A Picture is Worth a Thousand Words

“By their fruit you will recognize them. Do people pick grapes from thornbushes, or figs from thistles? Likewise every good tree bears good fruit, but a bad tree bears bad fruit.” Matthew 7:16-17

“One Nation” Rally – 10/2/10 – Washington DC photos (left)   -   “Restoring Honor” Rally – 8/28/10 – Washington DC photos (right)

ON 8/28, thousands gathered on the mall in Washington DC to honor God and take the first step to restore this great nation. It is well known that even with attendance creeping up to 1 million, there was not a bit of trash left behind. Below are photos taken of the aftermath of the One Nation rally in DC on 10/2. While the attendance was significantly lower, trash was everywhere, even on the WWII Memorial. Even the free box lunches given to the union workers were discarded in the open.

Photos courtesy of the following sources:

http://www.theblaze.com/stories/one-nation-crowd-didnt-exactly-leave-the-mall-or-world-war-ii-memorial-spotless/

http://maroonedinmarin.blogspot.com/2010/10/one-nation-of-commies-unions-other.html

http://whfs.cbslocal.com/2010/08/28/restoring-honor-rally-pics/#photo-5

http://twitpic.com/search#q=#onenation&type=mixed&page=1

http://directorblue.blogspot.com/2010/10/15-photos-from-onenation-rally-youll.html

http://sarainitalyblog.blogspot.com/2010/10/one-nation-rally.html

http://tspan.us/news/12147-scenes-from-the-one-nation-rally

The New Epidemic

“You may say I’m a dreamer, but I’m not the only one,” the lay reader said as she turned to light the solitary candle on the altar. She then turned with a smile, stretched out her hands and spoke once more. “Come on you people now, smile on your brother, everybody get together, try to love one another right now.”

For a minute I thought I could smell the faint odor of sandalwood wafting into the church. I fidgeted nervously in my seat, preparing myself for a reading from the Gospel of Janis and a recounting of how Jesus tripped out the four thousand by multiplying their acid tabs and doobies. I looked around at the zombies in their seats, each one riveted to the scene and completely unaware of the pagan doctrine they were hearing. I half expected the organist to break out some Iron Butterfly and take us into a chorus of In-A-Gadda-Da-Vida.

This actually happened in a Presbyterian church that I visited recently at the request of a friend. I inject humor into the situation even though there is nothing remotely funny about the absurd and perverse. To laugh about it now is probably a knee-jerk defense mechanism akin to going into shock and shutting down my mind to protect my sanity from being shattered. Perhaps the sarcasm is my way of making sense of what I had witnessed. After all, it’s not every day that I can hear the atheistic wisdom of John Lennon in the house of God, creator of all things. Trippy.

As the service went on, and I use the term service very lightly, I’ll admit that I started shaking with anger at how recklessly the word of God was being treated. The misinterpretation of simple verses was more than I could bear and I found myself weighing the pros and cons of standing up and challenging the pastor directly. Had it not been for my friend who had invited me, I would have done it. No question. But the last thing I wanted to do was embarrass him, especially since he had invited me as a guest.

She knew I was there. Of that I have no doubt. As I sat there scrutinizing every word coming out of her mouth, often shaking my head, she got more agitated. The sermon quickly descended into an unhinged and red-faced diatribe on social justice. She railed against those that attend tea party rallies. This pastor was coming completely unglued, fueled by something deeply personal that obviously had nothing to do with scripture. I began to wonder what she was hiding, what sin she was covering up that had made her speech (it had ceased to be a sermon by now) so personal. Not that I cared, I just wanted to know why was she so desperate to make Jesus into Tommy Chong.

So many people seem to be confused about who Jesus really is and what he taught. It’s much easier to project our fallen humanity onto the person of Jesus and try to make him more like us than it is to become more like him. Being more like Jesus involves a serious look inward at ourselves and our actions, putting to death those things in our lives that are contrary to his teachings. It requires being honest with ourselves and putting our lives up against the standard Jesus set in the bible. It requires the admission of biblical sins, however painful or embarrassing, enjoyable, or so deeply ingrained that they don’t seem like sins at all. The bible has a lot to say about us if we have the courage to see it and the obedience to do something about it.

