Category: jesus

Posted in abraham, isaac, jephthah, jephthah's daughter, jesus

Two dirty words of the new Millennium

Posted on by elizabethprata

I suppose the Millennium isn’t new anymore, now being in its second decade. However in this day and age we see the words obey and submit as increasingly maligned.

We usually see the kerfuffles on social media and played out in small, sometimes heated, discussions among people in real life of the words obey and submit when applied to wives. Here are a few of the verses which command wives to do both.

Likewise, wives, be subject to your own husbands, so that even if some do not obey the word, they may be won without a word by the conduct of their wives, 2 when they see your respectful and pure conduct. (1 Peter 3:1-2).

Wives, submit yourselves to your own husbands as you do to the Lord. (Ephesians 5:22)

Wives, submit yourselves to your husbands, as is fitting in the Lord. (Colossians 3:18)

Today I will focus on children. Not just husbands or wives, but children are supposed to obey and submit, too. The Fifth Commandment speaks to this, and it is the first commandment with a promise, interestingly.

Honor your father and your mother, that your days may be long in the land that the LORD your God is giving you. (Exodus 20:12)

Lest one balk that these are just “Old Testament” commands and argue that they’re passe, old fashioned, or outdated, look at what Jesus said several times in the New Testament:

For God said, ‘Honor your father and mother’ and ‘Anyone who curses their father or mother is to be put to death.’ (Matthew 15:4)

honor your father and mother,’ and ‘love your neighbor as yourself. (Matthew 19:19)

AND see what Paul by the Spirit:

“Honor your father and mother”–which is the first commandment with a promise— (Ephesians 6:2)

Children, obey your parents in everything, for this pleases the Lord. (Colossians 3:20)

In that last verse, Paul was speaking about the family structure, with husband/father as head, submitting to Jesus, mothers/wives are to submit to husbands, and children are to submit to and obey parents. As long as the persons within the family structure follow these commands, everything will flow smoothly, spiritual blessing will come, and the Lord’s promises will be delivered. This is because the Godly family is the foundation block of society and one of the ways to illustrate God’s standards and His strength to a dark world.

Biblical Filial Obedience: Jephthah’s daughter and Abraham’s son

Genesis 22:1-19 records the story of Isaac’s obedience to his father, Abraham. (It records the incident for many other reasons, too, but we’ll look at Isaac in this scenario). God told Abraham to journey to the top of Mt. Moriah and to sacrifice Isaac, his only son, whom Abraham loved, at the altar there. Isaac was no babe. He was no mere tot, nor a child. Though the bible does nor record exactly how old Isaac was, he was anywhere from between the age of 13 to 37. He was his own man, or nearly so. Isaac was obedient to his father all his days- not just when he “had to” as a kid.

Sacrifice of Isaac, by Caravaggio

First, Isaac journeyed with his father. When Abraham announced the lengthy journey, Isaac didn’t argue, roll his eyes, stamp his foot, or demand that he be allowed to go to the prom instead. He went.

In addition, he willingly was a beast of burden for his father. When Abraham laid the bundle of wood on Isaac’s back for the offering, Isaac carried it. He didn’t whine, he didn’t groan, and he didn’t complain.

Third, and of course this is the most meaningful one, is that Isaac allowed his father to tie him and lay him on the altar. Isaac isn’t recorded as balking even when Abraham raised the knife to “slaughter” his son.

Of course I do not mean that children are to be passive tools of abuse. I don’t accept that they are to be dealt with violently. The scene in Genesis was an extraordinary scene, mirroring the one and only scene of the Father of Lights glorifying His Son whom He loved as He allowed Him to be slaughtered by sinful men for our sins as the sacrifice. Abraham and Isaac had a unique and vivid relationship with the LORD. However, the point is that Isaac trusted His father Abraham. When Isaac asked where the sacrifice was, and Abraham said the LORD would provide it, Isaac knew His LORD and he knew his father knew his LORD. At the root of obedience is trust in God.

As for the gals, we have Jephthah’s daughter. Judges 11 has the story. Jephthah was a mighty warrior. When it looked like the Ammonites were going to attack, the men besought Jephthah to be their general and lead them into victory in the LORD’S name. He accepted the call of duty, and the Spirit of the LORD was upon Jephthah. (Judges 11:29). But just because the Spirit was upon him does not mean that Jephthah was making all the right decisions, as his tragic vow in the very next verse demonstrates.

The Return of Jephtha, by Giovanni Antonio Pellegrini

Jephthah made a vow to the LORD and said, “If You will indeed give the sons of Ammon into my hand, 31then it shall be that whatever comes out of the doors of my house to meet me when I return in peace from the sons of Ammon, it shall be the LORD’S, and I will offer it up as a burnt offering.” (Judges 11:30-31)

The LORD did give the Ammonites into the Israelites’ hand, and satisfied, Jephthah went home. He loved his daughter, his only daughter, as the bible records. He had no sons. Despite being an old and mighty warrior he was tender toward her. That is why he was horrified to see that the first person exiting his house upon his return was…his daughter. The LORD was punishing Jephthah for bargaining with Him, not having enough trust in Him to deliver the victory, and for making a vow to sacrifice a person – which is forbidden.

Jephthah accepted her father’s vow and only asked for two months to go into the mountains to bewail her misfortune in never being able to bear children, the high point of life for a Hebrew maiden. It also means that her father’s line would be ended, thus nullifying the possibility that their genealogy would be included in the Messianic line.

The Daughter did indeed return at the appointed time and indeed the burnt offering was carried out. (Judges 11:39).

The daughter’s obedience actually indicated a deeper worship and knowledge of the LORD than her father’s.

Her answer was most heroic. There were no resentful or rebellious tones in it. She shed no tears, nor shook with despair after her father with a crushed heart spoke of his vow. There was the quiet acceptance of the tragic fact that she was to be the burnt offering her father had promised. Only known by the simple title of “Jephthah’s daughter,” this most commendable maiden may not have had the gifts and talents of some other women of the Bible, but she will ever remain as the incarnation of willing sacrifice. “My father, if thou hast made this promise to the Lord, do to me according to the promise.” If there is a quality for which a woman is supreme, it is sacrifice, and in this virtue the obedient daughter of Jephthah gave what was nobler than gifts—she offered herself. (Source Bible Gateway)

The two examples here, Isaac and Jephthah’s daughter, show that they were either prepared to or actually did submit themselves unto death for the glory and honor of the name of the LORD. There is no greater filial obedience humanly possible, except for Jesus’ sacrifice in willingly following His Father’s plan to die for our sins.

In today’s times, we are not called by our parents to sacrifice ourselves unto death, but we are called to be living sacrifices by our spiritual Father, Jesus Christ. These two examples of filial obedience are worth mulling. We see the pale shadow of obedience of today’s youth and adults, and we know that in the future that obedience will be non-existent. (2 Timothy 3:2, 1 Timothy 1:9).

Jephthah accepted her fate, asking only for time to mourn and prepare. Today’s daughters pitch a fit when dads ask them not to text at the table. Isaac humbly carried the firewood up the mountain for his dad, asking only where the sacrifice was. Today’s sons roll their eyes and diss their dad when asked to take out the trash.

We are all called to Godly obedience. Ephesians 6:1 says

Children, obey your parents in the Lord, for this is right.

Bible Exposition Commentary by Warren Wiersbe says,

When a person becomes a Christian, he is not released from normal obligations of life. If anything, his faith in Christ ought to make him a better child in the home. To the Colossians Paul enforced his admonition with “for this is well pleasing unto the Lord” (Col. 3:20). Here is harmony in the home: the wife submits to the husband “as unto Christ”; the husband loves his wife “even as Christ also loved the church”; and the children obey “in the Lord.”

Children, youth, young adults, older children of aged parents, submit and obey. They are not dirty words but are blessed words which in brings blessing when lived out. When you’re asked to do something against which you rebel, whether it be anything from taking out the trash, to being denied access to the family car at the moment you want it, all the way to refraining from porn or protecting your virginity, think of the honor Jephthah’s daughter brought to the Lord’s name and how Isaac’s submission is still talked of today. Love, honor, and obey your father. After all, Jesus did.

And being found in human form, he humbled himself by becoming obedient to the point of death, even death on a cross. (Philippians 2:8)

Posted in animation, chris powers, jesus, sufficient

Girls, stop cutting, Jesus loves you

Posted on by elizabethprata

By HIS stripes you were healed!

What is cutting?

