I really like Ayanna’s writing. This is a repost/share from her Instagram. She posts photos, long captions, and mini-videos frequently. If you want, check her out.
Category: theology
Those who reject are putting themselves in grave danger!
By Elizabeth Prata
As witnesses to His Gospel, in sharing with other people, I’m sure you, as have I, experienced the gamut of reactions. Some are curious, some are polite but have closed ears, and some, sadly are like wild pigs who turn on you ferociously and tear you to pieces.
Give not that which is holy unto the dogs, neither cast
ye your pearls before swine, lest they trample them
under their feet, and turn again and rend you.
Matthew 7:6 (KJV)
There is an example of such a ferocious rejection in Acts 13. Paul and Barnabas had reasoned with the Jews in Antioch. Some were persuaded to stay and follow Paul and learn more. Others rejected. But when Paul went to give the Gospel to the Gentiles, the Jews became jealous and when they began opposing Paul all the harder, they blasphemed. Paul’s response was this:
Then Paul and Barnabas waxed bold, and said, It was necessary that the word of God should first have been spoken to you: but seeing you put it from you, and judge yourselves unworthy of everlasting life, see, we turn to the Gentiles. (Acts 13:46).
Those who reject put themselves in grave danger. Felix rejected. Though he was curious and listened to Paul then became alarmed to hear of the judgment, ultimately he remained apathetic. Stalling for a decision, he sent Paul away ’till a more convenient time, (Acts 24:25) putting off what he should do today. (2 Corinthians 6:2). How different from the reaction of the Philippian jailer who rushed in to Paul asking, “What must I do to be saved?”
Those who reject ferociously are in the greatest danger of all. Here is an excerpt from Barnes Notes on the Acts 13:46 verse. What does it mean when Paul said they judged themselves unworthy?
Barnes’ Notes on the Bible
Ye put it from you – You reject it.
And judge yourselves – By your conduct, by your rejecting it, you declare this. The word “judge” here does not mean they “expressed such an opinion,” or that “they regarded themselves” as unworthy of eternal life – for they thought just the reverse; but that by their conduct they condemned themselves. By such conduct they did, in fact, pass sentence on themselves, and show that they were unworthy of eternal life, and of having the offer of salvation any further made to them. Sinners by their conduct do, in fact, condemn themselves, and show that they are not only unfit to be saved, but that they have advanced so far in wickedness that there is no hope of their salvation, and no propriety in offering them, any further, eternal life. See the notes on Matthew 7:6.
(1) When people, even but once, deliberately and solemnly reject the offers of God’s mercy, it greatly endangers their salvation. The probability is, that they then put the cup of salvation forever away from themselves.
(2) the gospel produces an effect wherever it is preached.
(3) when sinners are hardened, and spurn the gospel, it may often be the duty of ministers to turn their efforts toward others where they may have more prospect of success. A man will not long labor on a rocky, batten, sterile soil, when there is near him a rich and fertile valley that will abundantly reward the pains of cultivation.
——————–end Barnes’ Notes——————–
I’ve shared the Gospel with people once, twice thrice, but when I see the reaction is hardening them more than producing a softening effect, I stop sharing. I stop talking about it. Withdrawing, I pray for them.
We like to think of a soft and seeking Jesus who pursues to the end (or woos as the lady snowflakes would have us believe). It is more probable, to use Barnes’ word, that once they reject, they likely put the cup of salvation away from them forever. When their conduct in so rejecting makes them act like unreasoning animals, they show themselves condemned.
This is one of the most heartbreaking things to watch, especially when it’s a family member or colleague or a friend. Even if it’s the guy at the gas station you’ll never see again…when you see them reject the Gospel, it’s sad. When it’s ferocious, the I get the haunting feeling that they have just sealed their coffin, and that is nearly unendurable.
In the coming year, I pray that your sharing and witnessing and loving will fall on fertile soil. I pray that the Lord gives you and me strength when we have to watch their rejection of You, the most beautiful person in the universe, casting away the only salvation that exists. I pray that many come through Your door, Jesus, in 2019.
2018 roundup and thank you
By Elizabeth Prata
Y2K! Stock up! Computers will crash! Hysteria!
That was the year-end feeling on December 31, 1999. It seems like yesterday that the millennium changed and we said goodbye to the 1990s and hello to the 2000s. Now we are looking at climbing into the last year of the second decade of the 2000s! Time flies, it really does.
My Plan for 2019
I started this blog in 2016 in response to a growing concern that increasing social media mogul scrutiny into what they term ‘hate speech’ left my blogspot blog in perilous condition. If Blogger shut it down for hate speech I’d have lost a ten year archive of 4,600 Christian essays. So I started this blog as a mirror blog to that one. It’s the same content, though the oldest essays didn’t migrate to WordPress because they exceeded the limit.
I’ve been writing this blog every day for ten years. TEN YEARS! Can you believe it! My first essay on the blogspot was posted on January 6, 2009. The blog was born from a weekly newsletter I was composing and sending out via email in 2007-08. That was born from an increasing drift in content from secular essays to Christian ones on my other blog, The Quiet Life. I started that blog in 2006. When it became obvious that my main interest was Christian content, I started this blog so I could maintain a sole Christian theological focus and not mix in recipes or cat stories in it, lol, like I do on my personal blog.
So for 13 years I’ve been writing publicly.
It’s normal, I think, for a Christian blogger or anyone in any kind of ministry to occasionally wonder if it is doing any good. Is it edifying? Is it helping? Is it honoring to Christ? Or is it adding to the general confusion? Am I mature enough to handle the word of God in this public way? Should I quit? Does the Lord want me to move into a different ministry using the gifts of the Spirit in a different manner?
I’ve asked myself all those questions and more. Just because the Lord started me on this path doesn’t mean it’s a forever thing. I was asking myself those ‘take stock’ questions the other day. I received an answer. A kind lady emailed with some encouragement, letting me know that indeed some things I’ve written had alerted her to an unwanted spiritual state, had strengthened her, and had pointed her toward good ministries and sermons.
Not that we look for personal accolades, but we do look for Spirit delivered affirmations that we are obeying in the manner the Lord wants us to obey. I take to heart these signs that the Lord is pleased with the ministry and wants me to continue.
As long as there is even one woman out there who is edified, I’ll continue.