At the Restoring Honor Rally in Washington D.C., Glenn Beck said “If you know who He(God) is, it will be the biggest blessing in your life. But it will also be the biggest curse in your life, because on some things you will then no longer  have a choice, because you know what is true, you know who you serve, and you must stand there because you have no other choice”. He’s right. Discovering the true nature of Jesus will force a clear choice to be made. Jesus loves sinners, but not their sin. He never condoned the behavior of a sinner. When he saved the prostitute from being stoned to death, he didn’t say “gee, that was a close one. Be more discreet next time“. He said “Go and sin no more”. The prostitute had an encounter with Jesus, but it didn’t simply end there. She was left with a command and a decision to make. Would she continue her life as a prostitute, or follow Jesus’ command and leave that part of her life behind? While we don’t know which one she chose, a decision was made. An encounter with Jesus forces action. Whether it’s positive or negative is up to us.

The caricature of Jesus today is one of a hipster, a peacenik, a community organizer that not only tolerates sins but tacitly approves of them. Jesus is painted as one that judges no one, offends no one (unless he is a Roman white oppressor or a Jewish religious zealot) and has no interest in politics. He is viewed as a Robin Hood that condones robbing from the rich to give to the poor, and a fierce environmentalist. He is a multi-religionist, tolerant of all beliefs (thinking about this one for any period of time is likely to give you a nosebleed). There is no force of action with this depiction of Jesus, no decision that has to be made on the part of the sinner, which is extremely convenient if you happen to like sin and would rather change societal reaction to that sin than do the internal work to sin no more. Whatever the reason may be to make Jesus more like fallen man, not one of these descriptions of Jesus is accurate. All of them have basis in the flesh of man, not the Word of God.

Jesus came not to bring peace, but a sword (Matthew 10:34). This is not a sword in the literal sense but the word of God, which will set father against son, mother against daughter. In other words, a decision will have to made to follow that word or not. And that decision will break apart friendships and families. Jesus wants us to love him more than anyone or anything else (Matthew 10:37). If we can’t put him above all else, he says we’re not worthy of him. For those peacenik hippies, that’s some pretty heavy stuff, dude. Maybe Jesus isn’t your homeboy after all.

There is an epidemic today of preachers that have strayed away from the true word of God, much like the one that presided over the circus of foolishness at the Presbyterian church I visited. The church is in a death spiral of apostasy, infiltrated by men and women that pervert the scriptures to achieve their own philosophical ends and further societal “progress“. Thankfully they are fairly easy to spot if you know what to look for. They’re the ones that spend more time commentating from the pulpit than putting their noses in the word of God. They’re the ones that use extensive studies and exhausting resources to explain simple verses because their blindness has made the bible a stumbling block to be overcome. They’re the ones that approach the bible not as humble servants of God but as defense lawyers desperately trying to make their case to the jury. They’re the ones using terms like social justice, class envy, liberation theology, collective salvation and wealth redistribution to steer the church away from the true word of God.

It’s tragic that so many view Jesus as a t-shirt tagline persona, inclined to simply be your ‘homeboy’ and call it a day, but it’s really not surprising why that view is so popular. A new breed of pastor has emerged from the cesspool of political correctness and “tolerance“. This new breed of pastor embraces the fallen nature of man and downplays (softens) scripture to create loopholes for sin. Either in the grip of sin themselves, indoctrinated through sub-standard education and/or corrupted religious institutions, they create a cult-like environment that inspires no elevation to a higher standard. The result is a religion that accepts everything, condemns nothing and ultimately does nothing but lull congregations into apathy while the fabric of society is shredded.

Burning books

A lot of uproar has erupted about the burning of the Quran, the book of Islam. The Muslim community, ever the innocent victims, are outraged at the audacity and ‘intolerance” of a few rogue pastors to stand up and exercise their rights to burn a book. It’s interesting that the same people who make bible burning and Christian/Jew killing commonplace are the same ones that come completely unglued when the tables are turned. Their claim of intolerance would be laughable if it weren’t so tragic.

Are there good Muslims and bad Muslims? Absolutely. But I’m beginning to wonder if the “bad” ones (at least according to Islamic standards) are the peace loving people that tolerate others and want to live with their neighbors as good citizens. The ones really following the tenets of Islam seem to be the ones that burn bibles and terrorize and/or execute Christians and Jews. Are peaceful Muslims the equivalent of “Sunday Christians”, ones that pick and choose the rules they want to live by and leave the rest by the wayside?

Islam clearly calls for the extermination of Jews and Christians. It clearly calls for violence and the beheadings of infidels. If Mohammed were alive today he would approve of the actions of the 9/11 terrorists and those that seek to liberate our heads from our bodies. He would not approve of those living in peace with their neighbors of other religions. This is why I’m tired of hearing the “good Muslim bad Muslim” argument. The assumption is always that the good ones are peaceful and the bad ones have been radicalized. The more I see, the more I‘m convinced that it‘s the other way around. No matter how you cut it, when practiced in the manner Mohammed prescribed in the Quran, Islam is an extremely violent religion bent on a conversion-or-death philosophy. And Political Correctness has rendered many unable to speak truth and call things as they are for fear of offending others. If truth can no longer be uttered for fear of offending liars, how long can this society continue?

