How Do You Live?

“How we live quite often determines how we think.  When we live a while in a particular sinful manner, our minds begin to justify and rationalize our actions.”

Alan F. Johnson, Romans: Volume 1, The Freedom Letter, p.41

Random Apostasies and Heresies

The latest buzz is about some guy who claims to be a “Bible scholar” while at the same time claiming that the Roman government made up Jesus - that Jesus never really existed!  The man is obviously oblivious to the factual historical information readily available.  He’s truly a “flimflam” artist.

Joel Osteen - what can I say?  This article is just another example of why Osteen is a false teacher - as well as a heretic.

A hat tip to Erin Benziger for the next three items:

Ever hear of “soaking prayer”?  I have, and I can tell you there is nothing biblical about it, and such teaching by false teacher Sid Roth and others of his ilk will lead to spiritual danger.  BEWARE!

The “fundamental flaw” of the Charismatic movement is their denigration of the Word of God.

I don’t know how many times I have to say this, but Mormonism is NOT true Christianity!  Mormonism worships another god and another Christ - not those of the Bible.   This is “True Mormonism.”
In fact, as I have pointed out in the past, the Mormon Church actually places Joseph Smith in a position so as to be virtually more important than Christ!

Brian McLaren is now preaching his heretical teaching to the Seventh-Day Adventists.  The SDA already has enough aberrant and heretical teachings - they certainly don’t need McLaren’s addition.

And yet another review of Rachel Held Evans abominable book, “A Year of Biblical Womanhood.”  I really despise that title, because it has nothing to do with “biblical womanhood” and everything to do with Held’s agenda.

More idolatry towards Mary is being promoted by the new pope.

I must be reading the Bible wrongly, because I can’t find where it is a sin to oppose homosexual behavior.  Yet the Dean of Washington’s National Cathedral says it is a sin.  He must be reading a different Bible!

The Presbyterian Church (USA) continues to support all that is demonic.  Now they partnering with Muslim Brotherhood groups in the USA!  It is obvious that leaders in the PCUSA who are involved with this have no understanding about the evil political-religious movement known as Islam.

Celebration of Praise Church in Clermont, Florida, is an example of what the seeker-sensitive and market-driven philosophies lead to: extravagance among goats.

When I was a new believer back in January 1974, one of the first books given to me was Hal Lindsey’s, “The Late Great Planet Earth.”  At the time I found it exciting to know that I would most likely be seeing the Rapture.  Well, after a couple years of Bible study my copy of the book had a lot of notes in the margins about its misrepresentations of Scripture.  I had purchased a few other books by Lindsey, and they likewise began getting the marginal notes.  The more mature I became in the Word, the more laughable I found Lindsey’s claims.  Over time the laughter gave way to concern for all those who have been deceived by such teachings.  Here’s an excellent video showing how Lindsey’s teachings began contradicting Lindsey’s teachings - let alone contradicting the Bible.  If you are a follower of Hal Lindsey, you might want to consider tossing out any books you have by him!

Lastly, Jack Chick is a well-known anti-Catholic bigot and KJV Only cultist who does much to damage the name of Christ.  This video should give you plenty of reasons to never use a Chick tract.

Spiritual Gifts Have A Purpose

“The apostle’s view of the gifts was stated with perfect clarity in 1 Corinthians 12:7, where he said, ‘Now to each one the manifestation of the Spirit is given for the common good.’  The gifts have a purpose.  They are given for the edification of the church, not for private pleasure or for a demonstration of the supposed highest level of spirituality.  They are not a tool to manipulate your inner states or a device to make you feel better.  They facilitate the edification of the church.  This is the key point.  Everything that is given to the church is given for its edification.  If it doesn’t edify, no matter how exciting it seems, no matter how spiritual it feels - it is not fulfilling the requirements for a spiritual gift.”

Richard L. Ganz, “Controversies That Almost Killed a Church: Paul’s Counsel to the Corinthians and the Church Today,” p.166

Sexual Purity is the Biblical Way

“Young people often believe that they can fool around sexually and not be hurt.  If you think this way, you are only fooling yourself.  Christian young people often ask me how far they can go, not even realizing that once you are on that road, it can lead only to harm.  This is not because sex is bad but because it is so powerful and can easily destroy what is so good.  When you try to possess this enjoyment in a relationship outside of marriage, it will bring destruction.

“The Scriptures are clear.  They teach that young men are to treat young women ‘as sisters, with absolute purity’ (1 Tim. 5:2).  The reality is, you are to behave with a young woman the way that you would behave with your sister.  You are to act with total purity.  That is the standard for young men and young women: complete purity.  If you start to fool around sexually even a little bit, there is only one place it will lead - into trouble and disgrace.  Like a narcotic addict, you will demand more and more.  You will whine and complain.  You will manipulate until you get it.  You will justify and rationalize everything in response to all that you have ever learned or believed, when you have convinced your boyfriend or girlfriend to give in (although it is almost always the boy convincing the girl, who foolishly believes he loves her).  When she gives herself to him, then he loses interest in her or is disgusted with her and has nothing more to do with her.  If there is love in the relationship, you will respect each other enough to wait for marriage.  If you find yourself even thinking in the direction of sex, you had better ask yourself why you are not thinking about marriage.  If you are thinking about marriage, it should be with serious-mindedness and the intention of establishing a Christian home.”