I love writing. I am grateful for this ministry and for the women who read it.
The outlook for 2019 is more writing. I’ll continue in the same vein as I always have been. I’ve tried to do schedules and write on similar topics on each day of the week, but that just doesn’t work for me. My style is more organic. I like waiting to see what the Spirit brings to mind. Don’t you think it’s amazing that for over 4,600 essays every day He has been faithful to bring something to mind? That’s one of the things I love about writing, the clear working of the Spirit to guide my mind into insights, or revealing biblical truths, or helping me adopt a biblical worldview instead of my formerly secular one.
The one series I do is of the more old-fashioned theological stuff I write on Sundays. I’ve been writing about the Word of the Week Since June. I fear a decrease in Christian literacy and a lack of mutual understanding of the important words of the faith. I had with a 22-year-old who was raised in a strong Christian home who was confused between what sanctification and justification meant. I decided on the spot to do my part in promoting the understanding of the important words.
I’ve written in the series that resulted, Word of the Week, about Justification, Transcendence, Immanence, Propitiation, Sanctification, Glorification, Orthodoxy, Heresy, Omniscience, Perspicuity, Aseity, and Immutability. Then in October I shifted to the Fruit of the Spirit, writing about each of the 9 characteristics in succession. Love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and last week, self-control. I enjoyed that series. I think the Word of the Week is a good Sunday kind of essay. As of now, I plan to continue it.
Launching off the Word of the Week I create scripture photos based on that word, my own visual interpretation of the word, to extend the theme throughout the week. I’ll keep doing the scripture pictures, too.
Top Ten Essays of 2018
The top essays this year on this blog (it’s different on the other End Time Blogspot blog, interestingly) are below. Here is the rundown-
1. Two divorce cases: Looking at Summer White and Melissa Moore’s divorces wase the number one essay on The End Time wordpress version. In that 2016 essay, I had examined the reasons for and behavior of two prominent women serving in Christian ministries that have a global impact: Summer White (daughter of James White) and Melissa Moore (daughter of Beth Moore). I’d explored the following questions:
If the adult children or the wife of a leader sins, does that mean the leader falls below biblical standard for acceptable leadership? When the children are minors and living under the leader’s roof, certainly there is no doubt since the scripture is clear. But what if the child is 22 years old? 32 years old? 42 years old? Certainly if the sinning adult child is involved in the parent’s ministry then that adult child should be asked to step away. When it was revealed that RC Sproul Jr. had been involved in the Ashley Madison adultery site, he was temporarily suspended from the ministry that was founded and is led by his father, RC Sproul Sr. The actions (sins) of the adult child do impact the ministry of the elder, especially if the younger is involved in the ministry. I’ve come across two situations where adult children of a leading Bible teacher have divorced: James R. White’s daughter Summer and Beth Moore’s daughter Melissa. Remember, divorce is a sin. It bears mentioning because Christians often focus on other ‘big sins’ to the exclusion of divorce.
2. The Home Page with archives was #2. People must have it bookmarked.
3. Lifestyles of the mega-rich pastors with estates and private jets: You’ll be shocked to see who is among them (OK it’s Beth Moore). The ridiculous extravagance of some of the word of faith preachers such as Kenneth Copeland, Jesse Duplantis, Creflo Dollar, Joyce Meyer and Joel Osteen with their jets and mansions and vacation homes and gold commodes is well known. Less well known is that Beth Moore is reaching the same benchmark in greed and accumulated wealth. Using primary documents such as various city GIS maps with property valuations, IRS returns (all of which is public), and her own public words, I showed that undeniably Beth Moore is living a lifestyle far from her carefully presented one. Interestingly the number one search query leading people to this site is ‘Beth Moore Net Worth’. How much these non-profit ministries make and how the Bible teachers live is important. It’s a fact that Moore is not a down-home sister, but is in theology and in lifestyle more similar to Joyce Meyer and Victoria Osteen.
As a matter of fact 7 of the top 10 search queries that bring people to this blog involve Beth Moore. As I said, she looms large.
4. Is Billy Graham in heaven? The 99 1/2 year old evangelist died in February of this year. I posted the essay asking the question the same day. I used primary documents and quotations from the man to show that despite his world wide acclaim as a great evangelist, Graham held unorthodox views that seriously tilted the answer to the title question toward “no.” I’d ended the essay by saying-
“What I hope is that Billy Graham will be in heaven. What I fear is, that he is not.”
5. In 2016 I wrote about One more reason to avoid Lysa TerKeurst of Elevation Church
In case anyone wonders if discernment essays are still needed, they are. Two years after I wrote that essay women are still looking for information on Lysa’s ever growing ministry. Ladies please, please, just read your Bible. Most Bible studies aimed at women from the Christian publishing industry continually promote lies (Heaven tourism and God Spoke to Me genre), proffer error-ridden books (Beth Moore, Sarah Young), wind up diverting you from your own fellowship (Great Banquet/De Colores/Walk to Emmaus) or give you books and studies that simply weaken you. The mainstream publishing industry is not your friend. Neither are the parachurch organizations like If Gathering and the ladies ministry conferences glutting the market.
Go to church, read your Bible. Pray. Repeat. No matter how many ladies claiming to have heard from God tempt you to buy their books, there is no magic formula and there are no short cuts.
6. This year’s Book Review of Rachel Hollis’s juggernaut and seriously silly book Girl, Wash Your Face made it to #6. This was only 4 months ago, which tells you in the face of 411 other essays I wrote this year just how popular Hollis’s book was and is.
7. Beth Moore looms large. Her publishing blitz since 1995 with the issuing of her first ‘study’, A Woman’s Heart – God’s Dwelling Place Bible, launched her writing career. By 2018 and 342 published materials later her glut goes unabated. Books, studies, Spanish editions, CDs and audio books, leader guides, fiction books, DVD’s, storm the Christian world year after disgustingly relentless year. In 2015 Moore even delved into acting, taking a speaking part in the War Room movie. She continues to make news, and not in a good way. In 2018 Moore tweeted something that insightful believers would know is effectually an anointing of Kevin Jones as a Third Adam.