Self-harm can be a way of coping with problems. It may help you express feelings you can’t put into words, distract you from your life, or release emotional pain. Afterwards, you probably feel better—at least for a little while. But then the painful feelings return, and you feel the urge to hurt yourself again. If you want to stop but don’t know how, remember this: you deserve to feel better, and you can get there without hurting yourself.

The self-injury epidemic we’re seeing is not restricted to secular girls and boys. Christian teens do it too. This article from Today’s Christian Woman titled “The Razor’s Edge: Why even Christian teens aren’t immune from the epidemic of self-mutilation and what you can do” was written in 2004, so imagine how prevalent the self-injury epidemic is now over ten years later, with the world having gotten even more difficult, confusing, and evil for these impressionable teens.

It’s more prevalent among Christian teens than people like to think,” she says. “Self-injury is just beginning to be recognized and treated in Christian circles. If you do it, you feel like a freak. You feel unlovable, as if you were beyond God’s grace. But a cutter needs to realize Jesus loves her as she is and that his atonement is sufficient for her sins.”

 If you took the time to watch the above video, I’ll make two comments. Chris explained in an interview that he purposely adorned the gal with a yellow smiley tee shirt yet has a razor in her hand ready to cut herself. He did this to reflect the reality that so many youth today are depressed, confused, but don’t show it on the outside yet feel intense despair in the inside. By God’s grace, he received an email after publishing this particular video from a girl who simply said “I stopped cutting myself because of this video.” Praise the Lord for that!

Not that one would expect this video to have the exact same effect on all persons who view it, but the idea is they were bathed in prayer, created and animated by a dedicated man of God, and the content points to Christ. The Holy Spirit WILL use them for Jesus’ glory. (John 16:14-15.)

Christopher Powers is a talented animator who makes Christ-honoring and exalting videos and other visual resources for the edification of the members of the global church. He is immersed in making study guides to go along with each new video, perfect for small group study. Full of Eyes is a ministry that exists to provide these and other visual resources to people who want to spread the Gospel of the Glory of Jesus Christ. The images and videos can be useful to pastors, missionaries, and every Christian who wants to communicate with others about Christ.

Christopher’s theology is solid. He has recently finished seminary and is married with no children (yet). His aim is to work-full time on these resources and produce them in quality fashion, but quickly. You can support him with a one-time donation or each month through Patreon or Gaius. I support him through Patreon. You can give for as little as $1 per month.

Chris’s website is www.fullofeyes.com. On that page you will find his Resources, all of which are free. The only item to pay for is the postal cost for mailing of the tract cards. All videos, study guides, artwork etc are free to use in the hopes that Christ is exalted and the Gospel is preached.

I bring this up for two reasons. Chris is a young man who is solidly Christ-centered. I personally believe when we find a young person willing to give all and risk all for the glory of Christ, and is as solid as he is, they should be promoted and supported and prayed for. Secondly, on the practical side, his work is spiritually moving and will definitely appeal to the young people he seeks to reach. Please consider sharing his work with the youth in your circle. Powers’ work is so much better than the watered down, meaningless, seeker-sensitive hogwash we are subjected to on a daily basis.

My favorites are the video animations “Dead Come Alive”, “All I Have is Christ,” and the tract cards.

Blessings, and thanks.

Further Reading:

Kids’ Health: What is Cutting?

Teens Talk About Cutting

GotQuestions: What does the bible say about self-mutilation/cutting?

412 Teens: What Does the bible say about Self-Harm/Cutting?

Posted in ISIS, jesus, jordan, nimrod, prophecy

ISIS, Jordan and prophecy

Posted on by elizabethprata

Jordan is much in the news today, due to the horrific killing of its downed pilot. The world became aware of the pilot’s killing because the Muslim terror group ISIS released a video of it.

ISIS’ brutal killings, march of terror over the interior Middle East, and its famed videotaped beheadings certainly bring back to mind their ancestors, the Assyrians. In this same region several thousand years ago, the mighty kingdom of Assyria had arisen, with its capital, Nineveh. God used this nation to punish Israel.

In 722 BC, the Assyrians conquered Israel. The Assyrians were aggressive and effective; the history of their dominance over the Middle East is a history of constant warfare. In order to assure that conquered territories would remain pacified, the Assyrians would force many of the native inhabitants to relocate to other parts of their empire. They almost always chose the upper and more powerful classes, for they had no reason to fear the general mass of a population. They would then send Assyrians to relocate in the conquered territory.

When they conquered Israel, they forced the ten tribes to scatter throughout their empire. For all practical purposes, you might consider this a proto-Diaspora (“diaspora”=”scattering”), except that these Israelites disappear from history permanently; they are called “the ten lost tribes of Israel.” (Virtual Jewish Library)

One small section of Sennacherib’s Lachish relief. Wikipedia

Assyrian King Sennacherib’s statement inscribed on the relief: “Sennacherib, the mighty king, king of the country of Assyria, sitting on the throne of judgment, before (or at the entrance of) the city of Lachish (Lakhisha). I give permission for its slaughter“

The Assyrians were known for their terrible brutality. When Sennacherib defeated Israel’s second most important city, Lachish, he commissioned a 12 foot tall relief commemorating the effort. In the Lachish relief we see the Assyrians flinging Israelites off the ramparts, leading them in a line with meathooks in their jaws, and worse. Just the name of Assyria brought terror to the hearts of its enemies.

In His sovereign plan, God used Assyria as His rod of judgment upon Israel. We read When Assyria was God’s Rod…

In Isaiah 10 our Lord spoke about the coming judgment of Israel through the prophet. He explained in vivid imagery that nothing remained for those who stood condemned, but the coming condemnation. In this case, God was going to rouse Assyria against Israel (Judah). To frame this judgment, the Lord says through Isaiah, that Assyria doesn’t intend to be God’s rod of correction; that they are merely another wicked nation and that this plundering of Israel is merely an expression of their own corruption. Once God has used the Assyrians to judge Israel, He will then judge Assyria.

He did. Assyria’s capital, Nineveh, was so thoroughly destroyed that though its destruction occurred in 612 BC, the city and environs were not re-discovered until 1849AD. God had promised Israel that He’d make an utter devastation to the place, and that the Assyrians would not bother them a second time. (Nahum 1:8-9).

Jordan. National Motto: “God, Country, The King.” But which God?

Now, what of Jordan? Jordan’s history is pretty interesting. When the Ottoman Empire was defeated in 1916, the Sykes–Picot Agreement carved it up between Britain and France, defining much of the common border between Syria and what was to become Jordan, Palestine / Israel and Iraq. Wikipedia has more:

The Emirate of Transjordan, also hyphenated as Trans-Jordan and previously known as Transjordania or Trans-Jordania, was a British protectorate established in April, 1921. The Hashemite dynasty ruled the protectorate, as well as the neighbouring Mandatory Iraq, following the Cairo Conference. The territory was officially under the British Mandate for Palestine, but it had a fully autonomous governing system from Mandatory Palestine. In 1946, the Emirate became an independent state named the Hashemite Kingdom of Transjordan. In April 1949 the name was shortened to the Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan.

The Emir of Transjordan from 1921–1946 was Abdullah I. The British Representative from Oct 1921 – Nov 1921 was T. E. Lawrence, also known as “Lawrence of Arabia.” Yes, he was a real man, it wasn’t just a movie.

The Hashemite emir Abdullah, elder son of Britain’s wartime Arab ally Hussein bin Ali was placed on the throne of Transjordan. The king of The Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan today is Abdullah II. Both Abdullahs were/are Sunni Muslim.

After WWI, Abdullah I, alone among the Arab leaders of his generation, was considered a moderate by the West. It is possible that he might have been willing to sign a separate peace agreement with Israel, but for the Arab League’s militant opposition. Because of his dream for a Greater Syria comprising the borders of what was then Transjordan, Syria, Lebanon, and the British Mandate for Palestine under a Hashemite dynasty with “a throne in Damascus,” many Arab countries distrusted Abdullah and saw him as both “a threat to the independence of their countries and they also suspected him of being in cahoots with the enemy” and in return, Abdullah distrusted the leaders of other Arab countries. Source.

King Abdullah I

In 1951, King Abdullah I was assassinated while visiting Al-Aqsa Mosque in Jerusalem. The alleged reason was that his enemies suspected the King of engaging in secret talks to participate in a peace treaty with the new country of Israel. The regional distrust of the dynasty ruling Jordan continues today, partly because the peace treaty Jordan signed with Israel did come about (in 1994), despite pressure as recent as a few months ago to cancel it. We know from prophecy that in the end, no nation will be friends with Israel (Zechariah 12:3) so at some point that one remaining regional pact will disappear.

