pope

Mourning the lost- Catholics

Posted on August 7, 2020August 11, 2020 by elizabethprata

By Elizabeth Prata*

Over a billion Catholics are in spiritual bondage to their heinous religious system. There are many things they lack spiritually but I can think of three to address that we can point them to. First, we can point to Christ and the Bible to help them overcome what it is they lack: knowledge of grace, assurance in their salvation, and trust in Jesus to fulfill all He has said.

~~~~~~GRACE~~~~~~

The simple truth at the center of a born again believer’s faith is surrounded by Grace- that Jesus descended from heaven, lived as fully man and fully God for 33 years, died on the cross as the lamb sacrifice for our sins (taking upon His shoulders the wrath of God), was buried and three days later rose again. This is the Gospel. Continue reading “Mourning the lost- Catholics” →

family, mockers and scoffers, pilgrim's progress, pope, tolerance

Dealing with In-Laws, family, personal apostasy/backsliding, dealing with mockers

Posted on June 1, 2015May 9, 2016 by elizabethprata

A variety of links for you to enjoy while I sit here achy and grumpy on day 3 of aches and fever and probably flu.

Aimee Byrd “The Housewife Theologian” writes a thoughtful essay about Revelation’s letter to the Church at Thyatira and the danger to a church of tolerating even one person’s false doctrines. “I Love Your Love but I Hate Your Tolerance“

From the archives of Andrew MacDonald at The Protestant Standard:
Five Joyce Meyer quotes you won’t post on Facebook

Former Catholic and now Christian apologist Mike Gendron has a biblical response to the Pope’s recent announcement: Pope Says the Division Between Evangelicals and Catholics Is A Work of the Devil

Pope Francis is the one who is doing the work of the devil by rebuilding the religious tower of Babel as he seeks to bring all Christians back home to Rome. Tragically, some evangelicals are jumping on his ecumenical bandwagon and departing from the faith (1 Tim. 4:1-3).

I’m a special education para-professional and I see what goes into parenting our precious special needs children. Kara Dedert on showing glory to God in doing the the mundane; special needs parenting. Jesus isn’t looking for flashy.

The Christian Pundit has some thoughts on Leaving and Cleaving

“A couple should live at least a hundred miles away from both sets of parents for at least the first year of marriage.” That’s what an older couple told us as we rode to church in the back seat of their car. We thought we were doing pretty well by that standard: it wasn’t quite our first year of marriage, but we were 3,000 miles away from all four parents.

Focus on the Family has some thoughts on In-Law Relationships

What do I owe my in-laws? That’s an interesting question. Another way to phrase it might be, “As a son-in-law or daughter-in-law, what’s required of me? What are my obligations, whether I feel like it or not, in relating to my spouse’s parents?”

At Steve Lawson’s blog Dustin Bruce has some thoughts about Backsliding: A Tragic but Common Descent

Speaking of personal apostasy, here are 9 Steps Toward Personal Apostasy from George Alvarado. He got them from John Bunyan’s Pilgrim’s Progress, and modernized the language.

“John Bunyan in the classic novel, Pilgrims Progress, illustrates the 9 progressive steps toward personal apostasy. This list is modified and modernized for your understanding. Please read and take heed. Save this in your journal, your computer, or make it your bookmark, but remember this well. I have bolded words that are important elements of understanding. If you want to read this portion of Pilgrims Progress in context, click here.”

Robin Schumacher shares How to Unmask a Hardened Skeptic AKA a “scoffer”.

It’s important to understand that the Bible advises against continually evangelizing certain people. … While the warning about such people is easy to understand, what’s oftentimes difficult for the Christian is recognizing the scoffer and heeding the Bible’s advice on dealing with them. To help with this, I’d like to pass along one method that’s worked fairly well for me.

And just for fun:

absolution, jesus, pope, prophecy, sins

Pope’s powers have expanded to forgive abortions. Sweet!

Posted on May 19, 2015May 9, 2016 by elizabethprata

Source

Did you know that priests in the Catholic Church are called alter Christus? It means another Christ. They have been granted certain powers by the church to forgive sin. This is called “absolution.” According to the Catholic Encycolopedia,

Absolution is the remission of sin, or of the punishment due to sin, granted by the Church. (For remission of punishment due to sin, see CENSURE, EXCOMMUNICATION, INDULGENCE.) Absolution proper is that act of the priest whereby, in the Sacrament of Penance, he frees man from sin.

It’s nice for the priests to have the powers to be “another Christ”, including being able to remit sin. Did you know that though priests can forgive run-of-the-mill sins, there are some sins so heinous that only the Pope can absolve?

[S]ince 1179, a Vatican tribunal has met in secret to evaluate sins so grave that they can be absolved only by the Pope. The sins in question involve defiling the Eucharist; attempting to assassinate the Pope; a priest abusing the confidentiality of the confessional by revealing the nature of the sin and the person who admitted to it; a priest who has sex with someone and then offers forgiveness for the act; and a man who directly participates in an abortion – even by paying for it – who then seeks to become a priest or deacon. Only the Pope can lift the excommunication incurred by these sins,

The Pope is called ‘vicar of Christ’ which means Christ’s substitute. The Catholic Encyclopedia again,

the title Vicar of Christ is more expressive of his supreme headship of the Church on earth, which he bears in virtue of the commission of Christ and with vicarial power derived from Him.

Wow, so nice of Jesus to bestow some of His powers to the pope so that the pope can be Christ’s agent on earth. In his “powers” the pope decided last week that the heinous, pope-forgiving-only sin of abortion can now be forgiven by priests and will not necessarily include an excommunication from the Catholic Church. How terrible for the Catholic Church to withhold what Jesus freely offered.