Moore is seriously an evil influence on women in Christendom. I’ve collected a list discernment essays written by me, other women, and men who critique her ministry, doctrine, and lifestyle. The list begins in 2011 and goes to this day. So, coming in at #7 is All Beth Moore Critiques in One Place
8. John MacArthur on the Ben Shapiro Show was published just a few weeks ago but widespread interest in the steady old pastor and his Gospel-drenched witness to Jewish tv show host Ben Shapiro drew thousands of views. For that I am glad.
9. My “About” page gets a lot of traffic. That’s good. People should be looking at who is writing this stuff, what I believe, and what credentials I have, if any. Check me out, email me with questions or concerns, and don’t just take my word for it, but always read with your Bible open and next to you.
10. Another discernment essay, this one about Ted Dekker and The Forgotten Way, rounds out the top ten list.
Blog Stats: The End Time is not an echo chamber, thankfully!
This year saw a growth in the blog despite having started it just a year and a half ago and not doing anything active for search engine optimization, other than posting new content every day. And despite the glut of millions of blogs, articles, and podcasts all trying to draw the attention of the Christian consumer.
I’m grateful to the Spirit for that. It’s kind of dizzying when I think about what I write going all around the world in an instant. Between the blogspot blog and the wordpress blog this year there were 633,000 views of the material I’ve published.
I remember what John MacArthur said of his ministry when someone asked him if he ever thought it would go far,
Early in my ministry I committed, before the Lord, that I would simply worry about the depth of my ministry, and I would let Him take care of the breadth of it.
Facebook came on strong this year too. On the other blog, I received 49% of my referrals from Facebook and 28% from Pinterest. I don’t know how this plays out on WP because I don’t have the sme kind of stats pak, but I’m sure it’s consistent. That’s the trend. This shows me that the bulk of my readership is female and I’m glad, because ladies are my target audience. It also tells me to curate those social media outlets well.
Thank you for a great year!
Thank you to all my wonderful readers. I truly appreciate you and value you. I appreciate the people who have sent me questions or asked for advice, who have emailed encouragement and sent donations. Thank you for the donations! I am really grateful.
Thank you most of all for your prayers. I love this ministry. Sometimes when things get into a conflict and I have to go against popular opinion, it gets hairy. I am thankful for prayers to strengthen me. I also appreciate prayer that helps me stay doctrinal. Please, please don’t let me drift. That is an important prayer to pray for me, if you are so inclined.
I pray you all have a wonderful New Year! May this year be the year of the rapture!
Word of the Week- Fruit of the Spirit, Self-Control
By Elizabeth Prata
But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control; against such things there is no law. (Galatians 5:22-23).
In past essays, I explored the previous characteristics in the verse, from the first, joy, to gentleness, the second to last. Now we look at self-control.
In a previous essay it was noted that the 9 characteristics Paul outlines in the verse can be grouped by three threes.
Warren Wiersbe notes the triple triad within the verse. The first three characteristics of the fruit are love, joy, and peace. Those reflect the Godward aspect of Christian life.
The next three are patience, kindness, goodness; characteristics reflecting the manward aspect of Christian life.
Faithfulness, gentleness, self-control are aspects reflecting the selfward part of the Christian life.
Self-control…what does that mean, exactly? As with everything in the Bible, it’s both simple and clear on the surface, but if you dig deeper, valuable truths come out that prick the conscience and grow the believer.
In Barnes’ Notes we learn
The word used here, (ἐγκράτεια egkrateia), means properly “self-control, continence.” It is derived from ἐν en and κράτος kratos, “strength,” and has reference to the power or ascendancy which we have over exciting and evil passions of all kinds. It denotes the self-rule which a man has over the evil propensities of his nature. … It includes the dominion over all evil propensities, and may denote continence, chastity, self-government, moderation in regard to all indulgences as well as abstinence from intoxicating drinks. See the word explained in the notes at Acts 24:25.
The sense here is, that the influences of the Holy Spirit on the heart make a man moderate in all indulgences; teach him to restrain his passions, and to govern himself; to control his evil propensities, and to subdue all inordinate affection.
A Christian must be a temperate man; and if the effect of his religion is not to produce this, it is false and vain.
We see this is so in the 1Timothy 3:2-3 regarding elder qualifications
Therefore an overseer must be above reproach, the husband of one wife, sober-minded, self-controlled, respectable, hospitable, able to teach, not a drunkard, not violent but gentle, not quarrelsome, not a lover of money.
The man has self-control in demonstrating he won’t drink to excess, thus losing control. He isn’t violent because he controls his anger, and this is an important one because angry situations are full of pressure. Can he control himself when the circumstances become chaotic emotionally or physically? If he is growing in the fruit of the Spirit he will be.
We see self-control again in 2 Timothy 2:24 where again he controls his anger,
And a servant of the Lord must not be quarrelsome, but he must be kind to everyone, able to teach, and forbearing.
In 2 Timothy 1:7 Paul again remarks about self-control
for God gave us a spirit not of fear but of power and love and self-control.
And more, the following verses remark about having self-control, and it’s not exhaustive,
2 Peter 1:6, Acts 24:25, Proverbs 25:28, Proverbs 16:32, 1 Corinthians 9:25, 1 Timothy 2:15, 1 Timothy 2:9, Titus 1:8…
Possessing self-control means you are growing in the fruit of the Spirit as the Galatians verses shows. It means one’s sanctification is progressing. It’s proof that we are relying on the Spirit to resist our depraved and evil impulses. Christ died for us so that we may die, to our sins. Having self-control demonstrates Spirit-led mastery over them.
———————————————-
Further Resources
Focus on the Family: Got Self-Control?
GotQuestions: What does the Bible say about self-discipline?
Ligonier Devotional: Self-Control
Head Heart Hands blog: Pumping up the Self-Control in the Age of Temptations
Book Review: “You Who?: Why You Matter & How To Deal With It” by Rachel Jankovic
By Elizabeth Prata
“Feelings are a bunch of monkeys. Our feelings are not bulletins from the Holy of Holies.”
And just like that, Rachel Jankovic’s new book “You Who?: Why You Matter & How To Deal With It” is off and running. Oh and by the way, she first mentions sin on page TWO. Take that, every other feelings-laden, soft-sell, ‘messy lives’ snowflake books.
Because, Rachel’s new book isn’t for the easily melted. Then again, it is. It’s for every woman who claims Christ. It’s a straight shot across the bow to all the carefully contrived me-oriented schemas, constructs, and operating theories women in Christendom have been presented with, (I’m talking to you, Lifeway & Ladies Ministry) and a good deal more. But I get ahead of myself.