One last thing before we go to this week’s news. The Abdullah family traces its Hashemite ancestry back to Ishmael, (Abraham’s son by Hagar), and ancestry continuing through the prophet Muhammad and his daughter Fatima.

You might remember Genesis 16:11, where Sarai told Hagar to come to Abram and lay with Abram and Hagar did so. The LORD said the son from that union shall be called Ishmael.

You shall call his name Ishmael, because the Lord has listened to your affliction. 12He shall be a wild donkey of a man, his hand against everyone and everyone’s hand against him, and he shall dwell over against all his kinsmen. (Genesis 16:11-12)

The LORD promised blessings to the line of Ishmael, but His covenant would be with Abram’s son Isaac and his line.

As for Ishmael, I have heard you; behold, I have blessed him and will make him fruitful and multiply him greatly. He shall father twelve princes, and I will make him into a great nation. (Genesis 17:20)

Ishmael’s half-brother Isaac was born a year later. However due to the laws of primogeniture wherein the first-born son is considered the inheritor, the line from Ishmael never recognized Isaac’s right to inherit and still to this day considers Ishmael the proper heir. That is why King Abdullah traces his line back to “Ismail”. However it was the LORD’S decision that not only will the covenant be through Isaac’s line, but the elder shall serve the younger. This was stated when Jacob and Esau were in the womb-

And the LORD said to her, “Two nations are in your womb, and two peoples from within you shall be divided; the one shall be stronger than the other, the older shall serve the younger.” (Genesis 25:23)

In addition, the Ishmaelites forget that Esau purposely renounced his birthright for a bowl of lentil stew. (Genesis 25:34).

The News: Nothing New Under the Sun

King Abdullah II of Jordan was incensed this week that one of his pilots who crash landed in Assyrian ISIS territory was put in a cage and burned alive. It was a barbaric and brutal event, made worse by its videotaping by conscienceless terrorists. He vowed to crush ISIS and retaliate with everything the nation’s got.

Jordan unleashes wrath on ISIS: ‘This is just the beginning’

Jordanian Foreign Minister Nasser Judeh later stressed to CNN that the airstrikes marked the beginning of his nation’s retaliation over the pilot’s death, but not the start of its fight against terrorism. He vowed to destroy ISIS. “We are upping the ante. We’re going after them wherever they are, with everything that we have. But it’s not the beginning, and it’s certainly not the end,” Judeh said.

Jordanian fighter jets strike hard at ISIS, pay tribute to murdered pilot

Jordanian fighter pilots carried out devastating sorties against ISIS early Thursday, making good on their king’s vow of vengeance for the horrific burning death of a captured airman — whose hometown the jets buzzed triumphantly after the mission. Reports from the Middle East said the latest strikes killed 55 members of ISIS, including a senior commander known as the “Prince of Nineveh.”

You can see by that statement that ISIS purposely identifies with ancient Assyria and with Nineveh itself. Nineveh has a long and terrible history. The city’s history goes back to just after the Flood, to Genesis 10. After Noah was 500 years old, Noah begat three sons, one of them was Ham. (Genesis 5:32). Ham begat Cush, and Cush begat Nimrod. (Genesis 10:8-9). Noah’s great-grandson Nimrod is specifically noted as the first on earth to be a mighty man, AKA a tyrant. Nimrod built Nineveh.

A handshake between Hussein I of Jordan and Yitzhak Rabin,
accompanied by Bill Clinton, during the Israel-Jordan peace negotiations,
July 25th, 1994

Assyria was an actual nation and its name also stands for the type of nation which in the future, in all brutality will come against Israel. Another name for this type of nation is “Land of Nimrod.” Jesus will smite them and Israel will be at peace. This is an end-time Tribulation/Millennium prophecy. Some believe Micah refers to the antichrist when he says ‘the Assyrian’, but most commenters believe the Assyrian stands for the type of brutal enemy in general that the former nation of Assyria was. For example, Walvoord and Zuck’s Bible Knowledge Commentary says,

Though Assyria will not exist as a nation in the future, it represents nations who, like Assyria in Micah’s time, will threaten and attack Jerusalem (cf. Zech. 12:9; 14:2–3).

Micah 5:1-6 has the prophecy-.

Now muster your troops, O daughter of troops;
siege is laid against us;
with a rod they strike the judge of Israel
on the cheek.
But you, O Bethlehem Ephrathah,
who are too little to be among the clans of Judah,
from you shall come forth for me
one who is to be ruler in Israel,
whose coming forth is from of old,
from ancient days.
Therefore he shall give them up until the time
when she who is in labor has given birth;
then the rest of his brothers shall return
to the people of Israel.
And he shall stand and shepherd his flock in the strength of the Lord,
in the majesty of the name of the Lord his God.
And they shall dwell secure, for now he shall be great
to the ends of the earth.
And he shall be their peace.
When the Assyrian comes into our land
and treads in our palaces,
then we will raise against him seven shepherds
and eight princes of men;
they shall shepherd the land of Assyria with the sword,
and the land of Nimrod at its entrances;
and he shall deliver us from the Assyrian
when he comes into our land
and treads within our border.

Bible Knowledge Commentary again,

This is one of Messiah’s several accomplishments in bringing peace to Israel (vv. 5–15). He will be Israel’s peace because He will subdue the hostile powers around that nation. … The land of Nimrod (cf. Gen. 10:8–9; 1 Chron. 1:10) was a synonym for Assyria (cf. Assyria as a name for Persia in Ezra 6:22). Christ will enable Israel to defeat her foes, giving the nation a more-than-adequate number of shepherds or leaders (on the formula seven … even eight; cf. comments on “three … even four” in Amos 1:3). Whereas many nations have ruled Israel with the sword, in the Millennium the tables will be turned and Israel will rule over her foes because He, Messiah, will deliver her (cf. Zech. 14:3).

CONCLUSION

All of this to show several things:

1. The Preacher said,

What has been is what will be, and what has been done is what will be done, and there is nothing new under the sun. (Ecclesiastes 1:9)

and that which is done, is that which shall be done; what is done in the present age, nay, in this year, month, or day, shall be done over again in the next; Gill’s Exposition

War after war in the Middle East, man’s brutality, hatred of Israel, the long struggle between the two nations in Rebekah’s womb, the old Assyrians, the new Assyrians (ISIS) …all known to God and He will bring it to the good for those who love Him and to the justice of those who don’t. Either way, it all will end in glory.

2. God’s sovereignty, majesty, power, and might are demonstrated from the opening letter of the bible to the last amen. What’s happening now goes back to Genesis 10 and even before, to Genesis 3. All that is being done now on earth by men and demons are part of His sovereign plan which will culminate in the visible glory of our risen Christ coming to judge, rule, and reign. Prophecy is mighty in demonstration just Who is in control.

3. Prophecy marches apace. Today is one day closer to the fulfillment of all that is written. Hallelujah!

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Further Reading

Jordan braces for ISIS

Jordan has a great role to play in the end times

Petra, Jordan by night

Obadiah’s future prophecy regarding Jordan


Posted in gentle speech, jesus, proper speech, scripture

Editorial: Be vigilant about your comment section

Posted on by elizabethprata

Either through AOL chat, online newspapers, bulletin boards, blogs, Facebook, or Twitter I’ve been running online comment sections since 1999. I’ve had a lot of experience seeing how people choose to say things either openly or anonymously. I’ve also seen a steep decline in the quality of online (and real life) discourse.

By 2004 online newspapers and blogs became ubiquitous. That year was dubbed Year of the Blog. Anonymous commenting flourished. Prior to this, the only public discourse available was tightly controlled. Letters to the Editor had to be signed with your real name, and include a telephone number so the editor could call to verify. Journals and other publications demanded the same. The internet either wasn’t invented or it was so new, not everyone was online. Books went through an even tighter process, if you could even reach the front door of a publishing house. Handing out personal leaflets or pamphlets was looked upon with suspicion, especially if someone was handing them out while standing on a street corner. To use a microphone at a public meeting you had to sign your name and be called to the podium. If your discourse was too inflammatory, your mic would be shut off. If someone wanted to say something publicly either in oral or written form, it was very hard, and there was no such thing as anonymous commenting. (Benjamin Franklin’s penchant for pseudonymous commenting notwithstanding).

It’s amazing to me that it’s been 11 years since the Year of the Blog and 16 years since the internet with its comment forums, bulletin boards and comment sections has become part of normal daily life. That short history lesson was needed, because 16 years is a long time and many of the younger brethren don’t know what it was like before we could easily and anonymously say anything, anytime, anywhere.

