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Dos And Don'ts
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You Cannot Blame God
You Cannot Blame God for What Happened to You - Diego's Testimony from I'll Be Honest on Vimeo.
"Creator" Paul Washer...
Campus Crusade For Christ Drops "Christ"
I was involved with this ministry and dropped out because I found them becoming more and more worldly and less and less Biblical. Their latest attempt "to reach the lost" actually doesn't surprise me. They've been on this road for some time. The excuse they offered for dropping "Christ" from their well known ministry name is weak at best.
They've now openly chosen to amuse the goats all the while claiming it's for Christ. I can only hope this ministry repents. In the mean time they've lost all future support of my household until they do and get back to Bible basics and the Christianity of the Bible.
A good article about CCC's name change..Westminster Seminar
Feeding Sheep Or Amusing Goats?
An evil is in the professed camp of the Lord, so gross in its impudence, that the most shortsighted Christian can hardly fail to notice it. During the past few years this evil has developed at an alarming rate. The devil has seldom done a more clever thing then hinting to the church that part of their mission is to provide entertainment for the people with a view to winning them. From speaking out the Gospel, the Church has gradually toned down her testimony then winked at and excused the frivolities of the day. Then she tolerated them in her borders.Now she has adopted them under the plea of reaching the masses. My first contention is that providing amusement for the people is no where spoken of in the Scriptures as a function of the church. If it is a Christian work, why did not Christ speak of it? "Go ye into all the world and preach the Gospel to every creature" (Mark 16:15) and provide amusement for those who do not relish the Gospel. No such words are, however, to be found. It did not occur to Him. Where did entertainers come in? The Holy Spirit is silent concerning them.
Were the Prophets persecuted because they amused the people or because they confronted them? The concert has no martyr role. Again, providing amusement is a direct antagonism to the teaching and life of Christ and all His Apostles. What was the attitude of the Apostolic Church to the world? You are the salt of the world not the sugar candy. Something the world will spit out not swallow. Had Jesus introduced more of the bright and pleasant elements to His teaching He would have been more popular. When many of His disciples turned back and no longer followed Him, I do not hear Him say, "Run after these people, Peter! And tell them we will have a different style of service tomorrow. Something short and attractive with little preaching. We will have a pleasant evening for the people. Tell them they will be sure to enjoy it. Be quick, Peter! We must get to the people somehow!"
No, Jesus pitied the sinners, sighed and wept over them, but never sought to amuse them. In vain will the epistles be searched to find any trace of the Gospel of amusement. Their message is, "Therefore, come out from among them and separate yourselves from them. Don't touch their filthy things." Anything approaching amusement is conspicuous by its absence. They had boundless confidence in the Gospel and employed no other weapon.
After Peter and John were locked up for preaching, the church had a prayer meeting, but they did not pray, "Lord grant unto Your servants that, by a wise and discriminating use of innocent recreation, we may show these people how happy we are." No, they did not cease from preaching Christ! They had no time for arranging entertainments! Scattered by persecution, they went everywhere preaching the Gospel. They turned the world upside down. That is the only difference from today's Church.
Lastly, amusement fails to effect the end desired. Let the heavy laden who found peace through the concert not keep silent! Let the drunkard, to whom the dramatic entertainment has been God's link in the chain of their conversion, stand up! There are none to answer. The mission of amusement produces no converts. The need of the hour for today's ministry is earnest spirituality joined with Biblical doctrine, so understood and felt, that it sets men on fire.
Lord, clear the church of all the rot and rubbish the devil has imposed on her and bring us back to Apostolic methods.
- Charles Spurgeon
Charles Spurgeon Film
Charles Spurgeon impacted the entire world and is still doing so today more than a century after his death. If you're not familiar with Charles Spurgeon, you are missing out on one of God's most precious gifts to His people.
How To Honor Abusive Parents
I don't even speak to him anymore. I love my father despite what he is and has done. I would love nothing more than to have a normal relationship with him and to have him in my life and my unborn son's life, but I also know that's not possible right now unless God intervenes. In order to avoid further dishonoring him and sinning 6 ways to Sunday against him and God, in order to avoid any further emotional and mental abuse, I was forced to cut contact.
God never laid down conditions for honoring parents. Honoring parents is also the only commandment that comes with a promise. He never said "If parents are worthy of honor, then honor them". He simply said "Honor your father and mother". The ramifications of honoring/dishonoring parents are vast and reflects far more than just obeying a commandment. If you are estranged from your parents or parent, you can still honor them despite their sins against us....
