“Do not be alarmed. You seek Jesus of Nazareth, who was crucified. He has risen; he is not here. See the place where they laid him.” Mark 16:6
He Has Risen!
And He gave some as apostles, and some as prophets, and some as evangelists, and some as pastors and teachers
11 And He gave some as apostles, and some as prophets, and some as evangelists, and some as pastors and teachers, 12 for the equipping of the saints for the work of service, to the building up of the body of Christ; 13 until we all attain to the unity of the faith, and of the knowledge of the Son of God, to a mature man, to the measure of the stature which belongs to the fullness of Christ. 14 As a result, we are no longer to be children, tossed here and there by waves and carried about by every wind of doctrine, by the trickery of men, by craftiness in deceitful scheming; (Ephesians 4:11-14 NASB)
There is little doubt that there are some in leadership positions in the visible church that are there because of their natural abilities rather than the fact that God has gifted them spiritually to lead His people. If the latter were the case, they would not be leading their followers into apostasy as the passage I placed at the top of this post clearly states. Those gifted by God to be true leaders in His Church have the role and responsibility to do what? They are to equip the saints for the work of ministry, for building up the body of Christ, until we all attain to the unity of the faith and of the knowledge of the Son of Got, to mature manhood, to the measure of the stature of the fullness of Christ. Why?
Justin Bieber introduces “Jesus Calling” to millions
John Lanagan of My Word Like Fire has the story:
While Warren B. Smith, Lighthouse Trails, Tim Challies and others have labored to warn Christians about Jesus Calling, singer Justin Bieber has introduced the book’s false Christ to millions in one fell swoop.
According to Relevant Magazine, during the last weekend of January 2016, “pop star Justin Bieber shared a devotional passage with his 56 million Instagram followers. Alongside the caption ‘Happy Saturday,’ Bieber posted an image of a page from Sarah Young’s best-selling daily devotional Jesus Calling, which calls readers to ‘Worship me only. Whatever occupies your mind becomes your god … Guard your thoughts diligently; good thought-choices will keep you close to me.’” [1] (Complete passage click here)
Like most people, Justin Bieber has no knowledge of the background or origin of Jesus Calling. Many in the visible church have been reading the communications of this false, contemplative Christ for years. As Warren B. Smith has noted, “While the apostle Paul expressed his ‘fear’ that the Corinthian church could be deceived by false Christs (2nd Corinthians 11:3-4), the true Jesus Christ warned that before His return, many would be deceived by false Christs (Matthew 24:3-5).” [2]
Pope washes feet of Muslim migrants, says “We are brothers”
According to CNS News:
Pope Francis washed and kissed the feet of Muslim, Christian and Hindu refugees Thursday and declared them all children of the same God, as he performed a gesture of welcome and brotherhood at a time of increased anti-Muslim sentiment following the Brussels attacks.
…
“We have different cultures and religions, but we are brothers and we want to live in peace,” Francis said in his homily, delivered off-the-cuff in the windy courtyard of the center.
Hunter Frederick Issues Final Statement on Behalf of Tullian Tchividjian
U.S. announces take down of senior ISIS leader
According to World Magazine:
A U.S. special operations team conducting a pre-dawn raid in Syria on Friday killed senior Islamic State (ISIS) leader Abd al-Rahman Mustafa al-Qaduli. The terrorist, also known as Abu Ala al-Afri, was considered the group’s second-in-command. U.S. Defense Secretary Ash Carter confirmed the raid during a news conference this morning, but declined to give details. He said the operation was part of ongoing efforts to cut down the terror group’s leadership team. Another U.S. official said the raid was prompted by the ISIS attack in Belgium on Tuesday. Carter described Al-Afri as the ISIS finance minister, but he also had a hand in external affairs and plots. Before joining al-Qaeda in 2004, al-Afri was a physics professor. He spent time in an Iraqi jail and joined ISIS after his release in 2012.
