Target to Allow Transgender People to Use Bathroom of Their Choice

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Fox News Insider reports:

Target StoresTarget Corp said on Tuesday that transgender employees and customers can now use the bathroom that corresponds with their gender identity, becoming the first big retailer to weigh in on an issue at the center of a heated national debate.

This announcement comes amid the firestorm surrounding North Carolina’s controversial bathroom law, which requires people to use bathrooms and locker rooms in public facilities that correspond with their gender at birth.

In a blog post, Target said, “We welcome transgender team members and guests to use the restroom or fitting room facility that corresponds with their gender identity.”

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“God Is Gay”: Blasphemous Saturday Night Live Skit Mocks Bakeries That Decline Same-Sex “Weddings”

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Christian News Network reports:

A blasphemous skit mocking bakeries that decline forms of participation in same-sex “weddings” aired on Saturday Night Live this past weekend, portraying two homosexual men taking a baker to court to force her to say that “God is gay.”

The segment, entitled “God Is a B**b Man,” features comedienne Vanessa Bayer, who plays a small town baker named Beth Walsh.

In the movie trailer parody of the “God’s Not Dead” films, a man enters Walsh’s bakery and requests a wedding cake.

“Of course,” Walsh replies. “Where’s the lucky bride?”

“He’s right here,” the man responds as his male partner approaches. “Now make the cake.”

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In the Market for Fetal Body Parts, a Baby’s Brain Sells for $3,340

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Kelsey Harkness of The Daily Signal gives us a rundown on the dollar value of baby body parts abortion mills are offering for sale:

Photo: Kelsey Lucas/Visualsey/The Daily Signal

Photo: Kelsey Lucas/Visualsey/The Daily Signal

Republicans on the special House panel investigating the transfer of fetal tissue from aborted babies will present evidence in a hearing today that breaks down the price per body part.

With release of this evidence, Republicans say, they have enough documentation to show that several abortion clinics and middleman procurement businesses may have violated federal law.

“It is just horrifying,” Rep. Marsha Blackburn, R-Tenn., who leads the House’s investigation of the fetal tissue industry, told The Daily Signal. “They are putting a dollar value on these organs from these children—unborn children that have been aborted. It is just beyond belief.”

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Are you working to please God?

Posted by ∙ ∙ In Devotion/Teaching

28 Therefore they said to Him, “What shall we do, so that we may work the works of God?” (John 6:28 NASB)

The flesh is still with us all, even those who have been born again unto eternal life. The flesh does not understand grace. The flesh does not understand the relationship to the Christian being born again unto good works (Ephesians 2:10). Therefore, the visible church is ripe with false teaching at this time that emphasizes all the wrong things, and, coupled with rampant Biblical illiteracy, most professing Christians are like those Jesus was confronting in John 6 who could not conceive what our Lord boldly told them in vv35-40 that belief and salvation was a gift from God not something earned or deserved. View article →

Cuba officials call Obama’s visit an “attack,” Raul Castro labels U.S. as “enemy”

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Fox News reports:

Weeks after President Barack Obama’s historic trip to Cuba, officials from the Communist island have ramped up their attacks on the U.S.

On Monday, Foreign Minister Bruno Rodriguez called Obama’s visit “an attack on the foundation of our history, our culture and our symbols.”

“Obama came here to dazzle the non-state sector, as if he wasn’t the representative of big corporations but the defender of hot dog vendors, of small businesses in the United States, which he isn’t,” Rodriguez said.

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Discernment Challenge: If you see something, say something!

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From Berean Research:

Every week it seems, Marsha and I receive at least a couple of messages from women who are fraught with angst over a social media post from their friend, relative or church that promotes a false teacher. “What should I do? Should I say something?”

For me there is only one answer: Yes! You can’t not say something. To say nothing is to let your loved one walk headfirst into the blast zone of a terrorist with only one thing on his/her mind: To take out as many sheep as possible.

“But how?” is the next question. What they’re really asking is, “How can I take the least amount of risk to myself so I don’t have to be that Christian?”

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IRS Is Rehiring Employees Fired for Misconduct

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According to CNSNews:

House Republicans are aiming at the Internal Revenue Service this week, taking up four bills to ensure integrity in hiring and better customer service.

“We have recently learned…that IRS employees that have been fired for misconduct have been rehired” in the last several years, Rep. Kristi Noem (R-S.D.) told a news conference on Tuesday.

