The Sermon on the Mount, Part 11

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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. View article →

God’s Opinion of You Lasts Forever

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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.

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Shane Hipps teaching a “Spirit of Reality” at Willow Creek

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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. View article →

The Sermon on the Mount, Part 10

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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. View article →

What the Bible Really Still Says About Homosexuality

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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.

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White House 'Strongly Objects' to Legislation Protecting Military Chaplains from Doing Same-Sex Weddings

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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.

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The Sermon on the Mount, Part 9

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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?  View article →

Southern Baptist David Jeremiah Praises "vision God" gave to TBN’s Paul Crouch

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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. View article →

At A Glance: Spiritual Formation

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CRN research articles give a concise overview of a specific topic and provide links to resources for further study. The most recently published research article examines spiritual formation, and offers a brief history and overview, as well as a discussion of some potential dangers. View article →

Oprah Winfrey is not a Christian

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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. View article →

Understanding the Basics of Pietism

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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. View article →

At Jesus' Feet

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Amidst all the din of people-pleasing apostasy and bowing to man currently going on throughout contemporary evangelicalism Apprising Ministries brings you a devotional teaching concerning proper worship. View article →

People of Faith Must Join the Fight to Preserve Normal Marriage

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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.

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The Sermon on the Mount, Part 8

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23 “But if there is any further injury, then you shall appoint as a penalty life for life, 24 eye for eye, tooth for tooth, hand for hand, foot for foot, 25 burn for burn, wound for wound, bruise for bruise. Exod. 21:23–25, NASB

19 ‘If a man injures his neighbor, just as he has done, so it shall be done to him: 20 fracture for fracture, eye for eye, tooth for tooth; just as he has injured a man, so it shall be inflicted on him. 21 ‘Thus the one who kills an animal shall make it good, but the one who kills a man shall be put to death. Lev. 24:19–21, NASB

16 “If a malicious witness rises up against a man to accuse him of wrongdoing, 17 then both the men who have the dispute shall stand before the LORD, before the priests and the judges who will be in office in those days. 18 “The judges shall investigate thoroughly, and if the witness is a false witness and he has accused his brother falsely, 19 then you shall do to him just as he had intended to do to his brother. Thus you shall purge the evil from among you. 20 The rest will hear and be afraid, and will never again do such an evil thing among you. 21 Thus you shall not show pity: life for life, eye for eye, tooth for tooth, hand for hand, foot for foot. Deut. 19:16–21, NASB

In the passages above, Moses was giving the Law of God to the Israelites in their dealing with injuries done by one person on one or more people in a way that would limit retribution to that which was just. Its design was to insure that the punishment in civil cases fit the crime, but were never intended to sanction acts of personal retaliation. Therefore in Matthew 5:38-42 the Lord Jesus made no alteration to the true meaning of the law, but was merely explaining and affirming its true meaning. View article →

Andy Stanley Takes Jab At Christians

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Apprising Ministries reminds you that Seeker Driven pastor Andy Stanley really put his foot in his mouth a couple times recently concerning the lifestyle of homosexuality and the Christian.

In this piece you’ll see that, rather than accepting some godly criticism, Stanley strikes back at Christianity itself.

As he does, you’ll also find out that he ends up sounding a lot like the apostate Brian McLaren of the Emerging Church. View article →

The Sermon on the Mount, Part 7

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‘You shall not swear falsely by My name, so as to profane the name of your God; I am the LORD. Lev. 19:12, NASB

“If a man makes a vow to the LORD, or takes an oath to bind himself with a binding obligation, he shall not violate his word; he shall do according to all that proceeds out of his mouth. Num. 30:2, NASB

21 “When you make a vow to the LORD your God, you shall not delay to pay it, for it would be sin in you, and the LORD your God will surely require it of you. 22 “However, if you refrain from vowing, it would not be sin in you. 23 “You shall be careful to perform what goes out from your lips, just as you have voluntarily vowed to the LORD your God, what you have promised. Deut. 23:21-23, NASB

For a short period of time in the late 1980s I worked in a PC/Computer store in sales. I am not a sales person, but most if not all of the other fellows I worked with were. Instead, I simply told people what the computers could do or what they could not do and tried to match them up with what the people needed. I was usually in the top two or three in sales, never number one there, but I was always number one in customer satisfaction. In fact, the only time I ever saw those customers again was if something broke or they wanted an upgrade or they brought a friend or relative in to buy a computer. However, something changed when I sold a truckload of computers to a local school. Then I did it again. Then our sales manager forced me to move to outside sales and out of the showroom. I hated it. Suddenly I began dealing with agents from companies whose whole way of doing business was based on mistrust. In fact, I had one who went out of his way to put legal pressure on us to fill contracts, et cetera. I asked the guy why he did that since I always did what I said I would do. He told me that he did that with everyone he did business with because that was how he ensured that he always got things done. I told him I didn’t want his business and gave the account to another guy in our group. That was the beginning of the end of my time in marketing. Even though God provided for my family and me during that time through it, I hated it except in those early days when I was helping those people one-on-one and they were overjoyed to get it. When it became ugly I came to hate my job and God was gracious to move me back into what I really liked doing at that time, which was writing database applications. View article →