1. Don't speak against them in anger or dishonor them in speech to them or to others...
You may struggle with this because your wounds are still very raw. The only option for us is to repent of it and let it go. It's not about them. It's not even about us. It's about God. As Christ didn't slander, gossip or verbally attack His abusers, neither are we to.
2. Don't dwell on it....
"Jesus replied, 'No one who puts his hand to the plow and looks back is fit for service in the kingdom of God.'" Luke 9:62
"Brothers, I do not consider that I have made it my own. But one thing I do: forgetting what lies behind and straining forward to what lies ahead, I press on toward the goal for the prize of the upward call of God in Christ Jesus." Philippians 3:13
"Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation. The old has passed away; behold, the new has come." 2 Corinthians 5:17
“Remember not the former things, nor consider the things of old. Behold, I am doing a new thing; now it springs forth, do you not perceive it? I will make a way in the wilderness and rivers in the desert." Isaiah 43:18-19
This is difficult, but nothing causes more damage to us and our walk with Christ then when we dwell on past hurts and abuses and hold grudges. If we stay focused on that then we are completely unproductive for God, it ruins our witness, ruins our life and keeps up stuck in a rut. All it does is cause bitter roots to spring up and bitterness breeds hate and unforgiveness. The best way and only way to deal with it, is to let it all go. We can forgive, but we can't forget and God knows that. Cast your cares on the Lord (Psalm 55:22). When you hit a snag or feel yourself sinking into self pity and the pain of past abuse, take it immediately to God. Tell Him about it. Pour your heart out to Him (Psalm 62:8). Only He can bring healing and comfort anyway and He promises to do just that.
3. See it for what it is....SIN...
Any abuse we've come out of, whether mental, emotional, physical or sexual, we have to understand it's all sin. It is the wickedness of sin. As man increased so did sin. We also need to understand that if it were not for our salvation and the restraining grace of God, we would be no different then our abusers. Sin spreads sin. Sin spawns more sin and we eventually live what we've learned apart from God. "There, but for the grace of God, go I." (John Bradford)
4. Do not retaliate or lash out against them...
Do not be overcome by evil, but overcome evil with good. Romans 12:21
Not retaliating can be extremely difficult, but....
"Never pay back evil for evil to anyone. Respect what is right in the sight of all men." Romans 12:17
"Do not take revenge, my friends, but leave room for God's wrath, for it is written: 'It is mine to avenge; I will repay," says the Lord.'" Romans 12:19
"Do not say, 'I will repay evil'; Wait for the LORD, and He will save you." Proverbs 20:22
"Do not say, "Thus I shall do to him as he has done to me; I will render to the man according to his work." Proverbs 24:29
5. Love and pray for them...
"But I tell you: Love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you, Matthew 5:44
“But to you who are listening I say: Love your enemies, do good to those who hate you, bless those who curse you, pray for those who mistreat you. If someone slaps you on one cheek, turn to them the other also. If someone takes your coat, do not withhold your shirt from them. Give to everyone who asks you, and if anyone takes what belongs to you, do not demand it back. Do to others as you would have them do to you.
“If you love those who love you, what credit is that to you? Even sinners love those who love them. And if you do good to those who are good to you, what credit is that to you? Even sinners do that. And if you lend to those from whom you expect repayment, what credit is that to you? Even sinners lend to sinners, expecting to be repaid in full. But love your enemies, do good to them, and lend to them without expecting to get anything back. Then your reward will be great, and you will be children of the Most High, because he is kind to the ungrateful and wicked. Be merciful, just as your Father is merciful." Luke 6:27-36
6. Don't hold it against them....
"But Jesus was saying, 'Father, forgive them; for they do not know what they are doing.' And they cast lots, dividing up His garments among themselves." Luke 23:34
"Then falling on his knees, he cried out with a loud voice, 'Lord, do not hold this sin against them!' Having said this, he fell asleep." Acts 7:60
7. Love them from afar...
Sometimes we just need to love people from afar. If being in contact with them would cause you to sin against God, them and to protect yourself from further abuse, then love them from afar. Pray for them. Fast for them. Hope for them and be rid of all animosity toward them. If you must cut contact then do it, but do it carefully, respectfully and prayerfully.
8. Don't lose hope for them...
God is God. He can do anything. He can change anyone. The Apostle Paul is a good example of this. He was an abuser, terrorist and murderer in every sense of the word, but God was still able to reach him.