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For we are His workmanship

Posted by ∙ ∙ In Devotion/Teaching

10 For we are His workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand so that we would walk in them.(Ephesians 2:10 NASB)

In the NASB’s rendering of Ephesians 2:10, the word “workmanship” translates the Greek noun ποίημα or poiēma, which refers to what is made or created. Our English word “poem” is derived from ποίημα. I have one lexicon that renders ποίημα as “masterpiece” or “work of art.” In the context of Ephesians 2:10, the creator is God and the ποίημα is who? It is the true child of God! Before we continue let’s look at the Greek text of v10 and then a word-for-word translation.

10 αὐτοῦ γάρ ἐσμεν ποίημα, κτισθέντες ἐν Χριστῷ Ἰησοῦ ἐπὶ ἔργοις ἀγαθοῖς οἷς προητοίμασεν ὁ θεός, ἵνα ἐν αὐτοῖς περιπατήσωμεν. (Ephesians 2:10 NA28)

10 For of Him we are His masterpiece having been created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God previously prepared that we should walk in them.  (Ephesians 2:10 translated from the NA28 Greek text) View article →

The Re-Education Camps We Call Universities

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From Berean Research:

News media critic Cliff Kincaid of Accuracy In Media pulls no punches as he goes after those who administer what he considers “Marxist re-education camps.”  Now is the time, he says, for taxpayers to “revolt against the socialism that rules higher education in America.”  The fact that socialism rules higher education should come as no surprise to anyone for the reason that the American people are fully aware that liberals have infiltrated academia and that their agenda is to indoctrinate students into the Secular Humanist worldview. The logic behind this is that parents have no clue how to raise their own children, so move over and allow the experts to have a go at it.

Recently Kincaid was uninvited from a left-right debate because a professor alleged that he is an “unrepentant propagandist for extremist right-wing causes.”  Well, he is definitely an unrepentant right-winger.  But isn’t the purpose of a debate to present opposing points of view?  Not since the socialists took over!  They’re going all out to see that students will never hear the conservative position.

With this background in mind, here’s Cliff Kincaid’s report:

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“Transgender” Preacher Tells Baptist Gathering “Angel of Reason” Helped Affirm Desire to Be Woman

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Christian News Network reports:

The nation’s first “transgender” Baptist preacher spoke to a national Baptist gathering on April 8, explaining that the doctor who delivered him as a baby was wrong in declaring him a boy, and that it was an “angel of reason” that caused him to accept his inclinations to identify as a woman.

Daniel Robinson, who goes by the name Allyson Robinson, had been studying to be a pastor at Baylor University’s George W. Truett Theological Seminary in 2005 when he began to wrestle with his gender identity as never before. He had struggled with his desire to be a man since childhood.

“I have known my entire life that the world was wrong about me, that on the day I was born, when the doctor took a cursory glance between my legs and authoritatively declared ‘It’s a boy,’ he was wrong—dead wrong,” Robinson told the Alliance of Baptists in St. Louis this month.

He said that one day in his early seminary days he contemplated suicide, but an “angel of the Lord” that he called “reason” stopped him.

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The nature of purchased grace

Posted by ∙ ∙ In Devotion/Teaching

16 I will ask the Father, and He will give you another Helper, that He may be with you forever; (John 14:16 NASB)

As we look about us with any discernment at all in these times of spiritual deceit, it can be heart rending to see the outright lying done in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ. There are so-called men of God preaching and teaching and ministering and doing things that could best be described as either the teaching or application of damnable heresies. I know that there are some who call themselves Christians who automatically have a problem with that last statement because they are afflicted with the disease of post-modernistic thinking while others are mired in their man-made religiosity and traditions. Both forces them into the thinking that everything is relative. Sorry, to the wind with that. If you are uncomfortable with the proclamation of God’s truth as absolute then you will not be comfortable here. God’s Word is His truth, a precious gift to His Church. In it we learn theology and His doctrines. This includes the Gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ. From that we learn that our salvation is entirely by God’s grace through faith (Ephesians 2:8,9). We are justified by faith, not works. God’s truth is objective and absolute not subjective and relative. The grace we possess as Christians was purchased for us at the Cross of Christ. Oh, and the only ones who can and do turn to Christ are called by God effectually (John 6:44).  View article →

Video: College Students Polled on Identity Agree Short White Man Can Identify as Tall Chinese Woman

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Christian News Network reports

A viral video released this week by the Family Policy Institute of Washington shows students at the University of Washington outlining that they have no issue with a short white man identifying as a tall Chinese woman, and would not tell him that he is wrong.

Joseph Backholm, the executive director of the Washington chapter of the Family Policy Institute, went to the campus of the University of Washington in Seattle to see if students believe that one can ever be wrong about their identity.

“If I told you that I was a woman, what would your response be?” he asked.

“Good for you,” one student replied.

“I don’t have a problem with it,” another answered.