Here is the official blurb of this upcoming book*, slated for publication on January 15. Canon Press is the publisher and you can also buy from Amazon.
If “Who am I?” is the question you’re asking, Rachel Jankovic doesn’t want you to “find yourself” or “follow your heart.”
Those lies are nothing to the confidence, freedom, and clarity of course that come with knowing what is actually essential about you. And the answer to that question is at once less and more than what you are hoping for.
Christians love the idea that self-expression is the essence of a beautiful person, but that’s a lie, too. With trademark humor and no nonsense practicality, Rachel Jankovic explains the fake story of the Self, starting with the inventions of a supremely ugly man named Sartre (rhymes with “blart”). And we–men and women, young and old–have bought his lie of the Best Self, with terrible results.
Thankfully, that’s not the end of our story, You Who: Why You Matter and How to Deal with It takes the identity question into the nitty gritty details of everyday life. Here’s the first clue: Stop looking inside, and start planting flags of everyday faithfulness. In Christianity, the self is always a tool and never a destination.
When do we start being us? The existentialist will say we become who we are when we start knitting together our actions that create the story of our identity. Our identity is all about ‘our story.’ The Christian woman should say, as Jankovic explains, that “our valuations are built in a completely different foundation. Who you believe does the creating makes all the difference. Which creator do we honor?”
In asking the question ‘Who am I?’ we are really asking the question ‘Who is my God?’ Knowing, understanding, and living the answer to that question correctly gives the Christian woman relief and joy. Jankovic expertly outlines how to achieve that relief, and it’s not in what we do, but knowing who we are.
Rachel’s contention is that we have no practical idea of what makes us who we are, because we have absorbed too much of the world and its philosophies. As we grow up we adopt titles of identities that have either been thrust on us or that we take on ourselves. “Carefree grrrrl”, or “The Fashionista” or “The Nerd” might satisfy for the moment, but they are a lie. Why? Because they are only temporary. We outgrow the youthful grrrl and become a mom, or an employee, or a boss. But God never changes. When we find our identity in Him, we rest satisfied because we know and are known, unchangeable, no matter the temporary worldly title our family or the world might put on us.
Rachel punctures every misnomer, every misapplication, every fad (like the Christian fad telling us women “You’re a princess”) attempting to be the terminus identity. Defining ourselves by man-made categories simply gets between us and Christ.
Here is an example of her explosive language drilling down to the main point of our Christian identity as women:
Jesus Christ did not come into the world and die so that you might live. That is only the partial truth, the truth that skips all the action. Jesus Christ came to this earth, struggled, suffered, and died so that you might die.
I have to say, as a matter of personal preference and bias, I don’t enjoy podcasts, from men or women. I don’t enjoy interviews and very few Q&A’s. I’m not a fan of banter, filler, giggling, or circuitous points. I participated in Rachel’s DVD seminars, which is comprised of hours of her talking and us listening/watching via a flat screen. The Valley Girl accent that so many millennials have these days, the rabbit trail points, and verbal tics are very distracting. Like?…like?…like… you know what I mean, like?
I am of the opinion that if one wants to have a speaking career, one should speak clearly and concisely. This skill is directly taught to pastors in Homiletics classes. But it seems that anyone with an internet connection who decides to launch a podcast (as Rachel has) or embarks on a speaking career does so without a minimum benchmark most people learn in high school speech classes. There IS such a thing as adhering to a minimum standard of craftsmanship. I’ll expand on this point in another blog essay but for now let me admit that when I was handed Rachel’s book, though obviously highly intelligent, based on her speaking persona I wasn’t expecting much.
I’m thrilled to say that not only were my expectations on her writing craftsmanship exceeded, but I’m actually blown away by the book’s brilliance.
Pros:
I appreciated Rachel’s continual turning to Jesus as the answer. She urges total submission and makes a clear point about just what that answer is (and it’s more than being a “Princess”). There is not a hint of eisegesis, narcissism, or me-centered, self-esteem, pop psychology so often present in the glut of books flooding the Christian publishing market today.
Sin was stated as sin, not ‘brokenness’ or ‘messiness’ or ‘mistakes’. Rachel never whitewashes who we are as sinners but continually points to Christ. She offers practical, optimistic responses that slay the philosophies we have been pummeled with in the Christian publishing industry for the last 20-odd years. Rachel is skilled at mounting up responses and excuses to women use to rebut her points but then blowing them all away like the milkweed they are. When the title says ‘how to deal with it’, it means it.
Rachel spends a good deal of the book focusing on giving God glory. What glory is and how to express it. And that expression is never more glorious and God-honoring than when we obey. We are never more our true selves than when we obey God’s word.
Rachel shows restraint in using personal anecdotes and momisms. As any good preacher knows, illustrations are a double edged sword. Once you start making an illustration on which to revolve your sermon, you’ve lost any demographic that doesn’t identify with it. Rachel uses few, but they are sprinkled in to the chapters at just the right moments.
Now, don’t run away when I say this, but Rachel begins with an examination of various philosophies, such as nihilism, cognitive psychology, and in a lengthy treatment, existentialism. I’ve always had a hard time wrapping my mind around these philosophies, but Rachel does a brilliant job of making a practical analysis of how they compare to Christianity, specifically, Christian identity. Yet for all its weighty themes, it is a highly readable book. I read it in just a few days.
“You Who? Why You Matter & How To Deal With It” is an important addition to the Christian woman’s bookshelf, and one I believe is a “must read.”
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*Oganizers of the Jankovic DVD seminars were offered a pre-publication advanced reader copy of this book, with a request if so accepting, to also write a review of the book. No expectation was given as to the type of review nor its content. This review was completed without influence of any kind.
Solstice thoughts on Christmas Eve
By Elizabeth Prata
I was saved by Grace of God late in life, at age 42. But that doesn’t mean I spent the first four decades ignorant of God. His creation spoke to me, my conscience pricked me, and my soul longed to be filled even as I mused as to why it was curiously empty. Romans 2:15, Ecc 3:11).
I’d asked the big questions: Why are we here? What is life good for if it is so short and the earth so old? It seems pointless. Why did nothing satisfy me for very long? Money or travel or accolades work or marriage or accomplishments? What was the point of it all? If there was a God, why would he care about us? We’re so puny.