Personally I’m against burning the Quran in public as a spectacle. It doesn’t represent Jesus’ teachings about how to show love to those in which you disagree. Christians are to show love and tolerance regardless of how we’re treated by the world, to bless those that curse us. I understand why the rogue pastors have chosen to burn the Quran (I call them rogue because their authority to do so was not granted by the word of God, but by pride). I understand the frustration and the instinct to want to push back after being terrorized and victimized by many who follow Islam. It’s a natural thing to want to defend oneself from those that wish to do you harm. But we have to be careful when we are antagonized because they (Muslims truly following the teachings of Mohammed) want us to respond in kind. These people are looking for excuses, not peace. They want more excuses to justify their abhorrent behavior. They desperately need to see Christians reacting negatively so public opinion will sway in their favor, stoke up their fellow Muslims, and provide them cover to ramp up the violence against the West.

THE MESSAGE – The Bible in Heretical Language PART 2

Matthew 24:10-11  At that time many will turn away from the faith and will betray and hate each other, and many false prophets will appear and deceive many people.

Proverbs 26:6  Like cutting off one’s feet or drinking violence is the sending of a message by the hand of a fool.

I truly believe that the word of God never returns void. With that said, let’s take a look at some of the terms that Dr. Peterson uses in “The Message”. As you read it will become very clear that many of the references he used come straight from the pit. None of these terms are found in Scripture. By shining some light on the darkness hopefully we can make the cockroaches start scurrying.

LIGHT-BEARERS – In Matthew 5:15 of “The Message”, Peterson uses the word “light-bearers” to replace the phrase “let your light shine before others” (NIV).

The phrase light-bearer can be found in the work “Morals and Dogma” by Albert Pike. He writes:
“Lucifer, the Light-bearer! Strange and mysterious name given to the Spirit of Darkness! Lucifer, Son of the Morning! Is it he who bears the Light, and with its splendors intolerable blinds feeble, or selfish Souls? Doubt it not!” – Albert Pike – Grand Commander and architect of the Scottish Rite of Freemasonry

http://www.libertyforlife.com/religion/albert_pike_all_dogma_no_morals.htm

“And now it stands proven that Satan, or the Red Fiery Dragon, the “Lord of Phosphorus”, and Lucifer, or Light-Bearer, is in us: it is our mind. – our tempter and redeemer, our intelligent liberator and savior from pure animalism.” (Vol. 2, P 513 – The Secret Doctrine – Helena Petrovna Blavatsky – founder of the Occult Theosophical Society)
http://www.crossroad.to/articles2/2002/carl-teichrib/lucifer.htm

“Those who follow the path of Lucifer are called “light-bearers” in the world” – John Randolph Price, New Age lecturer and writer

Lucifer is a Latin word (from the words lucern ferre), literally meaning “light bearer”.

I could go on and on with this, but you get the picture. The term light-bearer is a term that is tied firmly to the occult, and more specifically, Satanism.

LADY WISDOM – Proverbs 2:10 of “The Message”  says “Lady Wisdom will be your close friend”.

This concept has root in the age-old question of the gender of God. Some modern feminist scholarship, encouraged by the ancient worship of goddesses that pre-dated Christ (Hellenism and Gnosticism), have worked to challenge the idea of the gender of God. The term “Lady Wisdom”, is considered to be an attribute of God and a separate entity by their interpretations of certain verses in Scripture.

H. Leisegang says (Der Heilige Geist, 1919) “Wisdom is not just an idea, a mere abstraction, or only the underlying substance of an attitude to God. She is rather a spiritual being, that exists independently, next to God”. A.P. Long (The Absent Mother) says “She is the divine female companion of God, eternal with Him before creation, and is herself involved in the cosmos as creator, nurturer, teacher and artificer.”

http://www.asphodel-long.com/html/lady_wisdom.html

The book of Proverbs does reference wisdom with the word “her” (8:22-31, 9:1-6). While scholars may debate back and forth about the actual existence of a sentient being called “Lady Wisdom”, one would have to conclude that heaven really is a mustard seed under this same pretext. (Matthew 13:31). Or the “whore of Babylon (Revelation 17) really is a woman of the night that is running around and having sex with every king of the world while drinking the blood of Christians.

Scholars have been debating aspects of the Scriptures ever since they were handed down by God. Writing a paper or book on a subject is one thing. Altering the word of God to support a specific view is heresy.