Pope Francis has decreed that priests may absolve women of the “sin of a procured abortion” during Holy Year next year. In Catholic teaching, it is normally only bishops or the Pope himself who may absolve the faithful of the sin of abortion, which leads to excommunication from the Church. In keeping with his ministry of mercy, however, Pope Francis has extended his powers of forgiveness to those “missionaries of mercy” priests who will visit Catholic dioceses and parishes during Holy Year.

Of course, all the above is nonsense. Any believer is the same as any other believer, we are all priests of the faith. (1 Peter 2:5-9). The pope does not have special powers from Jesus and charged by Him to act in his vicarious stead on earth. The pope is not the head of the church. The Catholic Church isn’t even IN the church.

That news headline came at a time when I was feeling burdened for the many, MANY people who refuse the truth. Who are lost in their sins and not ready for the imminent return of Jesus. I was saddened for the many, MANY who are straying from the faith, perhaps at the given moment to reveal by their going that it was not an unfortunate temporary drift, but a permanent going out from us, proving they never were of us. (1 John 2:19). It feels like fiery agony to watch all this.

It truly feels like the sins of the world are piling up to heaven, and that the outcry of the saints are reaching top volume. What is being done in the name of Jesus, as the Pope claims his special powers for example, is tremendously burdensome. I hate my own sin and I hate the sins of those who do terrible things in His name. It’s holy torment.

The Pope cannot forgive the sins of others.

And when he saw their faith, he said, “Man, your sins are forgiven you.” And the scribes and the Pharisees began to question, saying, “Who is this who speaks blasphemies? Who can forgive sins but God alone?” (Luke 5:20-21)

But that you may know that the Son of Man has authority on earth to forgive sins”—he said to the man who was paralyzed—“I say to you, rise, pick up your bed and go home.” (Luke 5:24)

The sins of the cities was so great the people cried out. I wonder as the sins of those four cities of the plain were so heinous that the outcry reached heaven, what does the outcry today sound like since all the world is just as heinous as they were then?

Then the LORD said, “Because the outcry against Sodom and Gomorrah is great and their sin is very grave, I will go down to see whether they have done altogether according to the outcry that has come to me. And if not, I will know.” (Genesis 18:20-21).

Matthew Henry says of this verse,

Though God long forbears with sinners, from which they fancy that the Lord does not see, and does not regard; yet when the day of his wrath comes, he will look toward them.

The sins pile up, the outcry grows greatly, God deems the time to be right, and judgment cometh-

[Babylon]for her sins have reached even unto heaven, and God hath remembered her iniquities. (Revelation 18:5)

We would have healed Babylon, but she was not healed. Forsake her, and let us go each to his own country, for her judgment has reached up to heaven and has been lifted up even to the skies. (Jeremiah 51:9)

They cried out with a loud voice, “O Sovereign Lord, holy and true, how long before you will judge and avenge our blood on those who dwell on the earth?” (Revelation 6:10)

Though what is done in His name is heinous, and though sins have grown putrid in their excrement, I remember that Holy and Pure Jesus came DOWN to earth and lived among all that. He lived with sin all around Him, to seek and save the lost sinner. Me.

It makes me love Him all the more. Grace, Mercy, Patience, He is the very definition of those things. I long for the day when my sin-anguish ceases via His glorification of my body and mind. However I also know that when the day of the rapture glorification comes, it means doom for those who reject Him, for the judgment will have begun. In one sense, I can’t wait for the pope to be judged. He does terrible things in the name of Jesus, bringing reproach onto Christ’s Spotless Name by his continual blasphemies. Uzzah was smote for less. On the other hand, I plead in prayer for the pope to be given the gift of repentance and conversion to the faith, so that he also will benefit from a relationship with Jesus that is no longer at enmity, but is in friendship.

The burden of the heart is surely a trial in days like this. I know the outcry against Sodom has come from my own lips in this little apartment. ‘Lord, how long?’ contests with ‘Lord, a little longer so that he or she or they may come to the faith…’ In all, the Lord’s gracious timing and perfection in providence will carry the day, and my outcries at last will still, with the next breath shouting hallelujahs and hosannas to the Lord face to face in praise and adoration. What a day that will be. Soon, I hope.

false, gold, pope

"He went to Jared": Evangelicals going to Rome

Posted on February 23, 2015May 9, 2016 by elizabethprata

Jared engagement rings

There is a television commercial that we are “treated” to every year around Christmas time. Jared Jewelry Galleria wants to present itself as an upscale jewelry store, the only place that you should consider buying your fine jewelry, especially diamond engagement rings. They want you to know that they consider themselves the be-all, end-all, pinnacle of jewelry. They believe there is no other name in jewelry. Once the gal knows “he went to Jared,” she melts, giggles, and the deal is sealed. Or proposal. Whatever.

We should start a new meme. “He went to Rome.”

Pope ring. “He went to the Vatican”

Over the past few years, when receiving the call from Rome to come to the Vatican, we have seen leaders who call themselves Christian or evangelical, giggle and melt like the girls in the Jared commercials. The Vatican presents itself as the only place that you should consider buying your religion. They want you to know that they consider themselves at the Vatican Galleria the be-all, end-all, pinnacle of religion. They believe there is no other name in religion. Once they know “he went to Rome” Christian leaders melt, sigh, and that seals the deal.

Here are some ‘Christian’ leaders who in the recent past have gone to Rome to meet with the Pope.

The topic was marriage.

Rick Warren
Russell Moore
NT Wright

About the ecumenical meeting, Russell Moore said,

But all of us in this room share at least one thing in common,” said Moore. “We recognize that marriage and family is a matter of public importance, not just of our various theological and ecclesial distinctive communities,”

The topic was unity.

Joel Osteen
Mormon Senator Mike Lee
(Disgraced) CA pastor Tim Timmons

As to the above trio’s meeting,

“The ecumenical meeting was a part of Pope Francis’ on-going efforts to bring unity among Christians, previously stating in public remarks, “Divisions among us, but also divisions among the communities: evangelical Christians, orthodox Christians, Catholic Christians, but why divided? We must try to bring about unity.”