Jesus Calling Devotional Bible?–Putting Words in Jesus’ Mouth–And in the Bible
From Berean Research:
The blockbuster book Jesus Calling has sold more the 15 million copies. Jesus Calling was published in 2004 and has remained on bestseller lists ever since. According to the book’s publisher, “After many years of writing her own words in her prayer journal, missionary Sarah Young decided to be more attentive to the Savior’s voice and begin listening for what He was saying. So with pen in hand, she embarked on a journey that forever changed her—and many others around the world. In these powerful pages are the words and Scriptures Jesus lovingly laid on her heart.”
The Jesus of Scripture? Really?
Not according to blogger and pastor Tim Challies. “Far and away the most troubling aspect of the book,” says Challies “is its very premise—that Sarah Young hears from Jesus and then dutifully brings his messages to her readers. Jesus Calling makes the boldest, gutsiest, and, to my mind, most arrogant claim of any book ever to be considered Christian.”
It’s shocking that a dangerous “Christian” book has become a cottage industry. As a result of its popularity we now have various studies, devotionals, children’s books and the Jesus Calling Devotional Bible.
In 2014 Warren B. Smith tackled the Jesus Calling Devotional Bible in a booklet he wrote. In it he lays to rest the notion that the voice Sarah Young hears is that of the Jesus Christ of Scripture. Smith’s booklet can be found on My Word Like Fire — a must read!
The wonderful result of the mortification of sin
5 For we through the Spirit, by faith, are waiting for the hope of righteousness. 6 For in Christ Jesus neither circumcision nor uncircumcision means anything, but faith working through love. (Galatians 5:5-6 NASB)
This Christian walk is fraught with struggle against a deadly enemy. That enemy is the flesh. Our flesh is deceitful and has only one goal, which is, motivated by pride, to drive us to seek fulfillment through channels which will always result in the believer not walking in the Spirit, but according to it. It is very clever and can even conjure up false humility that is really pride in disguise. It can justify all sorts of things that appear to be humble and Christlike, but which are merely screens and bluffs designed to disguise a life of self-gratification. In this walk it is vital that the believer come to terms with the fact that they will have to deal with this monster as long as he or she is in this life and that it is the victory over it which is the wonderful result of the mortification of sin. This humble pursuit is only possible for the believer as he or she learns to walk by faith motivated by God’s love working through them.
North Carolina Lawmakers, Governor Overturn Charlotte’s Controversial “Bathroom Bill”
Christian News Network reports:
Lawmakers in North Carolina passed legislation to overturn Charlotte’s controversial “bathroom bill” on Wednesday, sending the statute to the desk of Gov. Pat McCrory, who promptly signed the measure into law.
“The basic expectation of privacy in the most personal of settings, a restroom or locker room, for each gender was violated by government overreach and intrusion by the mayor and city council of Charlotte,” McCrory said in a statement.
As previously reported, despite hours of testimony largely in opposition of the proposal, the Charlotte City Council voted 7-4 last month to expand the city’s non-discrimination ordinance to add provisions for homosexuals and those who identify as the opposite sex—including in regard to restroom and locker room use.
The battle is not your’s but God’s
38 So in the present case, I say to you, stay away from these men and let them alone, for if this plan or action is of men, it will be overthrown; 39 but if it is of God, you will not be able to overthrow them; or else you may even be found fighting against God.” 40 They took his advice; and after calling the apostles in, they flogged them and ordered them not to speak in the name of Jesus, and then released them. 41 So they went on their way from the presence of the Council, rejoicing that they had been considered worthy to suffer shame for His name. (Acts 5:38-41 NASB)
Charles Spurgeon wrote the following devotional during that part of his ministry in which he was dealing with the Great Downgrade Controversy. In this controversy he was maligned and ostracized by most of the Baptist ministries in England because he stood firm and refused to compromise the Gospel in order to do what the majority demanded, which was to change the way the gospel was preached in order to be more inclusive with those forms of Christianity that may not believe the same way. In other words, pluralism was a problem in the 19th Century England as it is in our time.