I finally acknowledged there was a God, because creation existed. I was a living example of Romans 1:19.
I could not, however, figure out who went to heaven and why, what the benchmark was that allowed some people in and others not. This was because I rejected the notion of my sin and Jesus’s blood in atonement for it. I was a living example of Romans 1:18.
During the time just prior to my salvation, while I was seeking actively, I fell in with a group of pagans and witches. I was invited to a solstice night gathering. This was in Maine and on December 21, it’s cold. The average low for that night is 17 degrees, with the average high just hovering above freezing, with an average of a foot of snow on the ground. That particular year there was a lot of snow.
I’d been familiar with Roman Catholic ceremonies, my husband was Catholic. There, the gravitas of the situation was impressed upon you by long-held shiny rituals and reverberating chants in another language. Mysterious. I didn’t understand it but it was obvious that other people did. One can see the attraction to this sort of thing.
The ritual or ceremony for the Solstice event was to simply go outside and stand around in the yard in shin-deep snow, looking at the pine trees. As the sun sank, we were told to think of something or say something that came to mind.
Like what? It’s cold outside? When can we go in and have the hot chocolate that was promised? Am I supposed to worship a tree? Where was the meaning in that?
Where was the framework to put this into perspective? What were we supposed to think? Or say? Or do? I just shifted feet and pushed my hands further into my pockets. Is this where eternal meaning was? If so, it felt so empty.
I now know that in addition to being a silly ceremony, if that’s what it was, it was empty because we were trying to find meaning in the creation when we were part of the creation itself. It went no higher than that.
The joy of Christmas is that the transcendent was made manifest, and on our behalf too. The problem with a solstice ceremony was that they “exchanged the glory of the immortal God for images resembling mortal man and birds and animals and creeping things.” (Romans 1:23). Honoring the creation but not the Creator who created it is foolish. And it felt so.
The Lord in His grace saved me a short while later. He opened my eyes to His glory and caused my heart to incline to worship of the Ancient of Days. He is living, His glory was shown in the image of His Son, (Hebrews 1:3) who was born that day in the city of David. (Luke 2:11).
By common confession, great is the mystery of godliness: He who was revealed in the flesh, Was vindicated in the Spirit, Seen by angels, Proclaimed among the nations, Believed on in the world, Taken up in glory. (1 Timothy 3:16)
And the Word became flesh, and dwelt among us, and we saw His glory, glory as of the only begotten from the Father, full of grace and truth. (John 1:14)
The Christian world rejoices tonight in the mystery of the incarnation, the babe, who lived as a lamb but will return as a lion. Praise God that “But when the fullness of time had come, God sent forth his Son, born of woman, born under the law, to redeem those who were under the law, so that we might receive adoption as sons.” (Galatians 4:4-5).
Discernment Resources for you: Bookmark this!
By Elizabeth Prata
Is this teacher good? Is this Bible study credible? Is this book safe with good doctrine? I’m frequently asked these are normal and good questions, and I know that other ministries that offer discernment teachings are asked also.
We all should be practicing discernment, all the time. (Philippians 1:9). Hebrews 5:14 says discernment comes with training and maturity-
But solid food is for the mature, for those who have their powers of discernment trained by constant practice to distinguish good from evil.
Sometimes ladies don’t have time to pre-read a study to determine if it’s acceptable, they barely have time between the kids, husband, church, and home to read the study itself. Other times sisters just need a second opinion before setting up the appointment with the Ladies Minister or the Pastor. Other times a person just needs a jog or a jig into a direction, a framework that sparks their own thoughts.
So we’re asked. I’m grateful when I am asked, because I know there are women out there who care about good doctrine and only want to study with credible materials or people. Discernment as a tool or a skill (or in some cases, the gift) isn’t just for calling out false teachers or spotting poor doctrine melded with the true. It’s a book or a movie review. It’s oftentimes a lesson in itself teaching how to compare materials with scripture. It’s honing of the mind as it conforms to Christ. It’s all that and more.
Here are some resources I use for my own reasons, which include all of the above. I offer these resources to you as an additional tool in your discernment toolbox.
Phil Johnson. Phil is Executive Director of Grace To You, the online ministry of Grace Community Church. (GCC). He is also editor of John MacArthur’s books, and a pastor in the GraceLife Pulpit, Sunday School Ministry of GCC. He has the gift of discernment, and often speaks on topics such as current fads and their impact in Christendom, false teachers, and other discernment issues. You can find his sermons at the GraceLife Pulpit. Phil also speaks at various conferences, including the well-known Strange Fire conference, which examined and evaluated the doctrines, claims, and practices of the modern charismatic movement. As a matter of fact,t he entire conference itself is a lesson in discernment and well worth your while. Phil also ran a blog for many years that dealt with discernment issues, Pyromaniacs, which has recently been revived with other writers contributing. You can search its archives. He also has a wealth of material here. He’s been online for over 20 years.
Justin Peters. Justin is an itinerant pastor with several specialties. He preaches expositionally, and also has an interest in teaching discernment matters via his series Clouds Without Water. Justin has written a book called Do Not Hinder Them, about evangelizing children, and has spoken out about the fad of ‘heaven tourism‘, examining the claims of those who allege they have traveled to heaven and back. He preaches and teaches extensively at conferences, for example, the Judge Not Conference, the Strange Fire conference here, and here, and here in an extensive interview about Lying Signs and Wonders, as well as many other places that can be found on Youtube.
Bob DeWaay. Critical Issues Commentary is a treasure trove of discernment works and other topics, led by Pastor Bob DeWaay. Critical Issues Commentary was founded to help people find their way out of unbiblical teachings that confused their understanding of the faith. There is so much at the site, you can take an entire course for free on Hermeneutics, or Systematic Theology, watch the video, How to Discern a True Work of the Spirit, learn from a five-video series on How Do We Really Hear From God, read articles reviewing Jesus Calling, Bill Johnson’s book, or Ann Voskamp’s book, and so on. His About page says in part, “Critical Issues Commentary is… a series of carefully researched essays on important theological issues. Since 1992 more than 80 articles covering more than 60 specific “critical issues” have been published. Each article contains Biblical exegesis as well as interaction with famous teachers and teachings. Our prayer is that God uses this effort to help readers grow in their faith and be strong in their witness.”