GOD OF GREEN HOPE – Romans 15:14 in “The Message” says “…may the God of green hope fill you up with joy…”

This one appears to have its root in Celtic Druidism, as the Druids believed green was a symbol of hope (Kenneth Tuckwood, Talks on Freemasonry). To the Celts, the Green Man (Father Earth) was the God of vegetation that symbolized a union of humanity with the earth. The color green also has great significance in Islam, New Age, and Hinduism. Because of the Green movement that has become a false religion in our time, the God of Green Hope can reasonably be equated to “Mother Earth”, the false god that is worshipped with reckless abandon today.

GOLDEN CIRCLE – Revelation 2:5 of “The Message” says “…removing your light from the golden circle.”

The term “Golden Circle” is used in reference to astral projection, spirit guides and the metaphysical. Specifically, the golden circle is used in a meditation practice to heal mother earth by using your spirit ‘light’ or energy. I have purposely left out the source on this one because it came from a site that gave a  detailed description of how to do astral projection.

AS ABOVE, SO BELOW – Matthew 6:9-13 of “The Message” says “…do what’s best – as above, so below, keep us alive with three square meals…”

This phrase is actually taken from the Satanic bible (The Natural Heirarchy) and is known as the “balance of nature”. The symbolism depicts the Satanic belief in Yin and Yang (if you have ever seen the artist renditions of Satan sitting Indian style with his right hand pointing upward and his left hand downward, this is the “as above, so below“ depiction).

So why would Dr. Peterson want to put elements of all religions into one book and proclaim it to be an interpretation of the bible? Because it has always been a goal of the humanist movement to bring all religions together under the umbrella of one religion – theirs (while people like Peterson, Rick Warren, Jim Wallis and others claim Christianity, my next blog will show their ties to the humanist movement so you can decide for yourself where their beliefs truly lie). These people have no fear of God because they don’t believe in God. There is no other explanation for the reckless manner in which they have handled His word, in spite of the warnings within. And they have learned that the only way to effectively neutralize Christian understanding of the word of God is to change that understanding, bit by bit, so each generation becomes more ignorant than the one before it. Once the people are sufficiently ignorant of who God and Jesus Christ are, Christianity can been “re-booted” and redefined according to their will.

God is not the “God of Green Hope” that flits around planting joy-seeds in heart-soil. God is the Alpha and the Omega, The Most High, and He does not share position. In Isaiah 46:9, God says “I am God, and there is no other. I am God, and there is none like me”. The fantasy picture that Eugene Peterson has created only serves to subvert the word of God, confuse His people into believing in a false doctrine and enticing them into communing with demons.

We are in the midst of an all out war against the principalities and powers in the dark realms (Ephesians 6:12) and those that love God and delight in His word need to reject and cast away the poison that is being unleashed by the false teachers that preach from “The Message”. Again I say anyone who is preaching out of “The Message” is a false teacher. Period. Those men and women have either been deceived or are complicit in this perversion of Scripture. Revelation 22:18-19 says “I warn everyone who hears the words of prophecy of this book: If anyone adds anything to them, God will add to them the plagues described in this book. And if anyone takes words away from this book of prophecy, God will take away from him his share in the tree of life and in the holy city, which are described in this book”.

Gnostic teachings predate Jesus Christ, but never before has there been such a widespread acceptance of a heresy as there is today. The fact that references from Satanism, Wicca, New Age, Hinduism and other religions are crammed into “The Message” is indisputable. It’s right there on the printed page in black and white for those that have eyes to see. What one must understand is that there truly is a movement within the church that is rooted in demonic teachings. It’s within the church! The sole purpose of that movement is to change religion as we know it into a religion of ‘acceptance’ where any perversity imaginable can be made acceptable and morality itself would be relative.

It’s not too late for Christians to cast this evil back into the pit where it belongs (a garbage can will do in a pinch if you don’t have an evil pit accessible). “The Message” is only one small piece of a much larger picture, but it’s one of the most bold and brazen attacks upon the core of Christian faith that has ever been perpetrated. I beg that you make a stand for the truth because the final battle for the souls of man is under way.

FAIR USE NOTICE: This site may contain copyrighted material the use of which has not always been specifically authorized by the copyright owner. I am making such material available in my efforts to advance understanding of religious and political issues, etc. I believe this constitutes a ‘fair use’ of any such copyrighted material as provided for in section 107 of the US Copyright Law. In accordance with Title 17 U.S.C. Section 107, the material on this site is distributed without profit for research and educational purposes. For more information go to: http://www.law.cornell.edu/uscode/17/107.shtml. If you wish to use copyrighted material from this site for purposes of your own that go beyond ‘fair use’, you must obtain permission from the copyright owner.