Backholm then asked students what they would think if he told them that he identified as Chinese.

“I would say good for you,” one student stated. “Yeah, be who you are.”

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Pursue peace with all men, and the sanctification without which no one will see the Lord

Posted by ∙ ∙ In Devotion/Teaching

14 Pursue peace with all men, and the sanctification without which no one will see the Lord. (Hebrews 12:14 NASB)

Are we to accept the profession of faith from everyone who claims to be a Christian? This is a hot button issue in our time. I know of several people who once fellowshipped here who no longer do because they are convinced that it is wrong to rebuke and contend with those who profess faith in Christ, but whose fruit show otherwise. What about this fruit? Is it an indication of the veracity of one’s faith? According to Hebrews 12:14 we see that only those who possess sanctfication (holiness) will see the Lord. This is a way of saying that those who will see the Lord, those who are truly saved, will possess some degree of personal holiness. View article →

Mississippi Governor Signs Bill Banning Dismemberment Abortions, Leaving Other Methods Legal

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Christian News Network reports:

The Republican governor of Mississippi has signed into law a bill that makes it illegal for abortionists to perform dilation and evacuation abortions (D&E) in the state, also known as dismemberment abortions.

“We’re making Mississippi the safest place in America for an unborn child,” Gov. Phil Bryant said in a statement on Twitter on Friday.

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Some couples in Canada practising prenatal sex selection in favour of male fetuses, studies suggest

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According to The Globe Mail:

Baby in the wombIt is rarely openly discussed and difficult to prove, but new research suggests that some couples in Canada are practising prenatal sex selection, aborting female fetuses out of a preference for male children.

Two related studies, published on Monday in CMAJ (Canadian Medical Association Journal), found a higher-than-expected ratio of boys to girls born to immigrants from India over the past two decades, which researchers linked to preceding abortions. This gender imbalance was particularly striking among families that already had two.

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Darrin Patrick Removed from Acts 29 Megachurch for “Historical Pattern of Sin”

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Darrin Patrick was also fired from his job as pastor of the multisite church The Journey in St. Louis.  Patrick had a lot of irons in the fire.  He served as a “council member for The Gospel Coalition, St. Louis Cardinals chaplain, and Acts 29 podcast host.” Christianity Today has the full story.

The Journey cited a range of ongoing sinful behaviors over the past few years including manipulation, domineering, lack of biblical community, and “a history of building his identity through ministry and media platforms.”

In a letter announcing its lead pastor’s removal after 14 years of leadership, the church clarified that adultery was not a factor, though elders looked into inappropriate interactions with two women.

“In short, I am a completely devastated man, utterly broken by my sin and in need of deep healing,” said Patrick in an apology to his 3,000-person congregation. “The way that the Journey elders have demonstrated their desire to see me restored to Jesus, as well as their love for me, Amie, and our family is nothing short of miraculous and beyond gracious.”

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IHOP – Feeding the Undiscerning

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From Berean Research:

Doug Evans of Asleep No More delves into IHOP-KC guru Mike Bickle’s background. Evans uncovers solid evidence that Bickle’s teaching on prayer is highly unbiblical yet, unbelievably, the man heads up a noted “Christian” prayer ministry. What are young people who flock to IHOP exposed to? Contemplative prayer.  Allow me to explain.  CP is a prayer ritual that comes from teaching associated with Roman Catholic mystics. The aim is for the participant to empty and free the mind and empower oneself. In other words, Transcendental Meditation.  (More on this below)  So there’s no question that CP’s a dangerous practice.

Now find out the reasons Christians must not involve themselves in Eastern mysticism.

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This is the work of God, that you believe in Him whom He has sent

Posted by ∙ ∙ In Devotion/Teaching

28 Therefore they said to Him, “What shall we do, so that we may work the works of God?” (John 6:28 NASB)

Genuine Christians will be very interested in getting the answer to the question posed to Jesus from John 6:28. If a professing Christian is not interested in that answer then there’s a problem. On the other hand, there are many professing Christians who have answered that question without reading Jesus’ response to it. Instead, they have jumped head foremost into “religious” work that they believe pleases God and is earning them bonus points in eternity. Their “works” may look good to most people, but are they what Jesus tells us are the genuine works of God? Let’s look at this passage in context. View article →

ISIS Urges Supporters to Kill Muslim “Infidels” in West, Including Congressman and Top Clinton Aide

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CNSNews reports:

The Islamic State of Iraq and Syria (ISIS/ISIL) is urging its followers to kill identified Muslim figures in the West, saying they are “obligatory” targets unless they “openly repent from kufr [disbelief] before they are apprehended.”

The threats are contained in the 14th and latest edition of the terrorist group’s online propaganda publication, Dabiq.