Michelle Lesley. Michelle runs a discipleship ministry, online here, and has written articles on various false teachers. She also travels and will speak at your church or organization. If you go to her site, there is a link at the top called Popular False teachers. You can also search her archives for specifically what you’re looking for. Michelle graduated from LSU with a degree in child and adolescent psychology, and earned her master’s family counseling. She is a married mother of six. She loves being a stay at home, home schooling mom and enjoys reading, staying active at church and in women’s ministry…
Sharon Lareau. Mrs. Lareau at Chapter 3 Ministries is another treasure trove of biblical information, reviews, women’s issues, marriage, apologetics, and more. She is a 30-plus years married mom who homeschooled for 18 years. She says, “It is my prayer that Chapter 3 Ministries is a blessing to other women. It is my desire to encourage greater understanding about the biblical role of the Christian wife and to offer support for living it. It is also my desire to support my sisters in Christ in their efforts to be ready in the defense of our great hope. This defense can be given through our testimony and through the work of apologetics.” She has recently written a review of Tim Keller’s book “Prayer” as well as reviewed several of Beth Moore’s Living Proof Conferences. There’s a lot at the site, check it out.
Abandoned to Christ. Sunny Shell of Abandoned to Christ also ministers to women via her website and of course in real life as all of the above people do. She writes “about living abandoned to Christ in marriage, biblical submission, parenting, friendships, evangelism, and my often debilitating and very painful health issues for the past 13 years—all with the eternal, rich, and hope-filled perspective of the Gospel of Jesus Christ.” She is a married mother of two adult children who also volunteers at church, blogs, is writing her first book, and disciples younger women. She has a list of recommended books, resources to follow and stay away from, and reviews, such as The Shack, the movie Son of God, Ann Voskamp/Beth Moore/Sarah Young, and much more.
Wretched. Todd Friel of Wretched Radio & TV also delves into apologetics and discernment issues. He has a wonderful series called Drive By, thus called because you can listen to the short lectures as you drive to work. They are generally between 7-15 minutes each. The series includes Drive By Discernment– 70 short lectures on the topic of discernment. There is also a DVD called Judge Not, about true biblical judging, or discernment. There is a wealth of short clips on Youtube under the Wretched Channel also. Don’ miss Too Wretched for Radio, short interviews with Phil Johnson on various fads, discernment topics and apologetics in current time.
Challies. Tim Challies has been blogging, reviewing books, and offering up discernment resources for ten years. His website is a treasure trove of archived book reviews, to the good and the bad, plus lots of other resources.
Chapel Library: a Ministry of Mt. Zion Bible Church. This resource is not specifically aimed at discernment or apologetics but it is just too good not to include here. It’s often overlooked or amazingly, fairly unknown widely. It is another rich, full site of lots to choose for free. The Bunyan Archive, courses for free, studies in scripture, 850 books, tracts, and pamphlets to read online or download for free, including Adoniram Judson and the Missionary Call by Erroll Hulse, Advice for Seekers by Charles H. Spurgeon, Am I Really a Christian? by Thomas Boston, Anxiety by Arthur W. Pink, and so MUCH more. The whole site offers over 1100 resources for free.
I hope these resources suit you, there are many men and women out there, who labor for Christ and the common good.
Movie Review: Netflix’s Dumplin’
By Elizabeth Prata
Dumplin’ is a Netflix Original (PG-13) based on the 2015 young-adult novel by Julie Murphy, starring Danielle MacDonald, Jennifer Aniston, Odeya Rush, Kathy Najimy, and produced by Jennifer Aniston.
The official blurb goes:
Willowdean (‘Dumplin’), the plus-size teenage daughter of a former beauty queen, signs up for her mom’s Miss Teen Bluebonnet pageant as a protest that escalates when other contestants follow her footsteps, revolutionizing the pageant and their small Texas town.
The reviews are uniformly good. The movie is called sweet, heartwarming, engaging, feel-good, a treasure, and wonderful.
I was initially hesitant to watch but the reviews being good and I wanted to watch something uplifting, so I decided to take a chance. The movie was more three-dimensional that I thought it would be, and the relationships among the characters to each other and to their own selves was more nuanced than I’d expected.
Jennifer Aniston as the skinny, driven pageant queen director was not mean through and through and had more love and compassion for her daughter than one would suspect, given the trailers. Millie the giggling overweight girl was not clueless but had a streak of steel magnolia in her, and the main character, Willowdean, was shown as more complex in exploring her motives for competing in the pageant than many similarly-themed movies (I’m talking to you, Hallmark).
The Dolly Parton soundtrack provided the backdrop and unifying theme, and reportedly Parton was so smitten with the YA book and movie that she wrote some new songs specifically for the film. I like Dolly Parton so this was a good thing to me.
It’s a true chick flick, in that very few men are featured in the movie with the exception of Bo, in a few scenes as Willowdean’s love interest. A few fat-shaming male bullies drift in and out.
If I was a secular person I’d give two thumbs up. But as a Christian I’ll offer a warning.
Willowdean’s journey through this movie was essentially a search for authenticity and self-acceptance. Given her mother’s past success as a pageant winner and now in her career as an adult directing pageants, Will wonders- Is authenticity to be sought on the basis of external beauty and appearances only? Is there a place for a heavy girl in the skinny world of her mother? Will a person be appreciated for their character qualities? Given her size, is there anyone who will take the time to find out before dismissing Will on the basis of her weight? Can one be accepted for who they are, just as they are?
These are all good questions. However, the answers come from a place of total inauthenticity: drag queens.
As Willowdean sorts through her recently deceased aunt and life-mentor’s things, she stumbles across a poster for Dolly Parton Night at a local establishment. What Willowdean does not know is that it’s a road house/biker bar and the Dollys are drag queens.
Will is given admittance when it’s learned that she is the niece of the deceased aunt, who was beloved and well-known for her accepting and encouraging ways among the ‘ladies’. Apparently Aunt Lucy hung out there a lot.
There, Will and her two friends who had also signed up to compete in the pageant, learned to accept themselves, learned stage moves including flounce and strut, and learned to be accepting of others, including men who dress as garish parodies of women. We in the audience are meant to learn and accept this, too.