Coral Ridge Elders Knew of Tullian Tchividjian’s Affair With Married Woman, Advised Him to Keep Secret, Source Alleges
As previously reported, Tullian Tchividjian was fired from his job at Willow Creek Church in Florida last week after confessing to a second adulterous affair. Christian Post, a site CRN doesn’t recommend because of its promotion of false teachers, reports that Tchividjian’s first affair was discovered and kept a secret. Following is excerpted from CP’s report:
Photo credit: Twitter
Tchividjian landed a job at Willow Creek Church last September, some two months after he resigned from Coral Ridge due to another confessed extramarital affair he said was triggered by the infidelity of his now ex-wife, Kim.
“As many of you know, I returned from a trip a few months back and discovered that my wife was having an affair. Heartbroken and devastated, I informed our church leadership and requested a sabbatical to focus exclusively on my marriage and family. As her affair continued, we separated. Sadly and embarrassingly, I subsequently sought comfort in a friend and developed an inappropriate relationship myself,” he wrote in a statement to The Washington Post last June.
His latest revelation, however, significantly disrupts that narrative and created a lot of problems for those who have been trying to help him but were kept in the dark.
This story has more twists and turns than the Snake River. CP’s Leonardo Blair begins his report by informing us that:
At least two elders at Coral Ridge Presbyterian Church in Florida allegedly had knowledge that their former pastor, Tullian Tchividjian, grandson to evangelical icon Billy Graham, had engaged in an adulterous affair with a married member of his flock and advised him to keep it secret from his wife.
Obama administration engaged in secret talks to pay Iran nearly $2 billion
Fox News reports:
The Obama administration has spent three years engaged in secret talks with Iran that resulted in the payment of nearly $2 billion in taxpayer funds to the Islamic Republic, with more payouts likely to come in the future, according to a recent letter issued by the State Department and obtained exclusively by the Washington Free Beacon.
The administration’s disclosure came in response to an inquiry launched in January by Rep. Mike Pompeo (R., Kan.), who was seeking further information about the Obama administration’s payment of $1.7 billion in taxpayer funds to Iran, which many viewed as a “ransom payment” for Iran’s release that month of several U.S. hostages.
Glenn Beck: Evangelicals Not Listening to “Their God”
Jeff Maples of Pulpit & Pen has the story as well as the video:
Glenn Beck & Ted Cruz. Photo credit: WND.com
At a Utah rally with Glenn Beck supporting Ted Cruz last week, Glenn Beck gave a speech declaring that Ted Cruz was the fulfillment of the Mormon White Horse Prophecy. The Mormon University, Brigham Young, explains the prophecy likes this:
Will the Constitution be destroyed? No; it will be held inviolate by this people; and, as Joseph Smith said, “The time will come when the destiny of the nation will hang upon a single thread. At that critical juncture, this people will step forth and save it from the threatened destruction.”
At another Rally in Salt Lake City, Utah, Beck, in shocking admission it seems, implies that Mormons and Evangelicals worship a different God. He states:
Utah has an incredible opportunity. So many Christians have been standing up. But all throughout the South the Evangelicals are not listening to their God. Let us raise a standard in Utah.
Christian authenticity is a set of marks of genuineness
15 “Beware of the false prophets, who come to you in sheep’s clothing, but inwardly are ravenous wolves. 16 You will know them by their fruits. Grapes are not gathered from thorn bushes nor figs from thistles, are they? 17 So every good tree bears good fruit, but the bad tree bears bad fruit. 18 A good tree cannot produce bad fruit, nor can a bad tree produce good fruit. 19 Every tree that does not bear good fruit is cut down and thrown into the fire. 20 So then, you will know them by their fruits. 21 “Not everyone who says to Me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ will enter the kingdom of heaven, but he who does the will of My Father who is in heaven will enter. 22 Many will say to Me on that day, ‘Lord, Lord, did we not prophesy in Your name, and in Your name cast out demons, and in Your name perform many miracles? ’ 23 And then I will declare to them, ‘I never knew you; depart from ME, you who practice lawlessness.'”(Matthew 7:15-23 NASB)
Christian authenticity is a set of marks of genuineness. Christ said that we can tell false Christians from real Christians by their fruit. There is fruit that real Christians produce that false Christians cannot. Even those who are in the fires of tribulation, fighting deadly battles against their sin nature will be growing in these areas. Their visible fruit may be small or even embryonic, but it will be there. However, the false believer, since he or she has not the Holy Spirit nor are they regenerate, cannot bear this fruit. It grows only in the hearts of those God has touched with His grace unto the New Birth.