The topic was (evangelical) Protestant-Catholic unity in Jesus’ name.

James and Betty Robison Beth Moore’s mentor and broadcasts weekly on LifeToday
Kenneth Copeland
Reverend Geoff Tunnicliff, CEO of the World Evangelical Alliance
Rev. Brian Stiller, from the World Evangelical Alliance
Rev. Thomas Schirrmacher, from the World Evangelical Alliance
Rev. John Arnott and his wife, Carol, co-founders of Partners for Harvest ministries in Toronto, Canada.

As to the above ‘evangelicals’ meeting,

It was “an unprecedented moment between evangelicals and the Catholic Pope.”

The topic was unity in Christ’s name:

Pastor Giovanni Traettino
350 Pentecostals

Of the above meeting held in Caserta, Italy

Francis is particularly keen on establishing good relationships with evangelicals, convinced that even though disagreements exist over doctrine, it is still possible to love Christ and witness to him together.


Portuguese First Lady Maria Cavaco Silva kisses the ring of Pope Benedict XVI while Portuguese President Anibal Cavaco Silva stands by May 11 2010.

In addition to the deeds of self-proclaimed ‘evangelical’ leaders going across the world to meet with Pope Francis, are the number of ‘evangelical’ leaders who ally with Rome in word.

Spoken this month by Pastor Robert Jeffress, senior pastor of First Baptist Dallas, a Southern Baptist Convention affiliated church, to Fox News host Bill O’Reilly Friday, February 6, 2015, about President Barack Obama’s controversial remarks at the 63rd annual National Prayer Breakfast in Washington and Muslims extremism, is the following startling declaration-

“And I believe that Christians ought to be on the forefront of fighting this evil, and this is unmitigated evil … burning people alive … and that is why tonight, I am calling on Christians everywhere, Catholics and Protestants together, to join with our Jewish friends and demand that this president do whatever is necessary, including boots on the ground, to eradicate this cancer of ISIS and radical Islam before it destroys us.” [emphasis mine]

Sadly, Catholics are not Christians. Yet sentiments like Jeffress’ are becoming commonplace. Calls for partnerships, pleas for unity, and combining our efforts are the order of the day. And not from fringe sects but high-end supposedly conservative leaders.

The question is, if a religion or individual calls on the name of Jesus, is that all there needs to be to accept them as a brother? No. There are different Jesuses and there is This Same Jesus. (Acts 1:11). Here is John MacArthur in Declaring and Defending the Deity of Christ

If you’re believing in a false Jesus, you’re damned. You preach any other Christ than the true Christ, you’re damned, that’s Galatians 1. If you fail to love the true Lord Jesus Christ, 1 Corinthians 16, you’re cursed. We have to be loving and believing in the true Christ, not a false Christ, not a Christ of our own imagination, not some sentimental Jesus, not the Jesus of liberalism, not the Jesus of liberation theology, not the Jesus of Mormonism, not the Jesus of Islam, not the Jesus of private invention. Now, all false religions—listen–all false religions reject the true Jesus Christ of the Bible. They all do. That’s what constitutes them as false religions to start with. From Islam to Mormonism, if you want to go from something that is non-Christian to something that calls itself Christian, they all reject the true Christ. But, they all honor a false Christ.

But can’t we all just get along, even partner briefly for a one-off? For Jesus’ sake? No. MacArthur again-

Billy Graham met with Pope John Paul II in 1993.

It is ludicrous to imagine that Christians and Jews and Muslims, or Christians and anyone else in any other religion, can get together. It’s impossible because all other systems of religion are against Christ. When that effort is made, the only thing that ever results is the loss of true Christianity. ~John MacArthur

That document circulated 20 years ago was an overt, visible leap of this dastardly move toward Rome. It was called Evangelicals and Catholics Together document, 1994. MacArthur explains why we do not partner with Rome, or any false religion, even briefly for a ‘common’ mission.

A recent document entitled “Evangelicals and Catholics Together: The Christian Mission in the Third Millennium,” signed by a number of prominent evangelicals, has neglected the wide doctrinal breach that separates evangelicalism and Roman Catholicism. It declares the unity of the two participating groups, emphasizes their common faith, allows for doctrinal differences, but states that the two nevertheless have a common mission. A fatal flaw in the document is its assumption that a common mission is possible in spite of the doctrinal differences.

Religion News Service did a 20-year retrospective on the document:

Evangelicals and Catholics Together marks 20 years, Feb 2014

(RNS) When evangelicals and Catholics set aside centuries of mutual suspicion 20 years ago, the idea was fairly simple: Even if we can’t always work together, at least let’s not work against each other.

But that’s wrong. We are working against Rome, and every other principality that comes against the faith and against the faithful of the true Jesus Christ.

For we do not wrestle against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the cosmic powers over this present darkness, against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly places. (Ephesians 6:12)

We DO fight against the evil forces. We never stop. Why?

For he has rescued us from the dominion of darkness and brought us into the kingdom of the Son he loves, (Colossians 1:13)

We do not partner with Rome, or any false religion’s leaders, or accept any part of their faith itself, not even for pragmatic reasons. Not even for reasons that we ourselves deem to be ‘good.’ If that was acceptable, Paul and Silas would have allowed the demon-possessed slave girl to keep following them and shouting-

These men are servants of the Most High God, who proclaim to you the way of salvation. (Acts 16:17)

Was there anything wrong with what she said? No, technically it was accurate. Paul and Silas were serving God, who is most high, and their message was salvation. All true. Just as Rome’s message is that Jesus came to seek and save the lost, or that Jesus is the incarnated God, or that He is Messiah…none of those statements or beliefs are wrong. What is wrong is the source.

Paul did not need the dominion of hell and darkness to proclaim Light. It would be hypocritical in the extreme to say that hell is bad- except when it helps us, except when it’s convenient. Never! We never partner with hell when it’s easy, or convenient, or helpful. Because it never is.