With the transsexual movement, the homosexual agenda, and the insistence from the secular world that we accept “gender fluidity,” we are seeing increasing emphasis in mainstream movies on issues like this. There will be more and more drag queens in movies, I am sure. Move over RuPaul and Lady Gaga.
Ultimately, it wasn’t the mother who helped her daughter gain confidence and understanding about societal expectations and her own true self, it was a bunch of men who play-act at being women who performed this service. They were the ones in the movie being worldy warm and wise, taking these three girls under their wing and helping them along in life, not the mother, not the school teacher, not another family member, not any other authority figure in the girls’ lives. It was the drag queens offering haven, acceptance, and help.
It was men dressing as women, proving a woman’s authenticity. They, not Willowdean, ended up as the main vehicle pushing the boundaries of what society expects and will tolerate.
Of course, this is twisted.
What does the Bible have to say about drag queens? It does speak to the issue.
A woman shall not wear a man’s garment, nor shall a man put on a woman’s cloak, for whoever does these things is an abomination to the Lord your God. (Deuteronomy 22:5).
“This command was not as much about clothing as it was about guarding the sanctity of what it means to be a man or a woman.” (GotQuestions)
Or do you not know that the unrighteous will not inherit the kingdom of God? Do not be deceived; neither fornicators, nor idolaters, nor adulterers, nor effeminate, nor homosexuals, (1 Corinthians 6:9).
Is it wrong for men to be effeminate or for women to be masculine?
When God designed male and female (Genesis 5:2), He created more than mere physical differences. Men and women were created to fulfill differing roles in creation and in our relationship with the Lord. Rejecting those God-assigned roles is a symptom of rebellion against our Creator. … Perversion escalates when women and men abandon their God-ordained identities and try to adopt the characteristics of the opposite gender. Men become like women, and women become like men. The sin lies in our choices, not our natural differences.
The acting was superb and the message an important one. I was just sad that it had to be learned through a twisted version of womanliness.
The PG-13 was earned due to one f-word and two sh-words. There were two scenes of teenagers kissing.
On Netflix.
Overheard in the Coffee Shop
By Elizabeth Prata
Picture the scene. It’s a festive coffee shop at your favorite spot. You’re there sitting and sipping and savoring being alone for a few minutes before heading home. You have your hand curled around a warm cup of coffee and you’re enjoying the hum and din of the throng, the twinkling lights, and the strong beverage warming its way down to the bottom of your toes.
As you settle and your body relaxes and your mind clears, you begin to pick up snippets of conversation around you. The guys over there mention the Super Bowl. The teen at the table by the window is on her phone. And next to you there’s a table of four women, laughing and talking rapidly, as women do. They have scarves artfully arranged on their necks, slim fingers play with their mugs, dancing along the rim, and a couple of them twiddle their shiny new wedding rings. They laugh full body, open mouth, showing all their teeth. They are relaxed with each other, friends for a long time, even if some of them are newly married. They’re young.
They’re talking about boyfriends and husbands. As you smile to yourself and glance away, you hear one of the young women with a new looking ring on her finger say this:
“I always do what pleases him.”
The other women still, and look at her mouths agape. You don’t know what preceded this half sentence, but clearly the other three women are startled. One of them furrows her brow, and suddenly the entire room seems to quiet, the table in the middle of the coffee shop becomes and island, though the rest of the customers don’t seem to notice. You do, though.
“Laura!” exclaims one of the women loudly. “You can’t mean that!” The lady by her side chimes in, “You’ve never been a doormat!”
Blushing and looking down, ‘Laura’ says, “Well…I do nothing on my own authority, but only what I’ve heard from him. He is the authority in our home.”
The conversation now twists on a dime, pivoting on her words, and suddenly there is a gang of three against a lone woman of one. They argue and fuss and exclaim, insisting that marriage is 50-50, that she is her own woman, that women’s liberation has come a long way, baby, and all that. The relaxed atmosphere at that table is gone, and an adversarial one has swept in. The tide is against the woman they called Laura.
You decide it’s time to go, sadly and creakily arising from the table. You leave the din behind as the door swings shut behind you, shaking your head, pondering the lives of the young, which to you was so long ago.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
What the imaginary woman in the hypothetical scene was talking about was submission. It’s a dirty word these days, and by these days I mean since about 1966 when the second wave of women’s liberation, or the feminist movement, came to the fore. The S-word. Today it’s a synonym for doormat, mouse, enslavement, even.
But submission is simply a yielding to a higher authority. Men and women do it every day in other spheres. We yield to the Boss, the Lieutenant, the President of the Company. We yield to the Officer, to the Judge, to the Guard. We yield to the velvet rope, to the law, to the policy. We para-professionals yield to the teacher, the teacher to the assistant principal, the assistant principal to the principal, the principal to the superintendent, and the superintendent to the school board. Hierarchy exists, and women submit to their place within it every day.
It’s the notion of female submission in the home that galls. It galls the unsaved to the degree that they are willing to march, yell, overthrow in aggressive and passive-aggressive ways. It even galls the new Christian, perhaps raised in a storm tossed bowl of feminism, waves upon waves nearly choking and drowning them but the struggle to stay afloat in it remains after conversion, hopefully for only a short while.
It is IN us to rebel. Genesis 3:1-7 shows it and Genesis 3:15 declares it:
To the woman he said, I will surely multiply your pain in childbearing; in pain you shall bring forth children. Your desire shall be contrary to your husband, but he shall rule over you.
John MacArthur explains it this way
Just as the woman and her seed will engage in a war with the serpent, i.e. Satan and his seed, (v 15), because of sin and the curse, the man and the woman will face struggles in their own relationship. Sin has turned the harmonious system of God-ordained roles into distasteful struggles of self-will. Lifelong companions, husbands and wives, will need God’s help in getting along as a result. ~MacArthur Study Bible, Gen 3:15
Our marriages are patterned after the relationship Jesus had with His Father. Jesus emptied Himself, taking the form of a bond-servant, and being made in the likeness of men, as Philippians 2:7 says.
We submit every day to everyone else, except when it comes to the husband. Then, we rebel against the thought of submitting to him. Yet the Bible says,
Wives, submit to your own husbands, as to the Lord. For the husband is the head of the wife even as Christ is the head of the church, his body, and is himself its Savior. Now as the church submits to Christ, so also wives should submit in everything to their husbands. (Ephesians 5:22-24).