College of Pediatricians Calls Transgender Ideology “Child Abuse”
According to Breitbart:
The American College of Pediatricians warns educators and legislators that “a life of chemical and surgical impersonation of the opposite sex” is dangerous for children.
In a strongly worded statement issued today, the professional association of pediatricians says “a person’s belief that he or she is something they are not is, at best, a sign of confused thinking.” It describes such thinking as problem that exists in the mind and not the body and “it should be treated as such.”
The college of pediatricians is joining a heated debate that increasingly pits concerned parents against school teachers, administrators, legislators, and transsexual advocates who are pushing the trans agenda in grade-schools, city governments, state governments, and the federal government.
Captured Paris Attack Suspect Reportedly Planned New Acts in Brussels
Christian News Network reports:
The top suspect in last year’s Paris attacks told investigators after he was captured that he was planning new operations from Brussels and possibly had access to several weapons, Belgium’s foreign minister said Sunday.
Salah Abdeslam had claimed that “he was ready to restart something from Brussels, and it’s maybe the reality,” Foreign Minister Didier Reynders said.
Why do genuine saints persevere?
4 I thank my God always concerning you for the grace of God which was given you in Christ Jesus, 5 that in everything you were enriched in Him, in all speech and all knowledge, 6 even as the testimony concerning Christ was confirmed in you, 7 so that you are not lacking in any gift, awaiting eagerly the revelation of our Lord Jesus Christ, 8 who will also confirm you to the end, blameless in the day of our Lord Jesus Christ. 9 God is faithful, through whom you were called into fellowship with His Son, Jesus Christ our Lord. (1 Corinthians 1:4-9 NASB)
A few years ago during some research for a piece I was working on, I found myself on a blog that was most definitely not a friendly place for anyone who holds that God’s Truth is absolute and we can know it by studying His Word. The search that landed me there had to do with Penal Substitution. I never did find out why Google linked to that site, however, as I read the comments in the discussion of the post in question, one seemed to sear itself into my memory. The person who wrote came across as young and angry. He had a huge problem with Paul Washer of Heart Cry Missionary Society. Why? He did not like the fact that when he heard him he felt like Paul was simply manipulating his emotions to make him believe that he was not really saved. He then began ranting about Reformation Theology, calling it “works theology.” Why? Because we teach that proof of the veracity of one’s salvation is proven when the believer perseveres to the end. I asked myself, how that could possibly be seen as works because we do not teach that the believer’s perseverance is accomplished by self-effort.
Women in Combat
In this hard-hitting piece Bible study author, speaker and blogger Michelle Lesley urges Christian men to “gird up, gear up, and stand up.” Why? “Because some women in combat are wounded, battle fatigued, and in need of some R&R.”
Over the last few months, there’s been a lot of talk about the possibility of future U.S. military drafts including young women in addition to young men. I’ve admired godly male friends who have spoken out vehemently against this and expressed concern about the government trying to press their daughters or wives into service. Some even vowed to lay their lives down protecting their women from having to face the horrors and dangers of war.
But I wonder if these men – husbands, fathers, pastors, elders – know that many of their wives, daughters, and sisters in Christ are already in the trenches fighting off the enemy with every ounce of our strength and every weapon at our disposal.