It would have been insensitive in the extreme to mourn over this poor girl’s bodily use by demons to sell fortunes for profit, and then cravenly use that same poor girl’s body to proclaim the message of the cross.

From the same mouth come blessing and cursing. My brothers, these things ought not to be so. (James 3:10)

And the most important reason is that we do not partner with evil to bring good. God forbade such partnerships and blessed the congregation that stays apart from them. Even when satan’s throne is set in the city.

I know where you dwell, where Satan’s throne is. Yet you hold fast my name, and you did not deny my faith even in the days of Antipas my faithful witness, who was killed among you, where Satan dwells. (To the church at Pergamum, Revelation 2:13)

Test these things, stay true to the purity of the bright Gospel of the true Shepherd!

Gold actually is dull. Fool’s Gold in raw form reflects substantially more light and is often mistaken for gold. But it isn’t.

All that glisters is not gold;
Often have you heard that told:
Many a man his life hath sold
But my outside to behold:
Gilded tombs do worms enfold.
Had you been as wise as bold,
Young in limbs, in judgement old
Your answer had not been inscroll’d
Fare you well, your suit is cold
Merchant of Venice, William Shakespeare

Hold fast to the name of Jesus, the Jesus whose identity is specifically described in the bible. Not the Mormon Jesus. Not the Islamic Jesus/Isa. Not the Coptic Jesus. Not the Catholic Jesus.

And for the sake of all that is holy, don’t go to ~~Jared~~ Rome. All that glitters is not gold.

(Top, gold. Bottom, fool’s gold AKA pyrite)

Do not be unequally yoked with unbelievers. For what partnership has righteousness with lawlessness? Or what fellowship has light with darkness? (2 Corinthians 6:14)

One Ring to rule them all,
One Ring to find them,
One Ring to bring them all
and in the darkness bind them

catholicism, christianity, crusades, inquisition, Obama, pope

Why the Crusades & Inquisition don’t belong in a discussion of Christianity

Posted on February 9, 2015May 9, 2016 by elizabethprata

And why it doesn’t matter what Obama said…

The Battle of Ager Sanguinis, medieval miniature

On February 5, 2015 Obama gave an address at the National Prayer Breakfast. He said of people who seek to “hijack religious for their own murderous ends”,

“Lest we get on our high horse and think this is unique to some other place, remember that during the Crusades and the Inquisition, people committed terrible deeds in the name of Christ.”

There was enormous outcry over Obama’s likening of Christianity to terrorist Muslims. There have been many Op-Ed pieces, reaction articles, and blogs published over it.

Even reformed pastor-blogger Tim Challies linked to Professor of Medieval History Thomas Madden’s piece, in which Madden said both the Crusades and the Inquisition

“were initiated by popes, the unquestioned leaders of Western Christianity.”

Kings and popes. Professor Madden set forth a response placing the Crusades in historical context as part of Christianity. Madden said the first Crusade was called in 1095 by Pope Urban II. Remember, Tim Challies linked to the piece in his daily A La Carte segment.

Russell Moore, president of the Southern Baptist Ethics and Religious Liberty Commission said Obama’s words were “an unfortunate attempt at a wrongheaded moral comparison,” He continued, “The evil actions that he mentioned were clearly outside the moral parameters of Christianity itself.”

That’s because the evil actions that happened in the Crusades and the Inquisition were not part of Christianity at all. In a CNN interview discussing Obama’s remarks, Russell Moore took issue with Obama’s statement solely on the front of its moral equivalency, saying it was wrong to compare ISIS with Christianity, and it would be the same as if Roosevelt had stood up and said “Pearl Harbor was a day that will live in infamy, except let’s remember we surprised the British at Yorktown too.”

A 19th-century depiction of Galileo before the Holy Office, by Joseph-Nicolas Robert-Fleury

All of this is moot. Wrong. Of no consequence. It. does. not. matter. Why? Of the reactions I’ve read from both political leaders and religious leaders, none have stated the obvious. The Crusades and the Inquisition were Catholic events. The Catholic popes started them and Catholics carried them out.

Catholics are not Christians. The First Crusade was Papal response to Muslim aggression, especially the first crusade which sought to retake Jerusalem from Muslim hands. The First Crusade was followed by the Second to the Ninth Crusades. In all cases, the Catholic popes’ thrust was to forcibly defend against Muslim invasion. The Catholic popes have the Inquisition on their hands also.

Catholics follow a false god and their doctrine is not the saving doctrine of Jesus’ Christianity.

Catholic dogma is not of Jesus and is in fact of satan, just as the Muslim dogma is.

The worst comparison Obama made in his speech was not Christianity to ISIS, but Catholicism to Christianity. If people would take issue with THAT, it would really be doing something for the name of Jesus.

catholicism, christ, Judaizers, pope, pragmatism, rick warren

James White: "Rick Warren’s Capitulation to Rome"

Posted on December 1, 2014May 9, 2016 by elizabethprata

Alpha and Omega Ministries: November 30, 2014
Video Response to Rick Warren’s Capitulation to Rome
By James White

[Ed. Note: White has since put up a part 2 and it can be viewed here. It is excellent!)

As synopsized on the Youtube channel, it states of the 12-minute video,

Rick Warren has been used in a Roman Catholic promotional video to white-wash the fundamental differences between Christianity and Romanism. Here is a brief response, shot in Irpin, Ukraine, challenging Warren’s capitulation to Rome’s claims

Warren

In the video James White explains that Rick Warren, pastor of Saddleback Church, had gone to Rome to meet with the pope and other men from different faiths, to discuss their ‘commonalities’. I believe it was the conference on marriage to which the Southern Baptist Convention’s Dr Russell Moore (among others) was also invited.