I’ve enjoyed the loosening of the forums available to the public in order to employ free speech and I am a great advocate of the internet as a freely available place to exchange ideas. However with great freedom comes great responsibility, Eleanor Roosevelt said. Many people fail to take their responsibility for measured speech responsibly, and the devil is having his heyday.

Just as we thrill to the idea that we can support international ministries like Grace to You which reaches a huge audience, and just as we can responsibly use social media and the Internet to get the message of Jesus across to a wider audience ourselves, so satan uses social media too. He captured Hollywood and then the networks and then cable. Now online Christian newspapers, blogs, forums and the like are bastions of false doctrine, angry rhetoric, and tarnished witness.

The bible has a lot to say about how a Christian should speak, and also what to do when speaking to and dealing with non-believers. Over 70 times in the bible we read proverbs, commands, and advice for proper speech.

I’d like to take a moment to discuss online Christian speech and to bring us back to the biblical standards for how to react to hateful speech, scornful speech, sarcastic speech, and mocking speech. The bible says a lot about how WE are supposed to conduct ourselves in discourse, but today I’d like to comment on how to proceed when faced with less than desirable comments online, AKA, moderating.

What do you do when faced with someone’s sarcastic, mocking comment, or seems to want only to argue?

The short answer is: delete them without a second thought. If necessary, block them. More on why in a moment.

Here is the lesson. I’ve noticed a marked upswing in scornful and hateful comments. In some examples it’s obvious that they should be deleted. The other night I received a comment responding to an essay that simply said, in all caps, “I HOPE YOU ALL DIE.” I actually laughed at that one, because we all do die. The sad or happy part is what comes after for each of us.

But satan is a subtle creature and he instills a sly menace in some comments, comments that on the surface seem like they should be engaged with but are only there to cause a hindrance to pursuit of God’s glory. Another commenter said the other night,

It consistently amazes me how you pick and choose bible verses that are applicable to your argument, yet call out “false prophets” for doing the exact same thing.

The clues in this comment are the word ‘consistently’ (he keeps reading this blog enough to think I do something consistently which in his opinion is stupid. My question is, why keep reading?), the scare quotes around the phrase “false prophet” (Scare quotes are often used to express skepticism, disapproval, or derision, says the journalism dictionary, and writers are advised to use them sparingly) and the ad hominem charge with no supporting data. An ad hominem attack is simply an attack on the writer’s character. Lacking data, reason, or logic, they usually just fall back to “you’re a big huge poopyhead.” They rarely if ever use a name.

I responded like this:

Can you show me an example of which verse I’ve used incorrectly, and show me how the verse should be understood? Anonymous, you have scare quotes around the phrase “false prophets”. Does this mean you believe there aren’t any? Or, do you believe the ones I’ve called out are not actually false? Please use scripture to help us understand your meaning.

I’m serious here. The Internet is a cold screen, and facial expressions and tone won’t come through. Maybe I misunderstood the person, and I’d like to give the person a chance to respond with scripture and facts in order to understand their intent and position.

Sometimes they respond positively, and we can go on in unity under the love of Christ, gaining a better understanding. However in this particular example, when I asked Anonymous to provide bible verses he said, “That’s a nice little trick there.” Then he simply made more ad hominem charges. I deleted the comment. Why?

1. If they are a non-believer, why allow them to co-opt the discussion and insert false doctrine or destroy the tone? Also, you can’t disciple a goat into a sheep.
2. If they are a believer, why allow them a forum to further dig themselves into a sin-hole?

Discernment lesson: Don’t let trolls online or people in real life sway you from a focus on Jesus with the bible as the basis. Scripture is the only truth, and the only means when discussing Him to arrive at a reasonable conclusion. (Isaiah 1:18, 2 Timothy 3:16). If they refuse, you know they aren’t genuinely striving to glorify Jesus or trying to help you (or me). In these cases, sadly, the bible says plenty about conversations like the one Anonymous wanted to have.

Since their conversation doesn’t emanate from above, but from within, “Like a dog that returns to his vomit is a fool who repeats his folly.” (Proverbs 26:11)

“A fool takes no pleasure in understanding, but only in expressing his opinion.” (Prov 18:2). This goes both ways, for the commenter, but also for the Moderator. Once we stray from scripture, everything else is our own opinion and I would quickly become foolish too. That’s why I’m vigilant, I don’t want to provide a forum for a fool to increase his sin nor to provide a pit for me to fall into. I”m a sinner too.

In these cases when the person persists in their opinion and becomes more heated, we shake the dust off and leave them be. (Mark 6:11). “Have nothing to do with foolish, ignorant controversies; ” (2 Timothy 2:23)

Otherwise,

“Answer not a fool according to his folly, lest you be like him yourself.” (Proverbs 26:4)

I say all this to let you know that if you run a blog, forum, or comment stream, like on Facebook, to not be hesitant to delete, refuse to engage, or leave people like this alone. In cases like these I delete and don’t think twice. No regrets. Sometimes I think we are so full of love and care for everyone to come to Christ we engage in conversations that are better left alone, which only end up damaging our own character as we sin by falling into sarcasm, anger, or “foolish controversies.” If you run an online forum or facilitate a real life group, don’t damage your own witness by over-extending into the fool’s sphere. To keep a clear head, it’s simple- always stay with scripture as the basis for any conversation. It is scripture that convinces, convicts, and saves. Not my opinion- or theirs.

If anyone thinks he is religious and does not bridle his tongue but deceives his heart, this person’s religion is worthless. (James 1:26)

The other important reason to be strict about not letting the conversation stray too far off scripture and off the point is that we don’t want to be a place where doctrinal confusion reigns. I refuse to allow this blog or any other forum I moderate to become a hindrance to the growth of a weaker brother or sister. I do not want to confuse anybody! Questions are fine, discussion is fine, but allowing people with an agenda to promote their false doctrines won’t happen here.

I can’t tell you how many people comment about the ‘fact’ that Darby invented the rapture, or how John MacArthur is a false teacher, or how Beth Moore must be a good teacher because she “helped” someone feel better about themselves. And don’t even get me started on how many people write to me with their dream or vision. Those comments will never see the light of day. Not. Gonna. Happen. I am responsible to Jesus for everything I say and everything I do. I won’t be part of helping to send a sister off in a wrong direction under the false notion of “fairness” or “love” to a person who may have mal-intent or is just plain wrong. I truly love my brethren too much for that.

So do not let anyone guilt you into publishing their comment, or worse, their essay as a guest writer, just because they have a misunderstanding of what censorship and free speech is. Not publishing a comment isn’t destroying their free speech. It’s called moderating. Free speech means any person can go start their own blog and they can comment all day and all night if they want, and here in America for the time being, people can still do that.

Whoever keeps his mouth and his tongue keeps himself out of trouble.. (Proverbs 21:23)

Let no corrupting talk come out of your mouths, but only such as is good for building up, as fits the occasion, that it may give grace to those who hear. (Ephesians 4:29)

Posted in discernment, glorify, jesus, paul

Philippians 1:10- Why do we want to abound in all discernment?

Posted on by elizabethprata

And this I pray, that your love may abound still more and more in real knowledge and all discernment, 10so that you may approve the things that are excellent, in order to be sincere and blameless until the day of Christ; (Philippians 1:9-10)

Let’s look specifically at verse 10. Whenever there is a ‘so that’ or a ‘in order to’ it means there is a causal relationship. We are supposed to DO something in order that a result can come about.

Here I’d like to focus on the “all discernment”. Why does Paul want the Philippians (and us) to have all discernment? Because discernment is a critical ingredient in an important process. The result Paul is praying for his people to have is to be pure and blameless on the day we stand before Jesus. So now let’s look at this process and see how in honing our discernment it helps us strive toward this end.

Literally, “With a view to your proving (and so approving and embracing) the things that excel” (Ro 2:18); not merely things not bad, but the things best among those that are good; the things of more advanced excellence. Ask as to things, not merely, Is there no harm, but is there any good, and which is the best?

Source: Jamieson, R., Fausset, A. R., & Brown, D. (1997). Commentary Critical and Explanatory on the Whole Bible (Vol. 2, p. 361). 

Now this is interesting. There are three questions the Commenter said we ask in discerning.

–Is there harm?
–Is there any good?
–Which is the best?

We already know that at the basic level, discernment means sifting between what is good and what is bad. That’s the part in asking ‘is there harm?’ In addition, as Spurgeon said, “Discernment is not simply a matter of telling the difference between what is right and wrong; rather it is the difference between right and almost right.” That’s the second question.

