Apprising Ministries brings you a devotional teaching on a critical, yet still encouraging, subject.
The Sermon on the Mount, Part 12
1 “But be careful of demonstrating your righteousness before men with the aim to be seen by them; otherwise you have no reward with your Father in heaven.” 2 “Therefore, whenever you do give alms, do not sound a trumpet before you as the hypocrites do in the synagogues and in the streets so that they may be glorified by men. Amen I say to you, they have their reward. 3 But when you do give alms, do not let your left hand know what your right hand does, 4 so that your alms may be in secret and your Father, the one seeing in secret, will repay you.” Matt. 6:1–4, Possessing the Treasure New Testament v1
We come now to Matthew 6:16–18, which is like the second slice of bread of a sandwich around the meat of our Lord’s teaching on prayer and forgiveness in Matthew 6:5-15 with the top slice of bread being Matthew 6:1-4 (above). Most “Study Bibles” with outline sections will correctly label Matthew 6:16-18 as “Fasting,” but if you read it in the context of what comes before, it is a continuation of our Lord’s teaching against pietistic efforts by the religious to approach God according to their own efforts and, in their hypocrisy, use their visible piety to elevate themselves in the eyes of others. As we saw in Understanding the Basics of Pietism, “There are no extraordinary Christians; but being an ordinary Christian is an extraordinary thing.”
Size of a Discernment Blogger’s Brain Reveled
The Gay Divorcees
Charles C. W. Cooke, an editorial associate for National Review, reports that research indicates that there are more homosexuals divorcing than one may think. He writes:
Announcing the results of his long-term “evolution” on the subject last week, President Obama revived the debate over gay marriage. In the widespread discussion, however, there is one question that’s rarely asked: How interested are gay couples in getting married?
The Sermon on the Mount, Part 11
36 Τότε ἔρχεται μετ᾽ αὐτῶν ὁ Ἰησοῦς εἰς χωρίον λεγόμενον Γεθσημανὶ καὶ λέγει τοῖς μαθηταῖς· καθίσατε αὐτοῦ ἕως [οὗ] ἀπελθὼν ἐκεῖ προσεύξωμαι. 37 καὶ παραλαβὼν τὸν Πέτρον καὶ τοὺς δύο υἱοὺς Ζεβεδαίου ἤρξατο λυπεῖσθαι καὶ ἀδημονεῖν. 38 τότε λέγει αὐτοῖς· περίλυπός ἐστιν ἡ ψυχή μου ἕως θανάτου· μείνατε ὧδε καὶ γρηγορεῖτε μετ᾽ ἐμοῦ. 39 καὶ προελθὼν μικρὸν ἔπεσεν ἐπὶ πρόσωπον αὐτοῦ προσευχόμενος καὶ λέγων· πάτερ μου, εἰ δυνατόν ἐστιν, παρελθάτω ἀπ᾽ ἐμοῦ τὸ ποτήριον τοῦτο· πλὴν οὐχ ὡς ἐγὼ θέλω ἀλλ᾽ ὡς σύ. Matthew 26:36–39, NA27
36 Then Jesus came with them to a place called Gethsemane and said to the disciples, “Sit here while I go there to pray.” 37 And having taken Peter and the two sons of Zebedee, he began to be grieved and to be distressed. 38 Then he said to them, “My soul is very sad to the point of death. Remain here and keep awake with me.” 39 And having gone forward a little, he fell upon his face praying and saying, “My Father, if it is possible, let this cup pass from me, but not as I will, but as you will.” Matthew 26:36–39, Possessing the Treasure New Testament v1
I have been a Christian quite a long time (since January 1986). Even though I began serving first as a Bible teacher then as a deacon while still teaching only a few years after God had mercy on me, I must confess to everyone that as I evaluate my walk prior to 2004 in light of my pilgrimage on the narrow path since then, I shudder. Of course we cannot go back and change our past. We can’t travel back to some specific point in time to meet ourselves in the midst of some self-focused nonsense and ask the poignant, “What are you thinking?” There were high points to be sure, but these were followed by long stretches of self-focused living with my religiosity just being part of that.
Don’t Conform to the World or to Foster-Willardism
Dr. Gary Gilley reviews Tim Keller’s Book The Prodigal God, Recovering the Heart of the Christian Faith
God’s Opinion of You Lasts Forever
American televangelist Joyce Meyer has a large number of devoted fans, not only in America, but also worldwide. Joyce’s critics claim she is a false teacher who has charmed tens of thousands of unsuspecting Christians into Word of Faith heresy. Marsha West is one such critic. She writes:
A Christian friend of mine is reading one of Joyce Meyer’s books. If you haven’t heard of Meyer, she is a popular health and wealth author/radio & TV teacher/conference speaker who believes God is our sugar daddy. The evangelist has been criticized for her “conspicuously prosperous lifestyle.” According to my friend, Joyce’s books are “uplifting.” She didn’t like hearing that some of her favorite author’s teaching is theological heresy. To my friend’s way of thinking, if a book makes you feel good, doctrine isn’t all that important.
Shane Hipps teaching a “Spirit of Reality” at Willow Creek
A couple of weeks back CRN Associate Editor Erin Benziger covered the story of Mars Hill Bible Church “pastor” Shane Hipps preaching at Willow Creek Community Church.
I actually assisted her with the video clips and had them up at You Tube. Apparently Willow Creek wanted to keep a lid on what Emerging Church apostate Shane Hipps taught there.
They complained to You Tube and got the video pulled. Because these clips are within fair use Apprising Ministries has now republished Benziger’s insightful article complete with the illustrative video clips.
Value And Importance Of Knowing The Father
Fuller Theological Seminary Professor Tony Jones And The Biola Queer Underground
Panentheism! What Is That?