THE MESSAGE – the Bible in Heretical Language PART 1

Jeremiah 8:8-9 (NIV) “How can you say, “We are wise, for we have the law of the Lord,” when actually the lying pen of the scribes has handled it falsely? The wise will be put to shame, they will be dismayed and trapped. Since they have rejected the word of the Lord, what kind of wisdom do they have?”

I’m sure you are aware of the incredibly popular bible translation called “The Message” by Eugene Peterson. It has garnered widespread support from churches all across the country. What you may not know is that “The Message” is really a blatantly heretical work created to introduce new age mysticism into the church with the goal of diluting the word of God, denying it‘s power and eliminating key elements of salvation. Quite a mouthful, huh?

I know this may be hard to swallow, so bear with me. It was hard for me to believe too. But there’s a reason for that. The wording that Eugene Peterson uses in The Message was designed to slide by unnoticed by the average Christian. It’s supposed to be accepted as an innocent interpretation, a cleverly worded work that can speak to this generation. And speak it does. But what is it saying?

If you have a relatively good knowledge base in the real bible, “The Message” probably won’t hit you right away as a heresy because you already know what it’s supposed to say. The writer is hoping you will be deceived into believing this is just a fresh interpretation of the bible so you will take your guard down. If your guard is down you will be relying both on your understanding of the bible and the fanciful wording of “The Message”. And that’s where the games begin.

Let’s take Romans 10:11-13 out of the NIV for example:
As the scripture says “anyone who trusts in him will never be put to shame”. For there is no difference between Jew and Gentile – the same Lord is Lord of all and richly blesses all who call on him. For everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved.

Now look at the wording in “The Message”:
Scripture reassures us, “no one who trusts God like this – heart and soul – will ever regret it.” It’s exactly the same no matter what a person’s religious background may be: the same God for all of us, acting the same incredibly generous way to everyone who calls out for help. “Everyone who calls “Help, God!” gets help.”

Did you catch the subtle differences? As a bible believing Christian you probably unknowingly projected your knowledge of the real scripture into the vague words of The Message. This is what Eugene wants you to do. Because The Message isn’t written for you. It’s written to get past you and into the hands of someone that doesn’t know the real word of God.

“The Message” conveniently leaves out Jesus in this verse and replaces Him with God. This is no small change, as John 14:6 states, “I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me”. The NIV states “anyone who trusts in Him will never be put to shame”.

Take a look at the next line in the NIV translation, “For there is no difference between Jew and Gentile – the same Lord is Lord of all…”. In other words, salvation has been offered to all believers, Jew or otherwise. But in “The Message”, that line is changed to “It’s exactly the same no matter what a person’s religious background may be: the same God for all of us, acting the same incredibly generous way to everyone who calls out for help.”

Notice how Eugene  opens up salvation to all religions, regardless of who you hold God to be. While he drops the word “background” in there as an escape hatch for his heresy, the message he is trying to convey still comes out loud and clear – regardless of who you hold God to be, “The Message” says he is the same for all of us in this verse. I may not be a biblical scholar, but I know that God absolutely does care what religion you are! If it weren’t so, Elijah would not have killed the prophets of Baal when they were unable to conjure their god (1 Kings 18:16-40). Putting God into the same box with all of the other false gods is not only heresy, but a doctrine directly from Satan. “Thou shalt not have any other gods before me” (Exodus 20:3).

Finally, there’s the last line, “…everyone who calls “Help, God!” gets help”. This is entirely false because it misses the key point of salvation. Whoever calls on the LORD will be saved, not God (Go back to John 14:6). The Lord has a  name, and it’s Jesus Christ. And no one gets to Father except through him. Removing Jesus from the salvation message is like removing the engine from your car. The car may look fine, but it’s going nowhere.

Instead of going through “The Message” verse by putrid stinking verse, I found a few sites that break them down pretty well. Click on these links to read more verse comparisons.

http://watch.pair.com/message.html
The Mystical Bible – ‘The Message’ by Janet Moser

http://crossroad.to?Bible_studies/Message.html
An excellent study with references done in 1993

http://www.av1611.org/vance/message.html
MESSAGE FROM HELL  An article written by Laurence M. Vance Ph. D.

http://www.seekgod.ca/msgdoctrine2.htm
The Message Doctrine – Gnostic or New Age Terms and Concepts

Aside from the heresies within the verses, there are also phrases that are used throughout this work that have roots in new age mysticism and even Satanism. Eugene references the phrase “As Above So Below” many times in “The Message”, including the Lord‘s Prayer. Believe it or not, this phrase is actually taken from the Satanic bible (The Natural Heirarchy) and is known as the “balance of nature”. The symbolism depicts the Satanic belief in Yin and Yang (if you have ever seen the artist renditions of Satan sitting Indian style with his right hand pointing upward and his left hand downward, this is the “as above, so below“ depiction).