It’s not a war for territory or political control or freedom from dictatorial tyranny.
It’s a battle for the purity of the Bride. And the souls of our sisters.
Candace Cameron Bure Blasts Fuller House Critics as “Ridiculous,” Posts Lustful Kiss From Show
According to Christian News Network some of Bure’s fans are not on board with her new show. One fan commented: “I’m a little disappointed with the show. There are sexual references, immodest clothing, and you even said a curse word. It makes me sad.”:
Unrepentant talk show host and actress Candace Cameron Bure is taking issue with “negativity” and “religious debates” from her fans who are flooding her social media pages with concern about the content in “Fuller House”—a restart of the 80’s show “Full House”—which features immodesty, lesbian kissing, sexual and alcoholic references and other controversial content. Days after calling for an end, she posted a photograph of a scene where she jumps on a man who is not her husband and passionately kisses him.
“This is getting ridiculous!!” she fumed last Saturday, next to a cartoon of an annoyed Cameron Bure saying “c’mon.” “STOP having religious debates about me and my family on my comments thread after EVERY single photo I post when they have nothing to do with the picture!”
Cameron Bure instructed fans to ignore negative comments and to take the talk elsewhere.
Scalia’s death a blow to Obamacare contraception challengers
Reuters reports:
Christian groups asking the U.S. Supreme Court to exempt them from the requirement to provide insurance covering contraception under President Barack Obama’s healthcare law face an uphill battle following Justice Antonin Scalia’s death last month.
The remaining eight justices will consider seven related cases on whether nonprofit groups that oppose the requirement on religious grounds can object under a U.S. law called the Religious Freedom Restoration Act to a compromise version of the requirement offered by the Obama administration.
Among those mounting objections are the Little Sisters of the Poor, an order of Roman Catholic nuns that runs care homes for the elderly.
The Human Will
43 Jesus answered and said to them, “Do not grumble among yourselves. 44 No one can come to Me unless the Father who sent Me draws him; and I will raise him up on the last day. 45 It is written in the prophets, ‘ And they shall all be taught of God. ’ Everyone who has heard and learned from the Father, comes to Me. 46 Not that anyone has seen the Father, except the One who is from God; He has seen the Father. (John 6:43-46 NASB)
Even those who most ardently proclaim the sovereignty of man’s freewill must honestly deal with passages throughout Sacred Scripture which make it clear that the human will of the natural man is incapable of attaining such a high role. In fact, God’s Word actually makes it clear that the Human Will is simply the faculty of choice with no inherent ability to make a decision on its own. It is the Human Mind that decides while the Will is the “faculty of choice, the immediate cause of all action.”1 Therefore, it is quite incorrect to allocate the sovereignty of choice to a mechanism within each of us, created by God, which enables us to carry out the volition of the mind.
Salt Lake Tribune–“Cruz in Utah: Glenn Beck Says He’s Fulfillment of Mormon Prophecy”
The headline appeared over at Breitbart followed by:
Lee Davidson wrote the following article in the Salt Lake Tribune bout Republican candidate Sen. Ted Cruz’s (R-TX) rallies today in Utah:
Cruz also basked in the praise of two big-name Mormons: former GOP presidential nominee Mitt Romney and conservative talk show host Glenn Beck.
[…]
Beck, a Mormon and conservative radio talk show host, said he always vows to be the worst enemy of politicians who do not keep promises. “I don’t have any friends in Washington except these two,” he said about Cruz and Lee. He added they are the first politicians he has even endorsed.
Beck said that he, like many Mormons, believe in a prophecy that the Constitution will hang by a thread in the last days. He said he believes that now is that time, and people like Lee and Cruz will save it.
Read the rest here.