And now here we have a third part of the process of discernment, distinguishing between what is good and what is best. This is an often overlooked part of discernment.

If your son or daughter is choosing a college to attend, if you’re able, don’t you want them to choose the best? If you’re buying a book to read, all other things being equal, don’t you choose the one with the best reviews? If you are a Sunday School Superintendent choosing new material to use in class, don’t you want the best? No one says, ‘Nah, I’ll pass over the best and settle for the merely good.’

It’s like if a tsunami is coming. The waters are rising and you’ve gotten to high ground. It’s good ground. You’re pretty sure it’s good enough. But you still have time to reach the best ground, where you can be sure you won’t get swept away. Do you stay put? Of course not. To save your life you strive for the best and highest ground.

Discernment is like that. I remember reading a Christian woman’s essay about this very thing in practical terms. Sunny Shell, on why she chose to no longer follow John Piper.

I’ve found the teachings from John Piper and “Desiring God” (after testing it with God’s word) requires more discernment than I currently possess. And since there are other Christian teachers/ministries I can learn from (e.g., John MacArthur/Grace to You, Alistair Begg/Truth for Life, R.C. Sproul and son, R.C. Sproul, Jr./Ligonier Ministries) that don’t give me tired-head, I’ve chosen to only follow those who are clearly and faithfully following the Lord (Heb 13:7).

Discernment includes searching out the best holy ground we possibly can, so that Jesus is MORE glorified rather than LESS glorified. Seek out what you know to be the best, and stick with that.

Keep going up and up

Our ultimate aim always is to glorify Jesus. However there are several additional reasons why we want to “abound still more and more in real knowledge and all discernment, 10so that you may approve the things that are excellent”. The first reason is so that others will benefit.

all discernment – The term aisthēsis refers to the ability to make decisions for the benefit of others. 1:10 what is superior When the Philippians’ love abounds, they will be able to determine what is most valuable or beneficial to the community of believers.

Barry, J. D., Heiser, M. S., Custis, M., Mangum, D., & Whitehead, M. M. (2012). Faithlife Study Bible (Php 1:9–10). Bellingham, WA: Logos Bible Software.

What if you were running from the rising waters of the tsunami again. And you were not too familiar with the ground and you thought you’d reached the highest you could go, and sat down to see if the waters would reach you or not. But along came someone who had hiked that hill before and knew there was a narrow pass that led to even higher ground? Would you stay put? Of course not, you’d be grateful someone came along and showed you that though where you were was good, it was beneficial to move to where it was best.

The second reason we discern is so that our minds can be renewed. And here we have the most critical reason why discernment is important. (along with the other items Paul prayed for us to have). The process of discernment helps to sharpen the mind and to renew it according to Christ’s likeness. This is the process I spoke of at the beginning.

Gills Exposition explains this aspect of the Philippians 1:10 verse

Or “try things that differ”. There are some things that differ one from other; as morality and grace, earthly things and heavenly things, carnal and spiritual, temporal and eternal things, law and Gospel, the doctrines of men and the doctrines of Christ; all which differ as much as chaff and wheat, as gold, silver, precious stones, and wood, hay, stubble.

These are to be tried and proved; they are not to be received without distinction, but should be examined, which is right and best to be chosen and preferred; and to such trial and examination it is necessary that a man should be transformed, by the renewing of his mind, that he should have spiritual light, knowledge, and experience, have his spiritual senses exercised to discern the difference of things.

Let Jesus freshen and open your mind
as you practice discernment. EPrata photo

Gill said these things are not to be received without distinction. In today’s Christianity we are barraged with the notion that we are to let the false teachers alone. We are not to point out the false doctrine. We are not to say this or that is a bad book. ‘Let God judge’ they say. ‘It will be taken care of in the end’ they say. However, failure to participate in the important process of discernment means you are choosing deliberately NOT to renew your mind.

The process of choosing, testing, weighing, examining, reading, comparing…all these are part of the process of how the Lord transforms our mind. As we hear a teaching and go back to the word, He transforms our mind. Through hard work, trial and error, we gain experience.

It would be nice if we were sitting around and Jesus simply plopped discernment and experience into our minds. This is what many of the false teachers say happens to them. They sit on their porch or sequester themselves in a cabin or shell peas and all of a sudden presto, a new revelation from God and a new ‘level’ of ‘fresh experience.’ They say, “God told me.” “God wrote the book for me.” “I saw Jesus and He said…” But that is not how it works.

When Paul said ‘persevere in the struggle’ and ‘run the race’, he didn’t mean as a sidelines armchair quarterback waiting for a personally dove-delivered epiphany. LOL, that is hardly running, now, is it? The practice of discernment is part of the struggle and through it, we gain experience and a transformed mind.

The more I practice discernment the more my love for Christ abounds, because that means I see Him more clearly than the day before. We still see through a glass dimly, but in practicing discernment, it’s like when we walk into a dark room, instead of choosing to turn on only a flashlight, we are using a floodlight.

So we end as we began, with Paul’s prayer:

And this I pray, that your love may abound still more and more in real knowledge and all discernment, 10so that you may approve the things that are excellent, in order to be sincere and blameless until the day of Christ; (Philippians 1:9-10)

Posted in discernment, false teachers, jesus, spiritual armor

The most dangerous people in the world

Posted on by elizabethprata

There are dangerous people in the world. We know that some are more dangerous than others. Some people are extremely dangerous. Dictators can be considered among the world’s most dangerous people. Pol Pot, Hitler, Lenin, Idi Amin, Muammar Gaddafi among many others through time go down into the history books as heinous criminals committing mass murder.

World Trade Center on 9/11

Terrorists are certainly dangerous. The 9/11 terrorists who killed 3,000 people by suicide bombing via airplane were shockingly absent of any sense of conscience whatsoever. The 9/11 terrorist leader who organized the US terror attack Osama Bin Laden was supremely dangerous.

The ISIS militants are a dangerous group, beheading with impunity and terrorizing populations all throughout the Middle East.

Sociopaths/serial killers are among the most dangerous people on the planet, also. We shudder at the very thought that we might be captured and tortured all for the corrupt whims of a conscience-less, evil mastermind.

Throughout history, the names of Ted Bundy, Adolph Hitler, bin Laden, Jack the Ripper, Al Capone, Charles Manson remain shudder-worthy because their crimes of evil were so shocking.

But none of those are the most dangerous people on the planet. It seems crazy to even think that there is a more dangerous class of person more devastating than a war-starter, dictator Hitler. That there is a more sinister evil among a community than serial killer Ted Bundy. There truly is is a more dangerous person in the world.

Who could it be? Who is worse than the man known for burning millions of people alive in a gas oven? Worse than the serial killer’s evil at the end of a sharp knife? Worse than a terrorist whose very name indicates their putrid heart filled with terror and crime? Who??

Beth Moore.
Pope Francis.
Rick Warren.
Billy Graham.
Ellen G. White.
Creflo Dollar.
Aimee Semple McPherson.
Joel Osteen.

False teachers within Christianity. No dictator, serial killer or terrorist can hold a candle to the evil that false teachers do. Why?

And do not fear those who kill the body but cannot kill the soul. Rather fear him who can destroy both soul and body in hell. (Matthew 10:28).

All a dictator can do is oppress you or kill your body. Jesus is life giver and eternal Judge, and it is He who determines where your immortal soul and resurrected body will go when your short life on earth is over. Fear THAT. What false teachers do is nudge you, compel you, jostle you down the eternally broad road to hell. They appear as pleasant sheep but inwardly they are ravenous wolves. They’re soul killers, and that is eternally worse than anything any dictator or terrorist can do.

Some of the harshest language in the New Testament is reserved for false teachers. The damage they do to your soul is likened to gangrene, a stealthy and putrid killer of the body. Except, what false teachers bring is death to the soul. False teachers are a serious problem.

Was Jesus polite to false teachers? No. See video- 2 min.

How can we spot false teachers? The bible mentions them frequently (as false prophets, wolves, sons of hell, spies, hypocrites etc) The bible condemns them frequently. So let’s take a look.

First as mentioned above, they come in disguise. They look like sheep but they are actually preying on you as a vicious wolf. (Mt 7:15). They won’t look like a false teacher and they won’t sound like a false teacher. Galatians 2:4 reminds us that false teachers come in as spies, stealthily. (2 Peter 2:1).