Follow this link to read more about the origins of some of the phrases that abound in “The Message”.

http://www.seekgod.ca/msgdoctrine2.htm
http://www.seekgod.ca/msgdoctrine3.htm
The Message Doctrine – Gnostic or New Age Terms and Concepts

“The Message” has sold over 6 million copies and has spread like cancer through our churches. It’s preached from the pulpit by blind guides (Matthew 24:11) and endorsed by churches and entertainers alike. I will be revealing some connections in the coming weeks to shed more light on this abomination. It is my hope and prayer that if you have this book in your home, you will get rid of it immediately. There is no substitute for the word of God (Proverbs 30:5-6). If you hear “The Message” coming out of the pulpit on Sunday morning, get out of your church and find one that speaks the truth (1 Timothy 1:3-7,  2 Timothy 3:1-5).

Pray about this message and ask God to reveal the truth to you. 1 Corinthians 2:13 says “This is what we speak, not in words taught by human wisdom but in words taught by the Spirit, expressing spiritual truths in spiritual words”. The Holy Spirit teaches us the truths of God. We are in a time right now where we can no longer trust the words coming out of so-called teachers. As it was in the days of Jesus, the teachers of Gods law are increasingly perverse and deluded, some out of complicity to the designs of the flesh, some by ignorance. Matthew 7:14 says “small is the gate and narrow is the road that leads to Heaven, and few find it”. With the overwhelming population that claims Christianity, we already know that a great many will be lured away by false doctrine in the last days (Matthew 24:10-11).

Colossians 2:8 “See to it that no one takes you captive through hollow and deceptive philosophy, which depends on human tradition and the basic principles of this world rather than on Christ.”

FAIR USE NOTICE: This site may contain copyrighted material the use of which has not always been specifically authorized by the copyright owner. I am making such material available in my efforts to advance understanding of religious and political issues, etc. I believe this constitutes a ‘fair use’ of any such copyrighted material as provided for in section 107 of the US Copyright Law. In accordance with Title 17 U.S.C. Section 107, the material on this site is distributed without profit for research and educational purposes. For more information go to: http://www.law.cornell.edu/uscode/17/107.shtml. If you wish to use copyrighted material from this site for purposes of your own that go beyond ‘fair use’, you must obtain permission from the copyright owner.

Navigating the Weeds

Unlike the Marines, you can’t always go back for a fallen brother that has gone down a path you can’t follow. The tightrope that we walk in our attempts to be better people becomes even more tenuous when you are part of a ministry.  Every mistake and decision is magnified and stacked up against the Bible because, let’s be honest, people love to catch Christians in the act of being un-Christian. When Satan goes after a ministry, the easiest way to throw a wrench in the works is to discredit that ministry by using the ‘divide and conquer’ method.

There’s little worse than watching someone receive a blessing and then proceed to act like an insufferable twit because of it. We’re all human and we all fall short of the glory of God so it’s not a question of being perfect. Everyone fails that test. It’s a question of where your heart is and whether or not you really believe God is the complete source of your blessing. The pursuit of happiness and success is a human trait that everyone possesses. But Satan conveniently hides behind the ‘success’ mile marker with his crooked thumb out, ready to hitch a ride with anyone passing by simply because of the fine line that is drawn between Gods will and our own. As was the case with Peter when Jesus called him out onto the water (Matthew 14:25-33), he started to sink as soon as he took his eyes off of Jesus. As soon as anyone starts to believe that they are walking on water through their own power, a trip to the bottom of the lake is assured. Even if you believe God is the source of your success, ‘Ol Scratch will always be there to try and convince you that you deserve to take some credit as well. After all, you’ve earned it…right?

From time to time I’ve picked up ‘Ol Scratch myself. We all have. When you work hard for a goal it’s very easy and natural to want to take credit when that goal is reached without giving God his full due. The response to a blessing is more important than the blessing itself because it’s our response that determines whether or not that age old hitchhiker from Hell gets to grab a ride and steer us down a road we don’t recognize. Satan’s objective is to get us so deep in the weeds that we can’t see the road at all, using our own pride as a weapon to steal our blessing. And pride is like a malfunctioning GPS that sees roads where none exist. Following pride and crediting ourselves for God’s blessings is like blindly following the GPS while cornstalks are bouncing off of the windshield. Being honest with ourselves, realizing the real source of our successes, and giving God all of the credit is the only way to get back on the right road and out of the weeds.