9. Understand and appreciate they gave you life. Maybe they didn't do much more than that, but it is enough.
(This post is for adult children of an abuser and not someone who is currently in an abusive home. If that's you then understand that honoring and obeying parents does not mean allowing them to abuse you. When we're in a situation and we know obeying our parents is disobeying God then we are to obey God and disobey our parents (or any others in authority over us). If you're being abused, then reach out to someone...anyone. Call the police. It's not dishonoring to parents to stop atrocious forms of abuse and it's certainly not your fault you're being abused. Putting an end to it is beneficial for you and also beneficial to the abuser.)
What It Truly Means To Follow Christ
Don't Look To Feelings
Mason Vann...
My "Christians Calling Other Christians 'Pharisees'" Rant
If you're someone who goes against the grain in Christianity, if you're someone who doesn't follow popular teachers or popular teachings and find yourself in debates with other professing Christians who do follow them, you'll likely be called a Pharisee. If you haven't yet, you will be. When I say "going against the grain" I mean you stick with what Scripture teaches and not with what's popular or who's popular where Scripture gets spun, twisted and distorted to suit itching ears. Following the herd may be beneficial in the animal kingdom, but it spells death for a professing Christian in a sinful world where Satan has dominion.
Let's call it as it is...calling someone a "Pharisee" is a character assassination attempt to get the opposition to simply shut up and to have others ignore them. Those guilty of using this word as an insult, use it as a means to call another "legalistic". If you study scriptures and start taking a stand against the rampant heresy in modern American Christianity, you are viewed as legalistic.
Without getting in depth on Pharisees, I want to point something out to professing Christians who throw this word around whenever they're faced with opposition to a popular teacher or teaching... The Pharisees were extremely popular in their day. They were highly esteemed by the Jews and their teachings were followed by the masses.
"Woe to you when all men speak well of you, for that is how their fathers treated the false prophets." Luke 6:26
What Jesus taught was not popular and it still isn't. He was not followed by the masses and anytime He was they were looking for materialistic provisions and quickly deserted Him. Only a very small few followed Him after being healed. It was His message that led people to salvation. Everything Christ did was offensive because He pointed out the truth. The truth is never popular. It never has been. The truth got Christ crucified. It got Isaiah sawed in half with a wooden saw. It got Peter's wife crucified while Peter was forced to watch and then he was crucified upside down. It got John the Baptist beheaded. It got Stephen stoned. All of the Apostles except John were murdered for the truth. Most of the Prophets were murdered for the truth...all of them for an unpopular message. The truth has a high cost. If you're following a teacher or message because it's popular you're on very dangerous ground.
The Pharisees totally rejected Christ's message that lined up with everything the Pharisees spent their lives learning and taught yet never came to an understanding of any of it. They should have known it. They should have known Him and they didn't. They had the Scriptures. They had absolutely no excuse, yet they still rejected Him and got their masses of followers to reject Him as well and demand His blood. All the while totally believing they were on the path of godliness and serving God, skipping along happily behind the ever popular Pharisees.
If you don't study your Bible, if you follow someone simply because they call themselves "Christian" or it makes you "feel good" while calling others "Pharisees"...I know of no other way to put this then to say "STOP IT!" You don't know what you're talking about.
You should know it. You should know Him. You should know and have a relationship with this God of yours! Not any old kind of relationship or whatever suits you and your lifestyle...the one He requires based in and on Scripture. You have the Scriptures and if, still, you don't study for yourself and willingly allow some popular "Christian" teacher with their popular messages to lead you by a hook through the nose then you have no excuse.
He Who Inhabits Eternity
One of the greatest things we Christians struggle with in our walk is patience. We live in a culture where everything is almost instantaneous. Anything we want is easily accessible. No matter what time of day it is, we need only drive somewhere, pick up a phone or get on the internet to get what we want when we want. All the information we can stand is at our finger tips.
With God, we grow very impatient as if prayer should be as fast as ordering a Big Mac at a drive thru. Why can't it be? He's almighty isn't He? He can do anything? When God doesn't answer the instant we want Him to we have melt downs. Perseverance and modern culture are like oil and water. It's a foreign concept to us.
We struggle with questions as to why God has allowed certain things in this world to go on? Why has He allowed Satan to run amok for so long? Why does He allow evil to flourish so long? It's hard for us to wrap our heads around. We struggle with giving answers to others. We just don't get it why God takes so long sometimes.
Actually, He's not taking long. He seems to take long to us because we live and die on a timetable. Our years are few. Even without a fast paced culture we are always aware of time. But God inhabits Eternity.