White goes on to explain how the things Warren said are not biblical, though they sound as though they could be. Other things Warren said are simply Catholic Dogma, as Warren briefly becomes an apologist for Catholic doctrine.

White is generous in his hope that it was only a temporary ignorance of the dogmas of Rome that allowed Warren to say the things he did, which White unpacks against the pure light of the Gospel. I thought that the last statement White made in the video was powerful- and necessary.

I found myself asking the obvious unasked question, if Warren was ignorant, then he should not be mature pastor of a church expounding the word, nor should he represent the Gospel on behalf of millions of evangelicals. In my opinion Warren is a pragmatist who sets aside the Gospel because he is going the Way of Balaam.

Our precious Christ’s Gospel must remain unadulterated, and on center stage, not marginalized in a pointless search for commonalities. If we do not share a belief in and knowledge of this same Jesus and His saving Gospel, we share nothing in common. All else is dung. He is too beautiful, too wonderful and too powerful to treat His words with anything less than reverence and earnest exactitude as it has been delivered.

Here is the video.

alistair begg, gays, homosexuality, Kirk Cameron, pope, saving christmas, sunny shell, vatican

7 Questions God Asks, Losing Kirk Cameron trying Save Christmas, Doctrine, Mark Driscoll resigns, Hillsong & Vatican on gays

Posted on October 18, 2014May 9, 2016 by elizabethprata

Here are some dribs and drabs for you. Links, news, and thoughts.

Sermon Series: Alistair Begg: Seven Questions God Asks

Many of us are familiar with the questions that individuals regularly bring to God. Yet how many of us are aware of the questions that God brings to individuals? In this series, Alistair Begg examines seven conversations that begin with one of God’s disarming questions. From Adam and Eve in the Garden to the rich young ruler in Judea, the Lord engages these individuals with striking accuracy and exposes their mistaken notions about him.

These questions are as arresting to us today and are as able to penetrate our hearts as they were two-thousand years ago. In this study, we are invited to discover the truth of God’s nature and the reality of our condition as it is revealed in these surprising encounters.

Below is the entire series, click on the link above to get to all of them. Sermons range between 20-25 minutes. I listened to “Why Do You Call Me Good?” and “Where are You?” this morning and I loved them.

Where are You? Genesis 3:9
What is This You Have Done? Genesis 3:13
Why Do You Call Me Good? Mark 10:18
Who Do You Say I Am? Mark 8:29
Do You Think I Came to Bring Peace? Luke 12:51
What Will It Profit A Man …? Matthew 16:26
What is Your Life? James 4:14

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

Christian Apologetics and Research Ministry reminds us of what doctrine is and why it’s important, And no, it’s not complicated. If you say “I’m a sinner” you just stated the Doctrine of Sin. Doctrine:

The word “doctrine” comes from the Greek word “didaskolos,” and it basically means “teaching.” It is used many times in the New Testament. Doctrine is extremely important in Christianity. By it we know who God is, what He has done, what the Trinity is, the deity of Christ, His resurrection, salvation, justification, etc. Doctrine is what defines the who’s and what’s of Christianity. In fact, you can’t be saved without doctrine.

It is a doctrinal statement that you are a sinner (Rom. 3:23). It is also doctrinally true that the wages of sin is death (Rom. 6:23). In fact, the doctrine of salvation teaches us that Jesus bore our sin in His body on the cross (1 Pet. 2:24) so that we could be justified by faith (Rom. 5:1) and escape the righteous wrath of God (John 3:36). Doctrine. It is important. It is vital to our relationship with God and our salvation. Good doctrine is like an anchor that prevents us from drifting into teachings that are false.

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

We’re losing Kirk Cameron…

You might be surprised to see a negative review of any of Kirk Cameron’s projects. Known as a child actor in the 1980s on secular television, and later as a Christian actor in the Kendrick Brothers’ Christian movies such as the excellent Fireproof, Cameron has been the Christian poster boy for atheist-turned-Christian boy done good.

However, there has been a noticeable slide in him over the last five years, with several indicators rising to the top and causing concern in the discerning people who notice these things. His movie Monumental was more secular than Christian, and further it was not biblically, theologically or even historically totally accurate. His partnerships with Mormon Glenn Beck, with a Catholic Priest Father Dwyer on the Busted Halo radio show, and now Cameron’s complete disaster of a movie “Saving Christmas,” have raised the alarm bells to strident proportions.

Just to show that even the secular people get it, here is a hilarious but on the nose review of Kirk’s movie Saving Christmas by AV Club

Kirk Cameron to make Christmas safe for Christians

After having bravely made America safe for Christians, Kirk Cameron’s newest movie, Saving Christmas, similarly promises to rescue the Christian holiday for Christians, delivering it from the continued terrorist assault by euphemisms. “Do you ever feel like Christmas has been hijacked by all the commercialism, and those who want to replace ‘Merry Christmas’ with ‘Happy Holidays’ or ‘Seasons Greetings’—whatever that means?” Cameron says. He remains baffled by these crazy atheist codes for wishing you happy holy days and seasonal hellos without specifically invoking Jesus—all while decrying commercialism, in the opening line of a trailer advertising a Christmas movie he wants you to pay to see.

On a more serious note though, there are many people, including myself, who are very sad to see his theological drift and his unholy partnering with Mormons and Catholics, even going so far as to call them brothers in the faith.

A critical mass of sorts has been reached. Michael John Beasley wrote an Open Letter to Cameron two weeks ago,

Open Letter and Appeal To Kirk Cameron, But Also to Glenn Beck, Father David Dwyer, and all Their Respective Employees and Listening Audiences

At Christianity Today, Sunny Shell gracefully and biblically reviewed the Saving Christmas movie, Kirk Cameron’s ‘Saving Christmas’ Belittles Christians. Here is an excerpt:

On Friday, November 14, 2014 Kirk Cameron’s “Saving Christmas” will be opening in select theaters across the country for only two weeks.