That’s the pattern. Oh, and the woman in the hypothetical coffee shop that said the provoking words…’for I always do the things that are pleasing to Him’? That was from John 8:29b, and it’s what Jesus said that HE does.
And he who sent me is with me. He has not left me alone, for I always do the things that are pleasing to him.
It seems OK when we read that same phrase in the Bible, that Jesus only does what pleases the Father. If we put those words into a woman’s mouth, though, it seems incendiary. But that’s only because we might have lost the awe that Jesus chose to remain submissive to His Father.
He as God-the-Son in the Trinity emptied Himself and was submissive to His Father in all things. God in the form of Jesus is submissive! Jesus was not a doormat. Of course Jesus while in His incarnation on earth had his own thoughts, ideas, opinions. For example, in the Garden He shared those in prayer with God, ‘please take this cup from me’ but followed that plea with ‘thy will be done’. So in all things He submitted his own will by placing the Father’s first.
If it is good enough for our King/Savior/God-the-Son, it is good enough for us in our relationship with our husbands. We have thoughts, ideas, opinions, and our husbands are our partner, and in safety we shae them. But ultimately he is our authority in the home and out goal should be to do all things that are pleasing to him. In the end, this pleases Him.
How does seeking direct revelation destroy your current obedience?
By Elizabeth Prata
Do you believe that the Lord still speaks? That He has a fresh word? That you can receive individual directions for specific circumstances in your life? Get career advice, parenting advice, life advice, by becoming still and waiting for impressions, thoughts, impulses, and urges?
A lot of people believe these things. There’s an entire cottage industry within Christian publishing telling us how to hear the whispers, voices, and mental impressions that you, too, can receive from God. There are additional books and guides telling you how to interpret them. Why wouldn’t you believe this, if entire publishing houses are promoting it? Why dismiss this idea if local pastors are teaching from these studies or telling you to listen for God? Or telling you they have heard from God themselves, as many claim?
Whoa. Hold on. Take a breath.
If God is still speaking then what He says is authoritative. It’s applicable to all of us. We would need to add blank pages to the end of our Bibles to write down these additional words.
It would render Hebrews 1:1-2 moot. It would render Revelation 22:18-19 void.
People try to refute this truth by saying, “Don’t put God in a box! He spoke to the prophets and the apostles and He can speak to us!” He can, but that is not how He promised to operate. I refer again to Hebrews 1:1-2 and Revelation 22.
They say, ‘But…but…God is always speaking! He never stops because He is the same yesterday and today and forever!” In one way, that’s true. He always speaks through His general revelation in creation (Romans 1:19-20) and that never stops. But as for specific revelation, as in speaking to the Prophets and Apostles, that did stop. Overall, through the 4000 years it took the Bible canon to be completed, it’s unusual. In fact, it was the exception and not the norm.
Lastly, for 400 years God did not speak audibly, to anyone. He said not a word between the close of His message to Malachi and the advent of Jesus through His forerunner prophet, John the Baptist. Silence. There was no angel, no prophet, no voice, no fire, no smoke. Nothing but silence.
So, God obviously operates in different ways. He always has. We know the Bible is sufficient for all our needs. (2 Peter 1:3; 2 Timothy 3:16). The Bible must be sufficient.
But I’m writing about a different reason to cling to the already-delivered word and not to seek a fresh word through an impression, impulse, or whisper.
Obedience.
Expecting or desiring future revelation destroys current obedience.
People who sit around waiting for personal directions or individually crafted guidance are actually planning to be disobedient.
These people do not believe the Bible is authoritative, because it is not final.
For example, if one accepts additional revelation, then one can more easily think, ‘I won’t follow THIS command, because there could be another command later (that I like better).’
If one is not obedient to study the word as it is now, including submitting to the verses which show the canon is closed, then why would one be obedient to a personally delivered word? Because it satisfies the flesh.
When you read of whispers and direct revelations, it’s usually along the lines of ‘You’re great.’ ‘You’re cherished’. ‘I have a great career in store for you.’ Did you ever hear of someone saying they received a direct revelation that announced ‘You wretch, mortify your depraved flesh immediately!’ Or, ‘Your sin of adultery must end!’ No.
Imagine receiving the word Isaiah received when he got his call from God in chapter 6. After Isaiah listened to the direct revelation, he asked of God how long this ministry will go on? Yahweh replied:
Until cities are devastated and without inhabitant, Houses are without people, And the land is utterly desolate, (Isaiah 6:11).
Wow, quite the downer. This is quite a different revelation than, for example, Joanna Gaines’ supposed revelation, who said she “heard God say very clearly, ‘Joanna, if you trust me with your dreams I will take Magnolia further than you can ever dream.'”
In fact, what was happening was that Joanna was unwilling to obey the already given biblical precepts for motherhood (staying at home raising kids) until she received a ‘direct revelation’ affirming that her inner desire to be a career woman would eventually be fulfilled. ‘God’ assured her that this will happen, so then she obeyed. This is a prime example of which I speak.
Jonathan Edwards said of personal visions and revelations: [emphasis mine]
XI. It is no sign that affections are right, or that they are wrong, that they make persons that have them exceeding confident that what they experience is divine, and that they are in a good estate.
Those that have had visions and impulses about other things, it has generally been to reveal such things as they are desirous and fond of... Neither is it any wonder, that when they have such a supposed revelation of their good estate, it raises in them the highest degree of confidence of it.
It is found by abundant experience, that those who are led away by impulses and imagined revelations, are extremely confident: they suppose that the great Jehovah has declared these and those things to them; and having his immediate testimony, a strong confidence is the highest virtue. Hence they are bold to say, I know this or that–I know certainly–I am as sure as that I have a being, and the like; and they despise all argument and inquiry in the case.
And above all things else, it is easy to be accounted for, that impressions and impulses about that which is so pleasing, so suiting their self-love and pride, as their being the dear children of God, distinguished from most in the world in his favor, should make them strongly confident; especially when with their impulses and revelations they have high affections, which they take to be the most eminent exercises of grace. Jonathan Edwards Religious Affections, part 2
Obey the word as it is given. Isn’t it enough? Won’t it take a lifetime and an eternity to plumb its depths? Ladies please don’t seek further words. His word is sufficient, authoritative, and final.
the-end-time.org 