The edition’s main theme appears to be an attempt to label Muslim leaders, individuals and organizations across the world that do not actively support ISIS as infidels and apostates.

The cover story focuses on the “murtadd” (apostate) Muslim Brotherhood, while another article, illustrated with a grisly photo of a blood-covered knife, is entitled, “Kill the imams of kufr in the West.”

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Steven Furtick teaches that God Breaks the Law

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From Berean Research:

Steven Furtick and Joel OsteelA little over a year ago Steven Furtick, prophet-pastor of the highly influential Elevation Church in North Carolina, taught his congregation that God broke the law of love.  Recently he posted a two minute clip from that sermon on Facebook which caused quite a stir.  For those who are unfamiliar with Pastor Steven, the late Ken Silva of Apprising Ministries once said of him: “Steven Furtick is a rising star in the evangelical world and his discernment is so badly skewed that he seriously thinks [Joel] Osteen is ‘a great man of God’  and has also told us ‘T.D. Jakes Is My Favorite Preacher In The World.’”

So, did God really break the law of love as Furtick believes?  Respected blogger and pastor Tim Challies says an emphatic No! and took to the blogasphere to challenge Furtick’s faulty theology. Following is the blog post he wrote entitled “Did God Break the Law for Love?”:

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Kasich Condemns Mississippi’s Religious Freedom Law: “What the [Expletive] Are We Doing?”

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Christian News Network reports:

Republican presidential candidate John Kasich condemned Mississippi’s religious freedom law this week, just a day after telling reporters that he would not have signed North Carolina’s “bathroom bill” requiring residents to use the restroom that correlates with their biological gender in government buildings.

“I read about this thing they did in Mississippi, where apparently you can deny somebody service because they’re gay,” Kasich stated during a town hall event in New York, which was hosted by CNN. “What the H*ll are we doing in this country?”

“I mean, look, I may not appreciate a certain lifestyle or even approve of it, but it doesn’t mean I’ve got to go write a law and try to figure out how to have another wedge issue,” he said.

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Pragmatism vs always being sober-minded, enduring suffering, doing the work of an evangelist and fulfilling one’s ministry

Posted by ∙ ∙ In Devotion/Teaching

1 I solemnly charge you in the presence of God and of Christ Jesus, who is to judge the living and the dead, and by His appearing and His kingdom: 2 preach the word; be ready in season and out of season; reprove, rebuke, exhort, with great patience and instruction. 3 For the time will come when they will not endure sound doctrine; but wanting to have their ears tickled, they will accumulate for themselves teachers in accordance to their own desires, 4 and will turn away their ears from the truth and will turn aside to myths. 5 But you, be sober in all things, endure hardship, do the work of an evangelist, fulfill your ministry. (2 Timothy 4:1-5 NASB)

The proponents of the seeker-sensitive church growth model may very well have had good intentions when through it was spawned the rise of contemporary mega-churches such as Willow Creek and Saddleback Valley Baptist and their clones. The focus was outreach to the unchurched. While that appears to be a proper function of the New Testament Church one of the model’s fundamental components is actually an antithesis of the clear instruction to Church leaders found in God’s Word. That component is pragmatism. View article →

Missouri House Committee Approves Amendment Declaring Personhood of Unborn

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According to Christian News Network:

A House committee in Missouri has approved a proposed amendment to the state constitution that would recognize the unborn as persons, sending it on to the full House for a vote.

House Joint Resolution 98 was introduced by Rep. Mike Moon, R-Ash Grove, as a ballot initiative to be presented to the people of Missouri in November.

“[A]ll constitutional government is intended to promote the general welfare of the people; … all persons, including unborn human children at every stage of biological development, have a natural right to life, liberty, the pursuit of happiness and the enjoyment of the gains of their own industry,” it reads in part.

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Liberal AGs Have Begun a War Against the First Amendment

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According to Kim Holmes of The Daily Signal, liberals see too much freedom of speech as injurious to their cause. Thus, they’re pulling out all the stops to squash freedom of expression. Holmes writes:

Last week, a line was crossed in the ongoing campaign of liberals to criminalize freedom of expression. The attorney general of the U.S. Virgin Islands subpoenaed a decade of materials and work by a private advocacy group that had dared to question the orthodoxy of climate change.

The group is the Competitive Enterprise Institute, and the attorney general is Claude E. Walker, who had recently signed on to a campaign of over a dozen attorneys general to ferret out so-called climate change “deniers.” It is possible that CEI was being targeted by Walker precisely because one of its attorneys, Hans Bader, had criticized New York Attorney General Eric Schneiderman, who was leading the campaign.

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