False teachers substitute the call of God with their own made-up call, whether it is to self- esteem, or pride, or earthly gain, false teachers always shift your gaze from Christ as the central point of life. They can speak well, mesmerizingly sometimes. If we take the most extreme example of a false prophet, the antichrist, he appears at first to give everything to everyone what they want, and insinuates himself into a solid position of influence by smooth speech and flattery. (Daniel 11:32). False teachers are good at what they do.

Another way false teachers shift your gaze from the Holy One is to substitute empty rituals for the simplicity of the grace of Jesus. Walk a labyrinth. Meditate contemplatively. Pray in a circle. Fast in this way and this often. Light a candle, confess to a priest, speak the rosary. John MacArthur said in his sermon “How to Evangelize Religious People“, that the more a religion has symbols, (and by extension, rituals) the more false it is.

And this is how it is, my friend, with false religion. They love the symbols. When we were in Moscow a few months ago, slipped into a Greek Orthodox church–literally repulsed by extravagant symbolism. You stand in one spot and this parade goes on of people with all these elaborate dressings and head dresses and waving censors, and icons all over everywhere. It literally blasts your senses; it’s so garish, bizarre, and people walking in endless circles and mumbling incomprehensible drivel and waving things in the air–and these poor, sad souls trying somehow to connect with the external. But religion that has nothing inside proliferates the symbolic. Look at the Roman Catholic Church, just full of it…full of it. False religion loves symbols.

False teachers bring false rituals along with the eventual religious symbolism as their doctrines mature.

The nursery for false religion is false teachers infiltrating the real religion, Christianity. If it comes to your church, stop it before it gets to that point.
“Suppress the heretics while they are young, that is, when they begin to show their malice and destroy the vine of the Lord.” Geneva Bible, on Song of Solomon 2:15

Third, their teachings spread like gangrene. (2 Timothy 2:17). Gangrene develops when the blood supply to an affected part is cut off. Gangrene is caused by interruption of blood supply to an area which causes tissue death. Left unchecked, gangrene kills all the living tissue it touches. In Galatians 5:9 Paul wrote of false teachers again, saying, “a little yeast works through the whole batch of dough.” In both the yeast and the gangrene examples we understand that the negative influence of false teachers and their doctrines will leave no part of the body untouched if not dealt with swiftly.

Source

Next, think about this- if faith brings joy, then its opposite, doctrines of demons, bring confusion, fear, discouragement. (Galatians 1:7, Acts 15:24). Pastor Justin Peters often shares during his discernment conferences how discouraging it was to follow the false faith healers. He did so as a youth, hoping for a healing from his Cerebral Palsy. Others who follow Joyce Meyer and her ilk eventually become despondent when their abundant life doesn’t show up, or those who follow Joel Osteen find that no matter how hard they try, nothing they’ve declared has come true and every day is not a Friday. Then they either redouble their efforts at trying pointlessly to find peace through false teachings or they become angry and leave the faith, blaspheming it. (2 Peter 2:2).

In Matthew 23:15 Jesus remarked to the false teachers of the law that they made sons of hell twice as bad as they were. The next generation of disciples learning at the feet of the false teachers are always worse than the generation before. (also, Revelation 2:21-23).

One extremely telling indicator of a false teacher is that they diminish the offense of the cross. Their message will increasingly speak of anything else except that. Oh, they’ll mention Jesus, they’ll fling around some bible verses (out of context and incorrectly) but they cannot bear to dwell on the cross. (Galatians 5:11, Galatians 3:1). The cross is an offense to a false teacher, because false teachers are not saved.

There are other ways to detect the false ones who creep in among us, but suffice to say, they are there. They are dangerous, extremely so. False Christian teachers are the most dangerous people on the planet.

False teachers are not committed to Scripture. They may speak of Jesus and the Father, but the heart of their ministry will not be the Word of God. They will either add to it, take away from it, interpret it in some heretical fashion, add other “revelations” to it, or deny it altogether.

Let’s compare Hitler to Pope Francis. Or Muammar Gaddafi to Benny Hinn. It is an unutterable tragedy what Hitler did, its reverberations are still like an open wound on the world’s conscience and heart. He killed 6 million Jews, and others too, including the mentally retarded, gypsies, and homosexuals. Yet Pope Francis is enslaving 1.2 Billion people. And that’s just the Catholics right now, not even mentioning all the previous generations of people unfortunately deluded by empty ritual and false teaching. Billions upon billions have gone to hell under the false teaching of the Catholic church.

Or how about Benny Hinn and his charismatic gospel of healing and wealth. It is sweeping Africa and India right now, not to mention America. There are over 500 million people in the world at this moment who self-identify as Charismatic.

There was an independently produced documentary about middle school students in Tennessee who appealed to the world to send in 6 million paper clips to their classroom. They were doing a project on the Holocaust, and one student asked, ‘How much is 6 million? I can’t picture it.’ So the paper clip project began. They eventually gathered over 6 million clips. The stark reality of seeing with their own eyes the representation of that many people lost to the gas chambers was shocking and brought the reality of all those lost souls to the fore.

But what if you gathered 500 million clips representing the Charismatics under the influence of that false ‘Christian’ doctrine? And then gathered 1.2 billion clips representing the Catholics? And 3 billion more, the estimates of how many lives and souls of people in the world right now are influenced by Joyce Meyer’s doctrines of demons. Plus Joel Osteen, whose message reaches 28 million people a month. This number doesn’t even count his books, podcasts, and conferences. Add to that total the 30 million copies of Rick Warren’s Purpose Driven Life, a book that was named several years ago as one of the top 100 Christian books that changed the 20th century. Add some more, the 215 million people in over 185 countries who have heard Billy Graham’s messages, and those who ‘came forward’ only to be assigned to a Catholic counselor, or a rabbi.

All the teachers I listed above claim themselves to be part of Christianity. You see the magnitude of the problem.

False teachers are the most dangerous people on the planet. The spirit of antichrist is alive and well and working its way as leaven through the bread. But there is manna from heaven, bread from heaven that is gloriously more potent than any piddling false teacher. Jesus Christ and His truth.

But the Helper, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in my name, he will teach you all things and bring to your remembrance all that I have said to you. (John 14:26).

The safeguard against false teachers is the Word. All truth is there, all joy, all faith, all hope and all peace. Read His word and pray to have it applied to your mind and heart. The Spirit will teach you and in so doing you will be able to withstand the detect the false doctrines when they appear. Wear your spiritual armor.

Stand therefore, having fastened on the belt of truth, and having put on the breastplate of righteousness, and, as shoes for your feet, having put on the readiness given by the gospel of peace. In all circumstances take up the shield of faith, with which you can extinguish all the flaming darts of the evil one; and take the helmet of salvation, and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God, praying at all times in the Spirit, with all prayer and supplication. To that end keep alert with all perseverance, making supplication for all the saints, (Ephesians 6:14-18).

Wearing your armor even the most dangerous person on the planet cannot harm you. There is One who is more dangerous than any and He is your defender and your avenger:

and among the lampstands was someone like a son of man, dressed in a robe reaching down to his feet and with a golden sash around his chest. The hair on his head was white like wool, as white as snow, and his eyes were like blazing fire. His feet were like bronze glowing in a furnace, and his voice was like the sound of rushing waters. In his right hand he held seven stars, and coming out of his mouth was a sharp, double-edged sword. His face was like the sun shining in all its brilliance. (Revelation 1:13-16).

The LORD is my light and my salvation; Whom shall I fear? (Psalm 27:1)

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Further Reading

Little Foxes Eventually Grow Up

The Pathology of False Teachers

Posted in jesus, lighthouse

Banner change, Jesus is the Light of the world

Posted on by elizabethprata

I’m sorry I changed the banner too frequently. I kind of almost liked the “Jesus” picture with the reflection on the water but it was too pink for my taste. Nothing I did with photo manipulation could make it less pink. It also didn’t fit the tone of the blog.

I gave it a try but never grew to like it so after a short while I switched to a favorite of mine, lighthouse.

One of the ways I ‘see’ Jesus, or relate to Him in my mind, is through the scriptural symbol ascribed to Him as the Light. This present world is called the darkness. The lake of fire is outer darkness. We are delivered by Christ from the world of darkness to the Light where there dwells the Father of Lights.

As for the lighthouse, they are some of the strongest buildings ever built. They’re usually on rock. They withstand fierce storms, pounding waves, lightning, and darkness.

They are a lifesaver. I lived on a sailboat for a period of time, and I will never forget the desperate fear of sailing through the night storm and peering through the gloomy rain looking for that light. When it appears in the place it should be, it engenders sagging relief. It is an old friend, beloved and stalwart. Mariners love their lighthouses, and as we pass by each of them along the coast, fair weather or fowl, we’re thankful for the light.

