual Orientation and Gender Identity Is Wrong

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Transgender As previously reported, the American College of Pediatricians recently released a statement titled “Gender Dysphoria in Children” by Dr. Paul R. McHugh who is said to be the “most important American psychiatrist of the last half-century.”  Dr. McHugh “urges educators and legislators to reject all policies that condition children to accept as normal a life of chemical and surgical impersonation of the opposite sex. Facts – not ideology – determine reality.”

We learn from Ryan T. Anderson of The Daily Signal that Dr. McHugh teamed up with Dr. Lawrence S. Mayer, an epidemiologist trained in psychiatry, to co-author a report that was published in the journal The New Atlantis.  Their report claims that “a combination of biological, environmental, and experiential factors likely shape how individuals experience and express themselves when it comes to sex and gender.” According to Anderson, the report “challenges the leading narratives that the media has pushed regarding sexual orientation and gender identity.”  Moreover,

the 143-page report discusses over 200 peer-reviewed studies in the biological, psychological, and social sciences, painstakingly documenting what scientific research shows and does not show about sexuality and gender.

The major takeaway, as the editor of the journal explains, is that “some of the most frequently heard claims about sexuality and gender are not supported by scientific evidence.”

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Texas Judge Blocks Obama Admin’s Policy Allowing Male Students in Girls’ Restrooms

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Christian News Network reports:

Transgender bathroom 2A federal judge has placed a preliminary injunction on a controversial directive from the Obama administration that required public school districts to allow male students who identify as female to use the girls’ restroom and vice versa.

U.S. District Judge Reed O’Connor determined that the U.S. Department of Education and the U.S. Department of Justice had not followed the proper channels in issuing the nationwide guidance, and suggested that the departments’ interpretation of federal law was incorrect.

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The eleven offenses of the Gospel

Posted by ∙ ∙ In Devotion/Teaching

34 Μὴ νομίσητε ὅτι ἦλθον βαλεῖν εἰρήνην ἐπὶ τὴν γῆν· οὐκ ἦλθον βαλεῖν εἰρήνην ἀλλὰ μάχαιραν. Matthew 10:34 (NA28) 

34 Do not think that I came to bring peace on the earth. I have not come to bring peace, but a sword. Matthew 10:34 (translated from the NA28 Greek text)

The genuine gospel does not bring all people together. It divides. The trend in today’s “visible church” is all about being as inoffensive as possible even to the point of compromising the gospel. The sort of “minister” who does that and his “ministry” is not of God, but is of this world and is of the flesh. Below are the eleven tenets of the offense of the gospel. Enjoy and be blessed as you examine yourself. View article →

USA Today: Rio Police Lying About Ryan Lochte Gas Station Encounter

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Breitbart reports:

In an extensive investigation featuring an eyewitness interview, observance of multiple surveillance camera videos, and an on-location visit, USA Today has found significant evidence that American Olympic champion Ryan Lochte was robbed at a gas station in Rio de Janeiro, and police lied about him and three other U.S. swimmers vandalizing a bathroom.

In the narrative of events that all parties agree on, Lochte and teammates James Feigen, Gunnar Bentz, and Jack Conger were detained at a gas station last week at gunpoint after an attendant caught them urinating behind the station. The men were en route back to the Olympic Village from a party to which they were invited by Brazilian swimmer Thiago Silva. All four are described as extremely inebriated, and were only allowed to leave the station after handing over cash to the station attendant and two law enforcement officers.

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Asking the Right Questions about Intersex Athletes

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In part 1 of this 2 part series Denny Burk, Professor of Biblical Studies at Boyce College, tackles the intersex condition called 5-ARD that affects male sexual development.  If you missed the headlines, an intersex athlete competed against females in the 2016 Olympic games and won a gold medal.  Burk writes:

Olympic medalAs the Olympics wound up last week, there were numerous reports about an Olympic runner whose sex was a point of controversy. It is reported that this athlete has an intersex condition called 5-ARD and has the testosterone level of a man. The athlete competed as a woman and won the gold medal in the 800m by a jaw-dropping margin of victory. The athlete not only looks like a man but also competes like one.

Even though the athlete’s name is in the news, I hesitate to mention it here. The reports I’ve read say that the athlete has never discussed the topic publicly, and it appears that news stories about the athlete’s intersex condition and testosterone levels have been the result of leaks and not the result of the athlete’s willing disclosure. So I will focus here on the issues raised by this controversy and not on this particular athlete.

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“The Darwinian View is False”: Ph.D. Biologist Dismantles Evolution in New Book

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Christian News Network reports:

Evolution 2An accomplished molecular biologist with more than two decades of research experience has come out with a new book in which he describes crippling weaknesses in the theory of evolution and argues instead that life must have been invented by God.

Dr. Douglas Axe is a credentialed scientist who earned a Ph.D. from California Institute of Technology and held a number of research positions at the University of Cambridge. The author of numerous scientific papers, Axe currently serves as director of Biologic Institute—a non-profit organization committed to researching biology and the origin of life.

Axe says he first became interested in evolution while working on his Ph.D. in California, so at Cambridge he extensively studied DNA and proteins.

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GOP Must Dump Jesus or Risk Irrelevance in “Post-Christian America”

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Breitbart reports what a popular left-wing blog is saying about the 2016 election:

AntichristSalon Magazine has accused the Republican Party of being out of touch with “post-Christian America,” warning the GOP that if it doesn’t renege on its alliance with Christianity, it will soon become irrelevant.

Ted Cruz’s failure to get the GOP nomination, Matthew Sheffield proclaims in Salon, “is a perfect window into trends that will set the pace of American politics for decades to come: Americans are moving away from Christianity, including people most likely to vote Republican.”

To back up his claims, Sheffield cites the 2014 Pew Research study finding that 23 percent of Americans say they’re “unaffiliated” with any religious tradition, up from 20 percent just three years earlier.

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Even now many antichrists have appeared and from this we know that it is the last hour

Posted by ∙ ∙ In Devotion/Teaching

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. 1 Timothy 4:1 (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 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 →