This movie is all about making fun of any Christian who doesn’t think like or agree with Kirk Cameron and his company. According to Kirk and friends, one of the main purposes of “Saving Christmas” is to dispel the beliefs that most of our traditional Christmas practices e.g., decorating Christmas trees, feasting, mistletoe, gift exchanges, etc., are from pagan origins or fabricated myths about actual people who lived during the fourth-century—namely Saint Nicholas of Lycia, commonly known in the United States as Santa Claus.

Here is the part about belittling Christians. Mrs Shell wrote,

To ensure I was clear regarding one of the main purposes of this film, Darren Doane who not only plays the lead character, but also scripted, produced and directed the movie, tweeted this to me the other day, “but the film does make fun of Wannabe Berean [sic] unimaginative Christians who need to lighten up.”

Source

By this we know that Doane and Cameron don’t take atheists to task, but take fellow Christians to task who are concerned about the excesses of Christmas consumerism and traditions, and bemoan the lost focus on Jesus, and they do so in a belittling, mocking way.

Therefore let no one pass judgment on you in questions of food and drink, or with regard to a festival or a new moon or a Sabbath. (Colossians 2:16)

I appeal to you, brothers, to watch out for those who cause divisions and create obstacles contrary to the doctrine that you have been taught; avoid them. (Romans 16:17)

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Appropos of nothing except I liked the quote (becuase it used to apply to me before I was saved)…speaking to University Students recently, Alistair Begg said of the sin-drenched mind,

“Human reason and intellectual capacity forms the basis for their unbounded confidence. I said to them, I’m not sure they liked it, “Do you realize your intellect is not a citadel that unaffected by sin? Do you realize you can’t think properly?”

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Mark Driscoll, Mars Hill Church

Yes I know the Mark Driscoll thing has been discussed to death. Driscoll resigned from Mars Hill as pastor, but the interesting thing to me was the circumstances of the resignation. His elders said he was not disqualified from ministry because he didn’t perform “heresy, immorality or criminal activity.” While the bible does list those as disqualifying events from ministry, those are not the ONLY disqualifying events. Sola Sisters explains at the following link.

Mars Hill Pastor Mark Driscoll Resigns, Claims He Is Not “Disqualified From Future Ministry”

As devastating as this is issue is to the Driscoll family, the Mars Hill congregants, to the faith and to God, the problem this indicates is much larger. It is my opinion that Western Christianity (and maybe all of Christianity) is undergoing a monumental collapse. The church has been inflated with so many tares that it has become bloated with false members. Like a helicopter trying to rise with too many hanging on, many are falling away (or sovereignly revealed to have been false all along).

Source

[True Christianity will never be overcome. And I tell you, you are Peter, and on this rock I will build my church, and the gates of hell shall not prevail against it. Matthew 16:18]

For example, Hillsong Pastor Brian Houston said this week that he will not take a biblical stand on Homosexuality issues. He said “it is an ongoing conversation” and “we’re on a journey with it”. NY Times reported,

Brian and Bobbie Houston of Hillsong

Megachurch Pastor Signals Shift in Tone on Gay Marriage

The pastor of one of the more influential global megachurches has declared that his church is in “an ongoing conversation” about same-sex marriage — saying that it is appropriate to consider the words of the Bible alongside the changing culture and the experience of people in the pews.

This blogger stated it more specifically- Hillsong grooming its members to embrace Queerstianity? (Part 2)

And you know what? So is the Vatican.

Vatican stuns Catholic world with greater openness toward gays and lesbians

VATICAN CITY — The world’s Catholic bishops on Monday (Oct. 13) signaled a move toward greater tolerance of gays and lesbians, an about-face so unexpected that leaders of the church’s right wing called it a “betrayal.”

By no stretch of the imagination can Hillsong, Mars Hill or the Catholic Church be considered true churches. Not when the Mars Hill Pastor has failed the benchmarks for qualified ministry so repeatedly and so obviously. Not when the Mars Hill elders dispense with half the scriptures for pastoral qualifications- either demonstrating massive ignorance of scripture (in which case they themselves are disqualified from eldership) or by having willfully set them aside (again, an act which disqualifies them from eldership).

Not when Hillsong’s prosperity gospel infects the global church, and Hillsong conferences touting spiritual teaching and personal renewal include such rank heretics as TD Jakes, Kong Hee, Joel Osteen, Victoria Osteen, Judah Smith, Rick Warren, Jesus Culture, Steven Furtick, Louie Giglio, Christine Caine, Bethel Live, Bill Hybels, Louie Giglio, Joyce Meyer and Joseph Prince! Those names are poster children for heresy itself.

And of course the Catholic Church we already know is false.

Yet how large are just those three entities? Considered Christian by most of the world, their size and membership means their leaven is spoiling the entire loaf. The bread inflates with rank leaven.

A little leaven leavens the whole lump. (Galatians 5:9)

How is it that you fail to understand that I did not speak about bread? Beware of the leaven of the Pharisees and Sadducees. (Matthew 16:11)

Catholic Church: 1.2 billion members worldwide. Vatican is the world’s sole absolute monarchy. One of the oldest hierarchical religious organizations in the world, and the longest successive monarchy.

“We must have no truce, no treaty with Rome.” Charles Spurgeon

Hillsong: 30,000 members in Australia; extension churches also in London, Cape Town, Paris, Kiev, Stockholm, Amsterdam, Barcelona, Copenhagen and New York, there are 680,000 Twitter followers of Hillsong music and more than 4 million Facebook fans. President of LifeWay Research Ed Stetzer, says of the Houstons’ impact, “I’d guess that globally, they’d be in the top 10 influential evangelicals in the English-speaking world.”