How apt it is that Jesus is the strong tower, the Light.

The banner is a crop of a photo I had taken some years ago of the Portland (Maine) Head light. I went to grayscale and got rid of the color. I added an overlay of the light beam and then the verse and a border.

Again Jesus spoke to them, saying, “I am the light of the world. Whoever follows me will not walk in darkness, but will have the light of life.” (John 8:12)

He is the ONLY Light of the world the only light the world needs. He guides the way. He sheds light on sin. We no longer have to stay in darkness. (John 12:46)

the people dwelling in darkness have seen a great light, and for those dwelling in the region and shadow of death, on them a light has dawned.  (Matthew 4:16)

 Praise Jesus that He IS the Light.
 

Posted in james white, jesus, Judaizers, rick warren

James White on Rick Warren’s capitulation to Rome part 2

Posted on by elizabethprata

Here is a great follow up to James White of Alpha and Omega Ministries’ concern over Rick Warren’s capitulation to Rome part 1. He examines the Judaizers of Galatians and shows that even a minute change in the Gospel of Christ is a total abandonment of that Gospel. The strongest language in the New Testament is spoken against those who pervert the Gospel. Compared to much of today’s professing Christianity, the Judaizers look extremely conservative and even almost orthodox, and yet Rome makes the Judaizers look like amateurs in perverting Christ’s Gospel.

The video is 14 minutes and White also has good words for how to comment on the situation (hint: not angrily nor arrogantly) and he also expresses a biblical stance on why we should be concerned when we do speak up over these matters.

A commenter on the first video kindly posted this link to this follow up. Thank you.

Posted in culture, emotional support animal, encouragement, evangelical, homosexual, jesus, truth

Cultural issues: McChurch: church inside a McDonald’s, or is it a McDonald’s inside a church?, Evangelicals accepting gays in huge numbers (IF they’re their own kids), Pigs (almost) fly

Posted on by elizabethprata

PostChristianity now has its own page at Wikipedia. The definition is a little scholarly convoluted, but here it is:

Postchristianity is the belief that the loss of the Christian monopoly in political affairs, especially in the Global North where Christianity had previously flourished, will eventually lead its demise in favour of secular nationalism. It includes personal world views, ideologies, religious movements or societies that are no longer rooted in the language and assumptions of Christianity, at least explicitly, although they had previously been in an environment of ubiquitous Christianity, i.e. Christendom.

At the Christian Post, guest opinion writer Kevin Shrum wrote a few months ago,

We knew this day would arrive. The ‘slippery slope’ of morality has now become a proverbial landslide of moral morass. What seemed to be a slow decline has now exponentially accelerated. The parading and applauding of all things unbiblical and immoral has reached its zenith on the shoulders of the autonomous self, where me, myself, and I are the arbiters of all things truthful and spiritual. Gone is any reference to transcendent authority.

But fear not, dear Christian. Like an athlete out of shape in the off-season layoff, it may take awhile for American Christians to awaken from our ‘most-favored-religion-status’ we have come to assume in this great country of ours, but I believe we’re up to the task. We’re not the first Christians to live ‘behind enemy lines’ nor will we be the last.

A few weeks ago, ReligionNews posed the following question: How PostChristian are you?

In a look at “churchless” America, Barna Group found many people who label themselves “Christian” are actually more like their secular neighbors — people who claim no particular religious brand — in their beliefs and practices.

That post-Christian, churchless, the ‘Jesus is a nice guy but ultimately doesn’t affect my life’ attitude is seen in the fact that articles like these below actually exist.

Religious group wants to build McDonald’s in a church

As church attendance falls, one group believes that the lure of a burger and fries might make church more appealing. … “Christianity is unable to capture modern audiences,” Di Lucca told NBC News. “There’s a lack of innovation and lack of design thinking in Church communities.” … “It’s time for churches to engage with entrepreneurship,” writes the group on its IndieGoGo site. “By combining a church and a McDonald’s we can create a self-sustaining, community-engaged, popular church, and an unparalleled McDonald’s restaurant.”

The entrepreneurial spirit that infects churches today is thanks to Rick Warren and his “The Purpose Driven Church is listed in “100 Christian Books That Changed the 20th Century.” Forbes magazine called it “the best book on entrepreneurship, management, and leadership in print.” [Left, Actual logo for the McChurch idea]

Unlike so many, we do not peddle the word of God for profit. On the contrary, in Christ we speak before God with sincerity, as those sent from God. (2 Corinthians 2:17)

And in their greed they will exploit you with false words. Their condemnation from long ago is not idle, and their destruction is not asleep. (2 Peter 2:3)

Unlike in corporate culture, a lack of innovation in church is a good thing. If the McMass McChurch idea succeeds, the people who attend will get what they get: a Jesus that is fast, lite, insubstantial, and ultimately bad for the heart.

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Here is another example of church folks bowing to culture.

Evangelicals with gay children challenging church

A despondent Ryan cut off from his parents and his faith, started taking drugs and in 2009, died of an overdose. “Now we realize we were so wrongly taught,” said Rob Robertson, a firefighter for more than 30 years who lives in Redmond, Washington. “It’s a horrible, horrible mistake the church has made.” The tragedy could have easily driven the Robertsons from the church. But instead of breaking with evangelicalism — as many parents in similar circumstances have done — the couple is taking a different approach, and they’re inspiring other Christians with gay children to do the same. They are staying in the church and, in protesting what they see as the demonization of their sons and daughters, presenting a new challenge to Christian leaders trying to hold off growing acceptance of same-sex relationships.

The article continues with examples of people touting active homosexuality as acceptable to God, and the article author supports their contentions with numerical examples of growth for each of their websites, Facebook pages, or published books that they sponsor/promote this stance.

It’s brilliant actually. Satan targets the youth, they succumb to perverse passions, parents who naturally love their children are faced with a dilemma, so parents declare, ‘it’s happening to me and my experience trumps scripture so scripture must be wrong.’

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Maybe this next article doesn’t have to do directly with church and faith so much, or maybe it does.

They say pigs don’t fly, but this one came close.

A pig landed on a US Airways flight out of Connecticut on Wednesday, but was taken off the plane after it became disruptive, a spokesperson told ABC News. Jonathan Skolnik, a professor at the University of Massachusetts Amherst and a passenger on the flight, told ABC News today he thought the woman with the pig was carrying a duffel bag when she got on the plane and headed straight for the empty seat next to him. “But it turns out it wasn’t a duffel bag. We could smell it and it was a pig on a leash,” he said. “She tethered it to the arm rest next to me and started to deal with her stuff, but the pig was walking back and forth.”

photo Rob Phelps

Gothamist Newspaper wrote,

According to ABC, the incident happened on Wednesday at Bradley International Airport in Connecticut. The woman had been allowed to bring the pig, who was on a leash, with her—pigs, like dogs, monkeys and cats, can qualify as “emotional support animals,” which are allowed on flights under federal rules. Passenger Rob Phelps, who took the photo on top, told CBS Springfield the problem was that this particular piggy was squealing and defecating in the aisle, prompting flight attendants to ask them to leave, which they did without incident.

For people who truly need an Emotional Support Animal, (ESA) for example soldiers with PTSD, the Service Dog Central website states, “In order to fly with an Emotional Support Animal OR Psychiatric Service Dog in the cabin of the aircraft with you, you will need a special letter from a licensed mental health professional.” That letter must state the specific disability the traveler has, according to the Diagnostic Statistical Manual, be not more than one year old, that the animal is necessary to the well-being of the traveler, be lodged with airline authorities 48 hours in advance of travel date, and be written and signed by a licensed medical or psychiatric professional.

True ESAs who are professional and not pets, curl up at the master’s feet when not working and are trained not to cause a disturbance. Like perhaps wandering, squealing, and defecating in the aisle. If it was truly an ESA it would not cause a disturbance. If it was a pet, it should not be allowed in  the cabin.

Daily Mail: Pot-bellied pigs WILL fly (along with miniature horses and monkeys): Passengers to be allowed to take exotic pets on flights for ’emotional support’

This website offers information on why the abuse level on ESAs in the cabin is growing- “Service Dogs on Airplanes to Get More Scrutiny From Department of Transportation“.

Twitter: FoxCT News reporter Angelica Spanos photo
The twitter feed indicated the pig and owner finally
made it to their intended destination, CT, for Thanksgiving.