Temptation
41 Keep watching and praying that you may not enter into temptation; the spirit is willing, but the flesh is weak.” (Matthew 26:41 NASB)
38 Keep watching and praying that you may not come into temptation; the spirit is willing, but the flesh is weak.” (Mark 14:38 NASB)
45 When He rose from prayer, He came to the disciples and found them sleeping from sorrow, 46 and said to them, “Why are you sleeping? Get up and pray that you may not enter into temptation.” (Luke 22:45-46 NASB)
Temptation: Temptation is any thing, state, way or condition that, upon any account whatsoever, has a force or power to seduce, to draw the mind and heart of a man or woman from his or her obedience, which God requires of them, into any sin, in any degree of it whatsoever.
As Jesus agonized in Gethsemane in the hours prior to His trial, torture, and crucifixion, His disciples had a hard time staying awake. He went off by Himself to pray, but asked James, John and Peter to watch and pray. However, each time He came to them, He found them asleep. If we look closely at Mathew 26:41, Mark 14:38, and Luke 22:45-46, we will see the whole of our Lord’s caution to His disciples seems to have been, “Arise, watch and pray, that you enter not into temptation.” Our Lord knew that danger was near. He knew that His disciples would be scattered from Him when He was arrested. However, His concern seems to be on these men that they would not enter into temptation. Notice also that it is the flesh that is weak and it is the watching and praying that keeps them lined up with the spirit that they be one in spirit with Him. If they would do that then they would not enter into temptation.
Charismatic Gullibility, Dr. Michael Brown and Discernment
In this piece over at Pulpit & Pen, JD Hall explores the increasing lack of discernment in the visible Church due to the popularity of the Charismatic movement. Hall asserts that “charismania” is the “convoluted mess that Brown identifies himself with.”
Photo credit: Twitter
“I am an unashamed Pentecostal/charismatic believer, a lifelong tongues speaker (since Jan. 24, 1972), one of the four principle leaders who served in the Brownsville Revival, the author of an in-depth, scholarly treatment of divine healing, the man who wrote Authentic Fire in response to Pastor John MacArthur’s Strange Fire…yet I am terribly ashamed of our folly, our gullibility, our lack of discernment, our failure to test all things by the Word, our carnality and our openness to being duped, deceived and defrauded.”
Dr. Michael Brown, a charismatic scholar and apologist, has written for Charisma Mag what is effectively a rebuke of some in the charismatic movement who are “gullible.” To be clear, Brown isn’t turning in his charismatic credentials, as you can see above. Brown references himself as one of the four principle leaders of the Brownsville Revival in an attempt to bolster his claims as a charismatic, which are already well-established. He also references himself as a lifelong tongue speaker and critic of John MacArthur (whose claims, he goes on to say, are “imbalanced” and “inaccurate”).
Brown’s chief contention concerning the gullibility plaguing charismaticism is corrupt fundraising among charismatic televangelists (although he reiterates that he does believe in “sowing and reaping”). Brown mentions a televangelist who used time at the Garden of Gethsemane to plea for money, a “prophet” guaranteeing provision in an upcoming famine in exchange for an offering, and other abuses designed to rake in cash. Brown did not name names in the process, saying instead that he was committed to reaching out to the offenders personally.
Brown ends with a hopeful admission, “It is high time for this nonsense to stop, beginning with each of us reading this article (me included) searching our own hearts and lives.”
Well, amen and amen.
The GOP Sellout Continues
Genevieve Wood of The Daily Signal brings us up to speed as to why a large number of conservative Republicans are done with the GOP establishment:
To watch the recent happenings on Capitol Hill, you would think this was just another typical presidential election year—a few bumps here and there, but no sign of a major shake-up, no indication voters were in revolt, nothing to suggest business as usual in Washington was perhaps falling out of fashion among the American public.
What else explains the lackluster, uninspiring, and, I would suggest, “sell out your base” agenda of GOP congressional leadership?
For example, the Senate GOP sold out its base on the issue of Common Core this week. Despite the fact Republicans have a majority in the Senate, seven members of the GOP joined a majority of Democrats to confirm President Barack Obama’s nominee, John B. King, Jr. as education secretary. King is an avowed supporter of Common Core and other top-down, government-knows best, education policies.