And this is the “church” that will NOT take a stand on homosexuality…

Mars Hill: a multi-site church based in Seattle, Washington with 15 locations in 5 U.S. states, 260,000 sermon views online every week, from 2004-2012 Outreach Magazine ranked Mars Hill #4 in overall “Top Churches to Watch in America”. In 2011, Preaching magazine named the founding pastor Mark Driscoll ‘one of the 25 most influential [English-speaking] pastors of the past 25 years.’ 10 Million views on Youtube and almost half a million followers for Mark Driscoll and another 63,000 for Mars Hill Church.

And this is the church whose elders say that plagiarism, twisting scriptures, lying, and bullying are not disqualifying events for its pastor.

Never fear. No matter what seems to be happening to the church is only happening to the false church and only happening because God is allowing it. Jesus keeps His sheep unspoiled. He will take His true church out of the world to be living bread for His name forever.

Then he left the crowds and went into the house. And his disciples came to him, saying, “Explain to us the parable of the weeds of the field.” 37He answered, “The one who sows the good seed is the Son of Man. 38The field is the world, and the good seed is the sons of the kingdom. The weeds are the sons of the evil one, 39and the enemy who sowed them is the devil. The harvest is the end of the age, and the reapers are angels. 40Just as the weeds are gathered and burned with fire, so will it be at the end of the age. 41The Son of Man will send his angels, and they will gather out of his kingdom all causes of sin and all law-breakers, 42and throw them into the fiery furnace. In that place there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth. 43Then the righteous will shine like the sun in the kingdom of their Father. He who has ears, let him hear. (Matthew 13:36-43)

allah, idols, ISIS, jesus, pope, vatican

ISIS threatens to conquer Rome and break the Vatican’s crosses

Posted on October 14, 2014May 9, 2016 by elizabethprata

ISIS, also known as Islamic State, publishes a glossy, slick magazine each month called Dabiq. It is propaganda, of course, but it is a nice production. In this month’s issue, the Islamic State threatened to conquer Rome and break the Vatican’s crosses.

The Clarion Project explains the magazine’s name:

Dabiq is a place in Syria that is supposed to be the location for one of the final battles according to certain Muslim myths about a final apocalypse. Choosing such a name for the magazine highlights the Caliphate’s goals.

In their eschatology, Sunni Muslims believe they must ignite a holy war to prove to Muhammad that they are serious about worshiping Allah and serious in seeking for Muhammad to return in ‘the last hour.’

The magazine is full of exhortations from “Allah”. They call westerners who are opposed to them “Crusaders”, whether they are military or Christian. Here is one example of their latest rhetoric:

From magazine Dabiq, page 37, Issue 4, The Final Crusade

This certainty was echoed by Shaykh Abū Muham – mad al-’Adnānī (hafidhahullāh) in his last speech when he said, “And so we promise you [O crusaders] by Allah’s permission that this campaign will be your final campaign. It will be broken and defeated, just as all your previous campaigns were broken and defeated, except that this time we will raid you thereafter, and you will never raid us. We will conquer your Rome, break your crosses, and enslave your women, by the permission of Allah, the Exalted. This is His promise to us; He is glorified and He does not fail in His promise. If we do not reach that time, then our children and grandchildren will reach it, and they will sell your sons as slaves at the slave market” [Indeed Your Lord Is Ever Watchful].

In other sections, the authors of the magazine reiterate that after conquering the Vatican they will sell all the women they capture into slavery. The magazine is full of articles with titles like “The Revival of Slavery: Before the Hour”, and “In the Words of the Enemy” (US Secretary of Defense Chuck Hagel) and gruesome pictures of beheaded people and the slain ‘Crusaders’.

The cover photo of the current issue (October 2014) is of an image of the Vatican with a photoshopped ISIS flag atop the Vatican obelisk.

In May 2014, Pope Francis met with Grand Mufti of Jerusalem, Muhammad Hussein, and pointed to the fraternal dialogue and exchange between Christians and Muslims, this quote is from Vatican Radio Archives:

Dear brothers, dear friends, from this holy place I make a heartfelt plea to all people and to all communities who look to Abraham: may we respect and love one another as brothers and sisters! May we learn to understand the sufferings of others! May no one abuse the name of God through violence! May we work together for justice and peace! Salaam!

In September 2014, “Pope Francis Slams Extremists Who ‘Pervert Religion‘” saying,

“May no one use religion as a pretext for actions against human dignity and against the fundamental rights of every man and woman, above all to the right to life and the right of everyone to religious freedom,” he said. … Islamic State has declared a “caliphate” in the territories they control and have killed or driven out large numbers of Christians, Shi’ite Muslims and others who do not subscribe to their hardline version of Sunni Islam.

The acts of ISIL ARE Islam. They are the religious center, the non-violent Muslims are the extremists. Needless to say, the Pope’s entreaties are going ignored.

Islam is not a religion of peace. But God is using it to bring about His final peace, the Prince of Peace who will rule with a rod of iron, and minister justice to all the nations. He warned the ancient Ninevites (present day ISIL) against their unceasing evil, saying through Prophet Nahum,

An oracle concerning Nineveh. The book of the vision of Nahum of Elkosh. God’s Wrath Against Nineveh 2The Lord is a jealous and avenging God; the Lord is avenging and wrathful; the Lord takes vengeance on his adversaries and keeps wrath for his enemies. 3The Lord is slow to anger and great in power, and the Lord will by no means clear the guilty. (Nahum 1:1-3)

As long as a Muslim is praying to Allah, he has forsaken the only steadfast love there is. (Jonah 2:8). But as long as a Muslim draws breath, even one involved in an unholy war as the ISIS men are, he will receive mercy if he repents. (1 John 1:19).

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Irony alert: Pope warns mobsters: Hell awaits

Posted on March 22, 2014May 9, 2016 by elizabethprata

Here is a headline from Drudge:

Pope warns mobsters: Hell awaits

AP Photo/Andrew Medichini

2009 photo AP/Alessandro Fucarini

“Pope Francis has a warning for Italy’s mobsters: They will go to hell if they don’t repent and renounce their “blood-stained money and blood-stained power.”