The Sermon on the Mount, Part 10
17 “Do not think that I came to abolish the Law or the Prophets; I did not come to abolish, but to fulfill. 18 For truly I say to you, until heaven and earth pass away, not one letter or one stroke may pass from the law until everything is fulfilled. 19 Therefore, whoever breaks one of the least of these commandments and thus teaches men, he will be called least in the kingdom of heaven; but whoever practices and teaches them, this one will be called great in the kingdom of heaven. 20 For I say to you that unless your righteousness exceeds beyond that of the scribes and Pharisees, you may never enter into the kingdom of heaven.” Matt. 5:17–20, Possessing the Treasure New Testament v1
We now enter the next section of our Lord’s Sermon on the Mount in Matthew 6 where Jesus expands upon Matthew 5:17-20 showing how the Pharisees’ righteousness was deficient, as is all who are self-righteous, by exposing their hypocrisy in the matter of giving to the poor (vv1-4); prayer (vv5-15); and fasting (vv16-18). God’s people are to do these things as acts of worship rendered to God, but the self-righteous use them as displays to gain the admiration of others. In this post we will look Matthew 6:1-4.
What the Bible Really Still Says About Homosexuality
Kevin DeYoung, Senior Pastor at University Reformed Church, dismantles an article written by Catholic priest Daniel Helminiak wherein it is asserted that “nowhere does the Bible actually oppose homosexuality.” DeYoung writes:
On Tuesday afternoon, CNN ran an article on its Belief Blog by Catholic priest (sort of) Daniel Helminiak entitled “My Take: What the Bible really says about homosexuality.” The article is amazing for including so many bad arguments in so little space. A quick trip through the piece will show you what I mean.
White House 'Strongly Objects' to Legislation Protecting Military Chaplains from Doing Same-Sex Weddings
CNS News Reports:
The Obama administration “strongly objects” to provisions in a House defense authorization bill that would prohibit the use of military property for same-sex “marriage or marriage-like” ceremonies, and protect military chaplains from negative repercussions for refusing to act against their consciences, as, for example, in being ordered to perform a same-sex marriage ceremony.
In a policy statement released Wednesday, the White House Office of Management and Budget outlined numerous objections to aspects of the fiscal year 2013 National Defense Authorization Bill (H.R. 4310). The bill was reported out of the House Armed Services Committee last week and is set to be debated in the House, beginning Wednesday.
The Sermon on the Mount, Part 9
18 ‘You shall not take vengeance, nor bear any grudge against the sons of your people, but you shall love your neighbor as yourself; I am the LORD. Lev. 19:18, NASB
21 If your enemy is hungry, give him food to eat; And if he is thirsty, give him water to drink; 22 For you will heap burning coals on his head, And the LORD will reward you. Proverbs 25:21–22, NASB
I listened to part of a presentation today via podcast from Alpha & Omega Ministries’ The Dividing Line broadcast from 3 May 2012 by a young man claiming to be a “Christian Gay.” The definition of terms this young man used for “love,” for instance, was not Biblical, but was based in the same self-focused, narcissistic bent that all have who have not first become regenerate, that is, saved by grace through faith according to the mercy of God, and then learned to deny self under the sanctifying hand of God. His version of love was self-centered and all about self-fulfillment. That is not Christian love nor is it how any who are truly in Christ will operate in this world on a consistent basis. How did our Lord define it?
Southern Baptist David Jeremiah Praises "vision God" gave to TBN’s Paul Crouch
Apprising Ministries has been telling you that sectors of the professing Christian community are now coming together in ways we’d never have imagined before.
In this new article you will see video clips of Jeremiah preaching on this year’s March 5 edition of TBN’s Praise-A-Thon fundraiser. Not only is he pitching for pledges, but this well-respected SBC statesman lavishes praise upon the heretical Paul Crouch.
At A Glance: Spiritual Formation
The Line of Demarcation
Apprising Ministries with a Charles Spurgeon devotional teaching that is definitely not postmodern because you’ll see that one is either alive or dead; in or still out of Christ. The Lord’s Prayer: An Overview—Part One
Apprising Ministries, brings you this concise devotional teaching from John MacArthur on a critical part of the Christian life. Jerry Fallwell, Jr. Liberty University “No Official Position” on Cult of Mormonism
Apprising Ministries finds this rather curious for the largest evangelical Christian university in the world.Oprah Winfrey is not a Christian
Apprising Ministries wishes you to know that over the past few years media mogul Oprah Winfrey has been remaking herself into a spiritual teacher. Considering the size of her following this means she is literally infecting millions worldwide.
You’ll see in this well-documented piece that Winfrey claims to be a Christian. Using video clips I show you using her own words that her testimony is simply not that of a genuine Christian.
Understanding the Basics of Pietism
Apprising Ministries has been researching contemplative spirituality and its unbiblical meditation in altered states of consciousness for many years now.
What all this talk about so-called “spiritual disciplines” really is would be a return to the old heresy of pietism. In this post you’ll find the information to help you better understand this.
At Jesus' Feet
People of Faith Must Join the Fight to Preserve Normal Marriage
Changing the definition of marriage will have long term implications. Marsha West urges those who are opposed to same-sex marriage to join the fight to preserve biblical marriage. She writes:
In an effort to destroy the definition of marriage in America, President Obama abruptly announced that he is in favor of same-sex marriage. This came as no big surprise as he had already decided that the Department of Justice would no longer defend the Defense of Marriage Act, a federal law that defines marriage as the legal union of one man and one woman. Likewise he repealed the “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell” law that prohibited openly gay men and lesbians from serving in the military. The president left many scratching their heads asking why he didn’t wait until after the election to make the announcement.