Luke 9:62  “No one who puts his hand to the plow and looks back is fit for service in the kingdom of God.”

Romans 12:3  “Do not think more of yourself than you ought, but rather think of yourself with sober judgment, in accordance with the measure of faith God has given you.”

1 Corinthians 15:10 “but by the grace of God am I what I am, and His grace to me was not without effect. Yet not I, but the grace of God that was with me.

A Christian Nation?

I never thought I would be one to be out on the corner shouting about the end of things as we know it, not only because I look terrible in sackcloth, but because nobody really wants to be “that guy”. The one that everybody thinks is nuts, paranoid, and otherwise completely around the bend. But I’m quickly finding out that once you start shouting, it gets easier to just keep on going. And if people are going to think you‘re nuts you might as well make it a doozey. The truth is a bell that can’t be un-rung.

Our society is in a downward spiral and unfortunately the church has been taken down with it. Men and women eager to fight for biblical principles and moral decency have become very few in spite of the overwhelming Christian population of the US. How is that possible? Could it be that too many people have parsed the Word of God to find justification for their own deviant behavior? Has the church helped? Would you know the prompting of the Spirit if it came and slapped you upside your head? These are questions that can only be answered with the Spirit and a look inward. It‘s time to be honest with ourselves and God. We are living in times where right is wrong, black is white, and up is down. We’re in deep trouble.

I read a columnist this past week that compared Barack Obama to a biblical plague sent to a sinful nation. I think that comparison is pretty accurate. In Obama we have our first anti-Israel president. We also have the most anti-Christian president in our history. Regardless of the words that come out of the mouth of this man of shadows, his actions are reprehensible and transparent. The Bible is clear about the fate of those that stand in opposition to the apple of God’s eye, Israel. The United States has been thrown onto a collision course with the full fury of God because of the insolence the US has shown toward its greatest ally.

We are in a time where real choices have to be made about where you stand with God. The US government is taking step after step in contradiction of God’s word. The rubber will be hitting the road soon and you’ll  have to decide what you’re going to do. Do you have the faith required to stand for what you believe if what you believe is suddenly against the law? There is very little time left to decide. “Sunday Christianity” isn’t going to cut it. That’s what got us to this point. The church has lost the discernment of the Spirit and this nation has lost the blessing and covering of God. Obama was right. We’re not a Christian nation. We haven’t been a nation under God for quite some time. This is a nation of pretenders that wear Christianity like a fan wears a football jersey on game day.

In the words of the late great Harry Truman, “I don’t give anyone hell. I just tell the truth and it sounds like hell”.

Exodus #2

Moses didn’t want to do it. He bargained with God to find another solution so he wouldn’t have to be the one to step up against Pharaoh. But God’s people were in captivity and He required a leap of faith from Moses to lead them out. And Moses stepped up to the plate and out of his comfort zone.

Today we stand in captivity just like the Israelites did against Pharaoh. Except this time the enemy isn’t simply one man but a series of ideologies that converge on the same goal…to eliminate Christianity. The past 60 plus years have put our country under wave after wave of diseased thinking, our morality washed away by a flood of progressivism that is determined to separate us from our God and His truth. So many of our churches have become toothless, content to dish out biblical talking points without the might of the Spirit. Jesus called the church of his day a bunch of white-washed tombs filled with dead mens bones and vile corruption. Today there doesn’t seem to be much difference.
.
Religious shackles may be padded and comfortable, but they are chains nonetheless. We are all captive to leaders that are doing everything in their power to erode our sense of right and wrong and make us comfortable with depravity in the name of “progress“, and captive to a church body that has withdrawn from a position of strength to a position of weakness, content to retreat into a Christian bubble and sing songs while everything burns. Unfortunately there is very little time to break those chains. Gone is the hour for sermons that roll off of the tongue like appointments from a day-planner. Gone is the hour for a church with no room for the Holy Spirit but more than enough time to take offerings. Gone is the hour for legalistic churches that hold their people captive with rules and expectations that abuse and dishearten. And gone is the hour for churches that are cut off from the reality of the real darkness that is coming.

We are facing a Moses moment that requires a leap of faith and a step outside of our comfort zones. For many, it means a hard look inward at their own faith. God is getting ready to lead His people out again, but this time Jesus is the one leading the way. The question is, are you captive to a church that is dulling your senses and making you comfortable inside of the Christian bubble?

Headlines

This place is nuts. Totally upside down.