"For a thousand years in your sight are but as yesterday when it is past, or as a watch in the night." Psalm 90:4
There is no such thing as "time" where He sits enthroned. He doesn't operate as we do with such constraints. There is no yesterday, today, tomorrow or the next 5 minutes. From creation to modern day no time has past at all for Him. It's as if all is laid out before His eyes and is happening in front of Him simultaneously. He talks about time for our sake because we can't comprehend living where time is non-existent and we live on a timetable, but He also puts great emphasis on waiting for Him, trusting Him and patience. He's fully aware of the constraints of time on us, but God only acts when it pleases Him. He knows the right moment in our limited world to act for maximum impact whether it's answering a prayer or putting an end to evil. He sees the beginning and the end at the same time, but we need patience and trust as He operates for our good in Eternity.
There are prayers we may have persevered in for years we may never see answered, but that doesn't mean they will go unanswered. Since our time frame and His are on extreme opposite ends of the spectrum, understanding God's "timetable" means our trust and confidence in Him is paramount. Though we are a vapor now (James 4:14), we will one day dwell in Eternity with Him. Until then, what few moments we've been given here, with such a constraint, we need to make the most of because time is of the essence for us. We must trust in Him, grow in patience and live with Eternity in mind.
"Live For Eternity"A very short, but amazing message packed into 3 minutes.
The Holiness of God
No Light Without Darkness
Recently I've taken to laying out in my backyard in a lounge chair around 10 PM. Being farther away from city lights, I get a great view of the stars and sometimes catch a shooting star streaking across the sky. The darker it gets the more brilliantly the stars shine until even the milky way is visible. When the sun comes up every single one disappears. Only darkness allows us to see them.
In much the same way, only the darkness of sin reveals the greatness of God to us. Only in understanding our own depravity do we see what Christ has done and come to understand how much we need Him.
Our own salvation or sharing the Gospel with others simply can't be done without first revealing the darkness inside us all. Once a person has had all the lights turned out on them and they see themselves for what they truly are do they come to see Christ. No one can even begin to comprehend what Christ has done or their need of Him without first pointing out the darkness. It's how we, and all those before us, came to a saving knowledge of Christ. As the sky darkens at night and the stars become more brilliant against it, so does Christ against our own sin.
We sometimes treat sin in ourselves and in the world like a pest, something that can be brushed off or we make excuses for it. I know I've done it. We have popular teachers disregarding sin and refusing to preach on it because it offends. A primary work of the Holy Spirit is to convict the world of sin (John 16:8). If teachers aren't teaching on sin then how can the Holy Spirit even be involved in their ministry? If a Pastor preaches very little on sin something is terribly wrong. Man's depraved condition must be dealt with first and foremost. The pointing out of sin, the pointing out we are all depraved and separated from God is the plowing of the heart true repentance needs to take root. Without it no one can come to repentance, true and saving faith or see God.
How could any of us even love God without the backdrop of our depravity? It's impossible.
"Therefore I tell you, her sins, which are many, are forgiven—for she loved much. But he who is forgiven little, loves little.” Luke 7:47
The sinful woman who anointed Jesus loved much because she was forgiven much. She loved much because she understood the extent of her own wickedness and what she'd been forgiven of. Without understanding our own sin and shining a spot light on mankind's sin we can never love God nor can any other man. Man's depraved condition is a crucial element to our own salvation and sharing the Gospel with others. Christ and the meaning of the cross is magnified against our own wickedness. Without it...we're still lost. Without it in our witness we're just the blind leading the blind.
He Gave Them Up
Handing them over, like what's described in Romans, is entirely different. From Romans 1:21 to Romans 1:28, three times it's declared that He gave them up. Three times signifies the emphasis and finality of it. "He gave them up", the declaration. "He gave them up", the repetition. "He gave them up", the finality of it.
Nothing will cause a house to crumble like abandonment. Even if a house has fallen into disrepair. As long as it's occupied, the progression of rot is significantly slowed. Those living there will still attempt to make some repairs even though minor and use, itself, acts as a preservative. Abandon a place and over a short period of time, it will begin to crumble. Just being without electricity and heat will cause it to rot at a staggering rate.
In Romans, we can see depravity has reached all mankind and it's been getting steadily worse since the fall of man. The difference is in one verse that shows when a people have hit bottom and have forced God to abandon them....
"Even their women exchanged natural sexual relations for unnatural ones." Romans 1:26
Women have always been the last line of defensive morality in a culture. Women are not driven like men are sexually. Even in cultures where men are sexually depraved, women, for the most part, have maintained dignity and morality that was missing around them. Thus, they acted as the salt that preserved a society. As long as the women maintained a certain level of morality, there was hope for the children who would be under the woman's influence. When women have sunk to the same level of depravity in a society there is nothing left to preserve them and it can never be brought back.