Richard L. Ganz, “Controversies That Almost Killed a Church: Paul’s Counsel to the Corinthians and the Church Today,” p.86-87

Too Good to NOT Post!

What Is Man?

“What is man?  Man is God’s creature; Yes, but man is God’s image, and through the misuse of his God-bestowed freedom, man is God’s shame and man is God’s problem; But by that incredible strategy of the cross, God makes it possible for man to become the Creator’s child; And man may become the Creator’s co-laborer, and man, finite man, may become the friend of an infinite and all-holy God; And ultimately man may be, if he will have it so, God’s glory.”

Vernon C. Grounds, “The Book of Romans in One Sentence.”  Cited in Romans: Volume 1, The Freedom Letter, by Alan F. Johnson.

Random Apostasies and Heresies

I’ve been gathering news items while waiting for a chance to sit down and share them with my readers.  Fasten your seat-belts - these things give a rough ride!

The charismatic movement thrives in Africa, and I could never understand why.  One of the sites I follow had a link to an article from July explaining the attractiveness of charismatic teaching in Africa, and I found it very interesting.

Charismaniac Cindy Jacobs grates on me - really, really grates on me.  I have a really difficult time listening to such heretics, knowing how rich they get off of their gullible followers.  Well, this article was brought to my attention, where Jacobs claims to have caused a cheek bone to regrow in seconds.  She claims all sorts of power to heal, as well as claiming to know that Satan put a tumor in her!  Too bad she has no factual evidence to back up her claims; I always wonder why her sort don’t spend time in hospitals healing people!

The “Women of Faith” conferences seem to continue to add bad teachers to their line-ups.  I can’t recommend that women - or anyone for that matter - attend these things.  Especially when, like this one, they have a guest speaker like Rick Warren.  Partnering with Roma Downey really leaves them with little credibility. 

Not too many people know this about Mormons, but newlyweds are “punished” by the LDS by not being allowed to have family attend temple weddings.  On top of that, if they have a civil wedding to allow family members to attend, then they are banished from their temple wedding for a year.  Since the LDS consider such weddings to be an important step in their salvation progression, denying the temple wedding for a year could seriously affect their eternal position if they die before they have the wedding!  Of course in the real Christian faith, that is all nonsense anyway.  Just another example of legalisms in cults.

Hey, surprise, surprise!  Oprah had her mind “opened” by Rob Bell’s teachings!  She goes from one heretical idea to another, all the while propagating her New Age damnation to hundreds of thousands of viewers.  I think she is one of the most dangerous women in the world, because her teachings send people to hell.

The Jehovah’s Witnesses are another group who can’t seem to keep their teachings straight.  One of their essential doctrines concerns who the “faithful and discreet slave” is, and yet they keep changing their ideas as to their identity.  CARM has a good article about this subject, which you might want to use as ammunition for the next time JWs knock at your door!

A Methodist “pastor” claims there was no political statement meant in his church’s sign, which said, “Jesus had two dads and he turned out just fine.”  Yeah, right!  Mark Tooley examines the message of the sign.

Another good article from Hip and Thigh examining claims of the KJV Only crowd, this time about the KJV translators.

Do You Contemplate the Glory?

“The lack of true scriptural holiness today is surely due to the fact that we do not spend sufficient time in meditating upon the glory that awaits us.  The world is too much with us, and we tend to think of salvation too much in terms of present experience rather than in the light of the glory which awaits us.  This contemplation of the glory is the high road to holiness.”
D. Martyn Lloyd-Jones, God’s Ultimate Promise: An Exposition of Ephesians 1. p.385

Holy, Holy, Holy! Lord God Almighty!

Holy, Holy, Holy!  Lord God Almighty!
Early in the morning our song shall rise to Thee.
Holy, Holy, Holy! merciful and mighty!
God in three Persons, blessed Trinity!

Holy, Holy, Holy!  all the saints adore Thee,
Casting down their golden crowns around the glassy sea.
Cherubim and seraphim falling down before Thee,
Which wert, and art, and evermore shalt be.

Holy, Holy, Holy!  tho’ the darkness hide Thee,
Tho’ the eye of sinful man Thy glory may not see.
Only Thou art holy - there is none beside Thee,
Perfect in pow’r, in love, in purity.

Holy, Holy, Holy!  Lord God Almighty!
All Thy works shall praise Thy name in earth, and sky, and sea.
Holy, Holy, Holy! merciful and mighty!
God in three Persons, blessed Trinity!

Reginald Heber

Husband Leads, Wife Responds

“The impression you get from some girls today is that they start out as soon as they are able, and they chase the boys until finally they run one down and marry him.  And then we wonder why those marriages don’t work out.  I risk being thought archaic for saying this, but I believe it is still the prerogative of the man to do the chasing.  The man is always the deliverer, and the woman is the receiver.  God made them that way.  And that’s why He says to the man, ‘Husbands, love your wives’ (Eph. 5:25).  He didn’t turn that around and instruct the wife to love the husband.  Somebody asks, ‘Well, isn’t she supposed to?’  Of course she is, but she’s a responder.  She is to respond to him.  If he loves her, then she will love him.  If he treats her harshly and cruelly, she will become cold and indifferent, and love will die.  In the majority of cases - and over the years I have counseled literally hundreds of cases that have to do with marriage problems - the man is to blame.  You see, he is the one who is responsible because he is to be the leader.”
J. Vernon McGee, “Ruth” (Thru The Bible Commentary Series), p.85