Category: mike gendron

Posted in heaven tourism, mike gendron, mohler, unbiblical

The economic sin of heaven tourism, unbiblical Christianese, expository preaching, God’s justice in Christ

Posted on by elizabethprata

We are nearing the end of the first full week of school. The kindergarten kids are tiring me out! I have just a few links for you tonight.

In the first one, Dr. Al Mohler, president of Southern Baptist Theological Seminary, speaks on why expository preaching is SOOO important.

“The Sheer Weightlessness of so many Sermons: Why Expository Preaching Matters”
“One of the first steps to a recovery of authentic Christian preaching is to define exactly what we mean when we discuss authentic preaching as “exposition.” Many preachers claim to be expositors. But in many cases, this means merely that the preacher has a biblical text in mind, no matter how tenuous its relationship to the sermon.”

“Unfortunately, the appetite for serious preaching has virtually disappeared among many Christians who are content to have their fascinations with themselves encouraged from the pulpit.”

Read on. Dr Mohler does a great job as usual for making the case.

In this next link, Mike Gendron at Proclaiming the Gospel talks of the wishy-washy Christian-ese vocabulary words that have crept into our language but in fact are merely watering down the faith and making a mush of the crispness of the word.

Unbiblical Words in Today’s Christian Vocabulary
“Does it concern you that terms with no biblical foundation have crept into the contemporary Christian vocabulary? Most of the unbiblical terms being used today describe how a person becomes a Christian or how a professing Christians excuses their lifestyle of habitual sin. Some examples of the former include “accepting Jesus” and “inviting Jesus into your heart.” Two examples of the latter include “backsliding” and “carnal Christians.” These four terms give professing Christians a false sense of security that they are saved when they may never have been converted. We need to take great care that we are part of the solution and not part of the problem.”

The latest edition of NoCo90 (No Compromise Radio 90-Second Biblical Truth Clips) is about the Economic Sin of Lazarus.

I’ll summarize what Pastor Mike Abendroth of Bethlehem Bible Church in MA said in this very short but powerful video clip. Jesus commanded Lazarus to come out of the grave. His grave cloths were unbound from him, and Lazarus went on to live the rest of his natural life. What was heaven like, Lazarus? We don’t know. Lazarus is never recorded in the bible as saying anything about what he did, where he went or what it was like for him during the 4 days he was dead. Yet people today who allegedly die for a minute or an hour, and are brought back to consciousness if not life, are speaking about their experience in packed auditoriums, writing books that sell for big bucks, and making movies to gain economically from their so-called heavenly visit. In listening to Pastor Abendroth explain it in those terms you begin to see how crass the whole heaven tourism industry really is.

Then he said that if you want to read a book about a guy who rose from the dead and was in heaven, then remember that JESUS is that man, and He wrote a book about it, and that book is free.

Pastor Abendroth says it much better than I do, so please do click on the link to go to his Youtube account and listen for 90 seconds.

The Christian Pundit has a terrific essay on God’s Justice in Christ. I love to ponder His justice…even more than pondering His love. I hate sin and I can’t wait for Jesus to render justice on the world so that when the time comes, all will worship Him in perfection, truth, and sinlessness. I long for that day. Meanwhile, today, here is their essay on justice

God’s Justice in Christ

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Painting of the day

Jesus walks on water, Ivan Aivazovsky, 1888

Posted in loneliness, mbewe, mike gendron

Preparation for satan’s advent; Catholic debate; Encouraging news from Africa; You’re not alone!

Posted on by elizabethprata

Here are some good links for you. I enjoyed this essay, really a chapter from Dave Hunt’s new book: “The Ultimate Lie“. It is about the coming antichrist. Here are a few choice quotes.

“Society has been undergoing a step-by-step preparation for the advent of Satan’s messiah, and in our moment of history has at last produced a generation so perverted that it will actually mistake the Antichrist for Christ.”

“First of all, the apostate church in the last days must become so corrupted that it actually opposes what Christ taught while at the same time insisting that it is faithful to Him.”

“How dare anyone think that a world ripening for judgment can be rescued by Christians working together in political/social activism with the followers of all religions, and with humanists and atheists!”

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This is from Mike Gendron at Proclaiming the Gospel:

“Debate Produces Passion but No Fruit”
Written by Mike Gendron on 23 July 2013.

“The debate between Mike Gendron and a Catholic apologist was successful in the sense that God’s Word accomplished its purpose. As the Word of God was proclaimed, it strengthened the faith of the Christians who were present but brought further condemnation for those who rejected it. Mike stayed focused on contrasting the supreme authority of God’s Word with the fallible teachings and traditions of apostate Roman Catholicism. Throughout his presentations he magnified the Lord Jesus Christ as the all-sufficient Savior who saves repenting sinners completely and forever. Yet, it was heartbreaking to see stubborn-hearted Catholics continue to reject the glorious Gospel of grace”.

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The Christian Pundit, as always, has a few good words:

“Holiness and Advancing the Gospel”
August 7, 2013 By WVD

“I remember once in a church which I knew very well, I was being entertained by a lady who seemed to be one of the leading lights in the church, and to my astonishment I found that her husband never went near the place at all. I subsequently discovered that the probable reason was that the lady, while very active and busy in church work, was failing lamentably in certain practical aspects–she did not always pay her grocer’s bill, for example. Yes, she was a great church worker but she was negligent in matters like that. Subsequently this lady, who had only been a nominal Christian, really became a true Christian. And what happened next? Only six weeks after his wife’s conversion, and without anyone asking or pleading with him, the husband began to attend that place of worship. He now came because he saw that something had happened to his wife.”

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Pastor Conrad Mbewe in Africa has some great news:

The Young, Restless, and Reformed…In Africa

After my last blog post, which went “viral” compared to my other blog posts, I have decided to write on something more positive that is happening across Africa—at least in English-speaking countries. This is the growth of the “young, restless, and Reformed” movement on the continent.

In the recent past, I have been in touch with a significant number of people across Africa, who are largely young professionals in their twenties and thirties, and who have recently embraced the Reformed Faith. They have sought me out and shared with me their excitement at their new discovery.

How has this happened?

This has been almost exclusively through the Internet. Having grown up within extreme Charismatic or mainline Liberal church circles, they did not know any better. However, a growing discontentment has caused them to search the Internet for sermons that would feed their famished souls.

In due seasons, they have come across sermons of men like John MacArthur Jr., John Piper, Paul Washer, Thabiti Anyabwile, etc. Sometimes, it has been because a friend in church or across town or even in another part of the country has made the discovery and commended the site to them.

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Barbara has some encouragement for the lonely:

Loneliness is a Lie
By Barbara Eccleston

“When I was suddenly widowed, I was thrust into a world where I felt easily overwhelmed without my husband at my side. But my Lord Jesus was with me every step of the way and every moment of every day. No person has ever lived alone and no person will ever die alone. In each life, at every stage, there is the Ever-Present God…”