Sodom and Gomorrah are prime examples of God giving a society over to their depravity. Homosexual sin wasn't the only problem these cities had. Destruction didn't come on them for homosexual sin. It was, in fact, the end result of insisting on sinful standards and lifestyles, being handed over to their depravity and the last straw that brought divine judgment.
No other sin lays waste and shortens life like that of sexual sins. This is why we're warned in 1 Corinthians 6:18 to flee all sexual immorality. "Flee" is a forceful word used. It means to drop everything and run as hard and fast as one can from it.
"All other sins a man commits are outside his body, but he who sins sexually sins against his own body." 1 Corinthians 6:18
There are sins that do damage to the body such as alcohol and drug addiction, but in the bigger picture, no other sin has caused more damage to an individual and shortened life affecting entire societies like sexual immorality. No other sin directly and immediately impacts the individual and causes instant damage like sexual sin. When God hands people over, as Romans describes, it's finished. He has abandoned the people and left them to the destruction of their own sins. No longer is God restraining them with grace as an act of mercy. In fact, He is now allowing them to fill their cup of wrath every moment they take in another breath.
Just in the US alone, we have frightening statistics...
17% of all women struggle with porn addiction
* 1 of 3 visitors to all adult websites are women
* 9.4 million women access adult websites every month
Internet Filter Review
That's just the women who admitted to it. The number is much higher. This also doesn't include how we are bombarded constantly by TV, Movies, internet, books, music, schools etc., that promote sexual immorality and send the strong continuous message that "it's ok" and appeals to our sinful natures. All women may not participate in homosexual sins, but society has been forcing its acceptance for decades. Society has forced it in the church and many churches have allowed it in, made excuses for it and exchanged the truth for a lie to feed the sinful nature.
In America alone, homosexuality is celebrated especially between two women and it's forced on our children. The last line of defense has been demolished and God has abandoned America. A country that once had the light (1 Timothy 2:4), but turned against it. There's hope, of course, for the individuals who cling to God and God demonstrates His mercy to the few with the story of Lot, but for the country as a whole, all that's left now is the fearful expectation of judgment (Hebrews 10:26).
Critical Priorities
'Neither this man nor his parents sinned,' said Jesus, 'but this happened so that the works of God might be displayed in him. As long as it is day, we must do the works of Him who sent Me. Night is coming, when no one can work. While I am in the world, I am the light of the world.'” John 9:1-5
Countless Church groups exist to help people explore their pasts, analyze them, come to some understanding of them and utilize them. As if to wrap "life" up into a neat little glow stick that can be carried into their future, shedding light on their path for no other purpose, but their own satisfaction.
Urgency has been lost. We've taken the focus off God, put it on ourselves and taken our eyes off the prize. We're misusing gifts and abilities given by God for God on ourselves. We're wasting what we've been blessed with on ourselves. We're distracted with all sorts of anxieties. Instead of throwing everything off, we further distract ourselves by excessive indulgences with all sorts of amusement, expenditures and pleasures.Christ gave a distinct warning concerning this...
"Be careful, or your hearts will be weighed down with dissipation, drunkenness and the anxieties of life, and that day will close on you unexpectedly like a trap." Luke 21:34
There are numerous warnings in Scripture to keep focused and live our lives with a sense of urgency because not only is Christ's return at hand, but we don't know what hour it will happen.
"Be very careful, then, how you live--not as unwise but as wise, making the most of every opportunity, because the days are evil." Ephesians 5:15-16
We live in evil times and they are getting worse. Our opportunities seem to be dwindling and it falls in line with Scripture and the end days. When we have to stand before Christ, He's not going to be asking about or concerned with how we came to know and understand ourselves. He'll be demanding to know how we came to know and understand Him and how we put that into practice by taking advantage of every opportunity for Him.
"Conduct yourselves with wisdom toward outsiders, making the most of the opportunity." Colossians 4:5
Where we see an opportunity to glorify God and preach the Gospel, it must be done. The more attention and time we waste on us, the more likely it is that His return will slam down on us like a trap and we'll be left with empty hands, wasted tools and incredible shame before Him.
Run The Race
"Therefore, since we are surrounded by such a great cloud of witnesses, let us throw off everything that hinders and the sin that so easily entangles. And let us run with perseverance the race marked out for us," Hebrews 12:1
"Do you not know that those who run in a race all run, but only one receives the prize? Run in such a way that you may win." 1 Corinthians 9:24
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