Last week I decided I would try a bit of an experiment and see how many anti-Christian headlines I could find over the course of a week. I hear about little bits and pieces all of the time, like the home prayer group in California that was forced to stop meeting because it violates some kind of building code. I wanted to see how many I could find in one weeks time.

All of these headlines appeared in a number of news places including Fox News, Christian Post, ABC News and World Net Daily, etc. . When you get your news in little bits and pieces, it’s easy to miss the big picture and not realize how often Christians come under fire. We are truly living in a post-Christian world. Check these out…

Army disinvites Franklin Graham from National Day of Prayer event
Obama stands with muslims as he promised
Obama’s Supreme Court choice : No Evangelicals Need Apply
Pelosi Warns Catholic Church to Play Majore Role in Immigration Reform
Comedy Central Creates JC Cartoon
Mojave Cross Stolen
Pope Says Enemy is Within the Church
Merrily Mocking Jesus but Scared to Death of Muslims
Preach Bible, Get Arrested. Trial for Street Minister Scheduled for September
Ban on Funding Religious Groups may Head to Florida Supreme Court
Connecticut School District Sued Over Tapping Megachurch for Graduation Ceremony
Anti-Prayer Billboards target Evangelical Strongholds
Muslims Want Franklin Graham Removed from Capitol Prayer
Pastor: American Dream Clashes with Jesus’ Teachings
Why God is Dead on the Supreme Court
Gallup Poll: More Americans Say US Morality Getting Worse
Ground Zero Mosque to Open 9/11/11

Can you believe that all of these happened in one week? The assault on Christianity is gaining strength and so much of it is happening in the shadows. But very soon it’s going to be out in the open in ways that will make these headlines pale in comparison. Christians have a choice to make. We are living in the end times and things are going to get really nasty for God’s people very soon. The man of shadows and the minions in his regime are working behind the scenes to silence our voices and bring on an all out war against believers. Just look at these headlines, taken from various news sources in one week! There can be no doubt that we are living in a world that spits in Gods face. We are truly living in dark times and real trials are ahead.

When the going gets tough will you admit that you know Him? Or will you deny Him to save yourself or keep from being imprisoned? The same question was asked of Peter, and even though he walked and talked with Jesus, he still denied him. We are entering the darkest period this world has ever seen and ever will see. Don’t make the mistake of thinking you won’t be faced with the same choice Peter was faced with. The question is, how will you answer?

The Time Is Coming

This is my first blog posting, so you’ll have to forgive me if it’s a bit ‘heady’. I know this may qualify me as a ‘nut job’ to many, and if so, this blog will have to suffice as my cardboard sign. I gladly take on the nut job label for my Savior. The truth is, a time is coming very soon when bold Christian voices will be hard to find. And as long as the freedom still exists to write blogs and speak out, I will (although the government is working to remove those rights from us at this very moment).

It’s hard not to notice the anti-Christian sentiment that has really gained intensity over the last year in the United States. Our own president declares that we are not a Christian nation, even though even a modest knowledge of history will overwhelmingly speak otherwise. The National Day of Prayer was ruled unconstitutional by a judge in Wisconsin this year. Franklin Graham was uninvited by the Pentagon to pray at the annual observance. Just look around or watch the news daily and you will see increasing evidence of a world that has not only turned their back on God, but spits in His face at every opportunity. We are definitely not the nation that we once were. Can it be long before Jesus returns?

I never thought I would see the day that Christianity would be reviled by so many people, but here we are. In truth, this has been happening slowly for quite a while. But with the current regime the war on Christians is really starting to heat up. And unless you’re paying attention, you may not even know it. Our president apologizes for America and panders to Islam, a religion that is diametrically opposed to Christianity. And that same man of shadows has the audacity to dictate to Israel what they will and won’t do with the land God gave them. A land that has already been divvied up among the surrounding nations like the lots cast for Jesus’ clothing at the foot of the cross. And all the while Christians sit in church and sing songs, patting each other on the back and basking in marathon bouts of ear tickling, Satan is at the gates and setting the stage for a full onslaught against God’s people. But do most of them notice? Not at all. Because Christianity has become very little more than a country club of fools, a subculture of people that have made it fashionable to block out the world and live in ignorant bliss while Rome burns outside. Is there no Jonah to warn Ninevah? No Noah to warn that the flood is coming? No Lot to warn that sudden destruction is on its way?

The leaked National Security memo from last year listed pro-life Christians as a group of potential domestic terrorists. Innocent men and women unhappy with the deceit and evil in Washington are branded as potential enemies of the state. What a backwards and sad world we live in.