But the Pope himself is headed for the same destination. He does not live by the faith that was delivered to us, i.e. the unadulterated Gospel. If Pope Francis were to die at this moment, he would be destined for hell, for his condemnation is already upon him. (John 3:18)

Therefore this verse comes to mind,

“Let them alone; they are blind guides. And if the blind lead the blind, both will fall into a pit.” (Matthew 15:14)

However, the glory of the Gospel of Jesus Christ is that any mafioso or any Pope can repent and Jesus will forgive. Remember no sin is too great. He will forgive them all … except one. The unforgivable sin is dying in your sins without the one thing that is required: belief in the Son. (John 3:36). When you die, there is no more forgiveness, and God’s wrath is upon you. You will have rejected the pardon, therefore you’re unpardonable. He nailed all sins to the cross when He died on it, and He will forgive any repentant sinner prior to his fleshly death. Jesus is great! He is merciful.

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One Reason Catholicism is a false religion

Are Roman Catholicism and Christianity the same thing?

What is the Unforgivable Sin?

charles manson, evil, father of lies, pope, salvation, timothy mcveigh

What do Joel Osteen and the Timothy McVeigh have in common? Mother Teresa and Hitler?

Posted on February 8, 2014May 9, 2016 by elizabethprata

Pastor Don Green of Truth Community Fellowship preached an excellent sermon on February 2, 2014 titled Who is Satan?

He posed a question at the beginning of the sermon, asking, “Have we underestimated satan?” It is a question that I believe has a resounding ‘yes’ for an answer. I recommend the sermon, which is unvarnished truth about satan, satanic schemes, and the demonic horde, combined with a look at the grace of Jesus. Meanwhile, here are some transcribed excerpts,

Paul wrote, “But the Spirit explicitly says that in later times some will fall away from the faith, paying attention to deceitful spirits and doctrines of demons,” (1 Timothy 4:1)

These doctrines of demons, Pastor Green said, are “not necessarily going to be fiery displays of evil, it will be things cloaked in things that sound palatable to the human ear, things that sound plausible. Things that give you the sense that you can work your way into heaven, or that ultimately God is going forgive everyone and no one will go to hell. Or perhaps that God isn’t as holy, or that you’re not as bad as the scripture says you to be. The vast diversity of evil that the devil propagates through so many different systems shouldn’t confuse us to the ultimate fact that there is a common root.“

Pastor Green made the point that there are only two sides. There is the Spirit of truth, and the father of lies. There is no in between. He said, “Satan is the father of every lie that opposes the Gospel. He is a liar and the father of lies.“

You know that if someone is not from God, they are of the devil. Truth is not relative. Biblical truth is either/or. (Mark 9:40).

Pastor Green explained,

When we see false doctrine being taught, we need to understand there is more going on than a man who is mistaken. There is a spiritual force at work whether the man is aware of it or not. Men become the mouthpiece of the deceiver of souls. What should frighten us is that satan has the supernatural capacity to make himself look like, to present himself as one who is bringing light, not darkness.

In my never-ending quest to starkly illustrate the truth of the bible’s words, and that it is the same evil behind all that opposes God, no matter how ‘gentle’ it first appears, here are a series of paired photographs.

The same evil that spurred Charles Manson to become a cult leader and a murderer is behind the Pope, too, who is also a cult leader and a murderer of truth and souls, creating sons of hell. (Matthew 23:15)

The same evil that whispered to Hitler to roast Jews in ovens

is behind the Catholic Mother Teresa, whose refusal to share the Gospel sent many to roasting in hell forever, and who said, “There are so many religions and each one has its different ways of following God. I follow Christ”.

The same evil that is behind Timothy McVeigh and his bombing of the Murrah building in Oklahoma City, killing children in the daycare there along with many others,

is behind Joel Osteen, whose doctrines of demons delude millions every week. Many wither on his vine and die weekly

Too awful to contemplate? Yes, it is. The murderous, unsaved men such as Manson, Hitler and McVeigh are children of the father of lies and it is the same spirit that popes, preachers, and religious workers in false religions serve, too. When they die, unless they repent, they all will go to the place where the father of lies is prepared for, hell. Popes, “Mother” Teresa, and Joel Osteen all present themselves as workers of light, but they are in fact all darkness and their evil deeds are the same as the aforementioned men in the murderous category. They all have a common root. Satan.

Here is another either/or:
Do not be deceived, God is not mocked; for whatever a man sows, this he will also reap. For the one who sows to his own flesh will from the flesh reap corruption, but the one who sows to the Spirit will from the Spirit reap eternal life.” (Galatians 6:7-8)

The good news is that satan has been vanquished by our holy and wonderful Jesus. Jesus came to live as a man for 33 years, teaching and preaching for the last three. He was unjustly killed, shedding His blood for sinners, and exhausted God’s wrath for us. Pleased with His Son’s sacrifice, Jesus was raised from the dead by the power of God on the third day, and has ascended to the Father. Jesus will return in glory to judge the living and the dead.

I’ll paraphrase what Pastor Green said about the urgency of the message. I don’t know if you will be here tomorrow to read these things on this blog or any other blog. I don’t know if I’ll be here tomorrow to repeat them. Your eternal soul is at stake. Please take this seriously. Satan is real, he is a devourer of souls, and if you’re not in Christ at this moment, you’re blinded to the fact that you’re standing on a gossamer web hanging over hell. Your foot shall slide in due time, and your fate will be sealed. Come to Christ now,

“And working together with Him, we also urge you not to receive the grace of God in vain– for He says, “AT THE ACCEPTABLE TIME I LISTENED TO YOU, AND ON THE DAY OF SALVATION I HELPED YOU.” Behold, now is “THE ACCEPTABLE TIME,” behold, now is “THE DAY OF SALVATION.” (2 Corinthians 6:1-2)