“An emotional support animal is a companion animal (typically a dog or cat) that provides a therapeutic benefit to its owner through companionship. The animal provides emotional support and comfort to individuals with psychiatric disabilities and other mental impairments. The animal is not specifically trained to perform tasks for a person who suffers from emotional disabilities.” Source Animal Law.

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For people without Jesus, these dark and confusing times are oppressive to them and they do not even know it.

The fact is, the more post-Christian the world gets, the more the lost cling to the wrong things for emotional support. It’s a stark example of why we need to offer the solution to their sin problem and their emptiness. Jesus is the Friend who knows us, He created us. He loves us and wants the best for us. He sent His Spirit into the world to inspire the world’s greatest book full of wisdom, comfort, history, poems, and truth. Without Jesus, the lost person knows none of this.

Posted in ferguson, jesus, new yorker, race, voddie baucham

New Yorker cover story shows St. Louis Arch divided, Tweet shows divided arch fixed

Posted on by elizabethprata

It’s a clever cover. The art work, at least for secular, liberal people, seems to capture the cultural feeling as to the recent race issues in Ferguson, Missouri. Ferguson is a city on the banks of the Mississippi River near St. Louis that recently melted down in fire and riots after a Grand Jury issued a verdict the black folks of Ferguson disapproved of. St. Louis is known for its “Gateway to the West” arch.

Here is the cover art from the New Yorker:

Cover Story: A “Broken Arch” for Ferguson

The introductory sentence to their accompanying article is a quote,

“I wanted to comment on the tragic rift that we’re witnessing,” Bob Staake says about his cover for the December 8th issue, arriving next week. “I lived in St. Louis for seventeen years before moving to Massachusetts, so watching the news right now breaks my heart. At first glance, one might see a representation of the Gateway Arch as split and divided, but my hope is that the events in Ferguson will provide a bridge and an opportunity for the city, and also for the country, to learn and come together.”

I won’t comment on the actual events that sparked the article and story art. The news that inspired the story and cover art isn’t the point of this essay. You can read a summary here and also a very good essay by Pastor Voddie Baucham here. In it, Baucham speaks to the root of the problem and how to solve it.

Sinful people do what sinful people do. The opening sentence of the news story above is “the world watched live as crowds hurled bottles, looted liquor stores and set this city on fire in the 24 hours after a grand jury announced it would not indict police officer Darren Wilson in the shooting death of Michael Brown, 18.“

Didn’t the world watch live as riots occurred after the judicial verdict in the OJ Simpson case? The Rodney King verdict? (“Can’t we all just get along?”). The Zimmerman verdict riots? The 1965 racial inequality accusations that sparked the Watts Riot? Many people consider the Watts riot (which was the most bloody, violent US riot until Rodney King in 1992) to be a turning point in Black-White civil rights movement.

What are these systemic issues that keep turning a society upside down? Poverty? Racial inequality? Police brutality? Social oppression? Poor education? The post riot commentary on each of the above-mentioned riots all put forth different reasons for their cause and thus have different approaches to the solution.

However on Twitter, one man solved the St. Louis Gateway Arch divide this morning. Teaching Pastor of Summit Wentzville, Clayton Pruett, tweeted:

I fixed the New Yorker’s separated Arch problem #gospel #hope

This is more than a trite acknowledgement of Jesus as the solution to everything. It needs a deeper moment of thought than a nod, smile and a scroll past.

Some time ago I listened to Voddie Baucham preach his text. He had been alternating with another pastor as they went through Romans. Pastor Baucham was up to the closing, Romans 16:3-16. The title of his sermon is “An Extraordinary Affection for an Extraordinary Church” In the summary of the sermon, it is stated,

Most people today skip over sections of scripture like these because they do not see the relevance of a “list of names”. In this sermon, however, Pastor Voddie Baucham reveals the true depth of the affection that Paul has for the believers at Rome. It is an extraordinary affection for an extraordinary church!

Here are the names Paul wrote greetings for, and each name was accompanied by a commendation, which I have not included,

Greet Prisca and Aquila,
Epaenetus
Mary
Andronicus and Junias
Ampliatus
Urbanus
Stachys
Apelles in house of Aristobulus
Herodion
Greet those of the household of Narcissus
Tryphaena and Tryphosa
Persis
Rufus
Asyncritus
Phlegon
Hermes
Patrobas
Hermas
Philologus
Julia
Nereus
Olympas

This is more than a mere “list of names”. First, it reminds us that our Holy God has affection for individuals He inspired Paul to write by name. It gives us a picture of an an extraordinary affection the Apostle Paul had for an extraordinary church.

Pr. Baucham joked that as pastors when they look at the preaching schedule and see that they will be responsible for the passage that has the “list of names” they become overjoyed. He was speaking with a gentle sarcasm and a wry realism. He said more often they say, “Really? I got the list of names? Again?” [audience laughter]

But he said as he began to dig deeper, he found beauty. Allow me to summarize his sermon. Trust me, this will relate back to Ferguson and the broken arch that the cross fixes. In the Romans passage there is a picture of unity that had tremendous implications for Paul and his theology, that would have brought him great joy. It relates to the passage in Galatians 3:26-28,

So in Christ Jesus you are all children of God through faith, for all of you who were baptized into Christ have clothed yourselves with Christ. There is neither Jew nor Gentile, neither slave nor free, nor is there male and female, for you are all one in Christ Jesus.

There is no other entity on planet earth that unites people across ethnic lines like the church. ~Voddie Baucham.
The Apostle mentions male and females, Jews and Greeks, slaves and freemen. Beyond the surface of thinking we are saturated in today’s culture, back then, women had little to no value. Even their testimony was counted for half of a man’s. Today in Islam, a female’s testimony is worthless in court. Yet one-third of the names in the list are women. That was not normal in the first century. And Paul not only included women int he list but commended them as co-laborers! This list is a beautiful picture of the unity of gender we share through Christ.

Andronicus and Junias were Jews, as Paul used to be, as were Prisca and Aquila and several other names. Their names are intermingled with Greek names like Hermes, Narcissus, Aristobulus. Paul had been raised all his life to believe that if you even came into contact with a Greek you became ceremonially unclean. He included Greeks in his list, commends them, and joyously shares equal standing with them.

“It is the work that Christ has done in us that draws us to one another in spite of the fact that we’re not the same,” Baucham preached.

There is no more Jew or Greek, but only brothers in Christ. From the beginning, Christ broke down dividing walls. It isn’t because of a common fear that we have of police or any other government authority. It isn’t because of a common enemy we have, (except the enemy the devil), walls fall because of the Savior we have in common, our common Father.

A surface reading of the text will not readily show the names that are male and female, unless you know the masculine versus feminine endings in the Greek. As for the slaves vs. freemen, a deeper reading will need to be done to show who they are. Several names in this passage were well known slave names. Many of these names are gathered at the end of the list. Persis was a common slave name. Rufus was an extremely common slave name.

There is always a strict divide between people who hire people to serve them and people who serve. “Upstairs, Downstairs” is a well-entrenched division. It would have been unusual enough for any organization or gathering of people to accept mingling of servant and employer. However Paul’s inclusion of slave names among the list of free names was a startling departure from a cultural norm. As Baucham says, no one thought favorably of the group of people known as slaves. No one can own another person and think favorably toward them as a group because they must be thought of less-than, not equal-to. So here in Romans we have a vision of extraordinary unity.

To further deepen the picture, think of the implications. A systemic and accepted dividing of men into different classes, here, slave and free, had disappeared on Sunday because slave and master sat together in church. Slave and Master attended together, worshiped together, and praised their Lord together. This is highly uncommon in any culture.

Where Christianity flourishes, slavery ends. Caste system ends. Dividing lines over race, status, ethnicity … ends.

Only Jesus can make a man realize he is no better than his slave. Only Christ can do that. We stand as one before the Lord.

After this I looked, and behold, a great multitude that no one could number, from every nation, from all tribes and peoples and languages, standing before the throne and before the Lamb, clothed in white robes, with palm branches in their hands, (Revelation 7:9).

 For Ferguson Missouri, Christ is the answer, as it always has been and always will be. The transcendent cross, our Savior Jesus died on then rose from, unites us despite our differences, which are only surface after all. We share our sin in common, and we share our need for Jesus in common. Through Him and His blood, we unite, washed in common. The problems in Ferguson are no different than the problems in slave-saturated Rome, in caste-rigid India, in oppressed Iraq. The issues aren’t racial or ethnic, they’re sin-ful.

Please take another look at the marvelous cross and praise a Savior who is not from earth but came to earth to reconcile sinful men and people so fall races, tribes, colors and status to Himself as a united ONE.