I am currently attending the national G3 Conference. G3 stands for Gospel-Glory-Grace. It was founded by Josh Buice (pronounced Bice rhymes with nice) pastor of Pray’s Mill Baptist Church in Georgia. It has grown to be one of the largest Christian evangelical conferences in the world.
This year almost 6500 people are attending, from all 50 states and several countries. The lineup of speakers is unlike any other I’ve even seen, even rivaling the stellar lineup the Shepherd’s Conference held in California at John MacArthur’s Grace Community Church. Top-flight speakers with a clean track record theologically and morally are presenting on the topic of Christ.
That’s it- Christ. No fluff, no themes, simply three days of firehose theology on Christ from high-end, preachers who have preached and taught for decades without swerving and who have o moral or theological blot. Ahhh.
I’ve already benefited from the preaching, having been inspired by Joel Beeke’s preaching topic of our union in Heaven with Christ. His deep dive into our marriage with Him in eternity, where we will never shift our gaze from Him again, was terrific. So was his announcement of an upcoming 5-min family devotional for 4-9 year olds based on Genesis. More on that in upcoming days.
Here are scenes from Atlanta, a beautiful city where the conference is held, with some quotes from the speakers interspersed. I don’t have photos of people attending because I forgot my camera (can you BELIEVE it?!). The pics are ones I took with my friend’s phone on drive in and the walk over to the venue.
Approaching our hotel.
“In heaven, our faith becomes sight- of Jesus.” ~Joel Beeke. The Utopian Marriage with Christ in Heaven
Lots of trees in Atlanta
“It will be impossible to be unChristlike.” Joel Beeke. The Utopian Marriage with Christ in Heaven
A Park we passed by, live jazz music was playing
“The martyrs under the altar don’t sing of joy or of praise or of mercy. They cry out, longing for justice.” ~Owen Strachan. Christ as Eternal Judge
The Centennial Park Ferris Wheel at sunrise (taken though a double paned window)
“God holds evildoers to account.” Owen Strachan. Christ as Eternal Judge
“If you want to see the sovereignty of God and the responsibility of man mesh together, look to the cross.” ~Steve Lawson, The Darkness of Golgotha
“Delayed obedience is disobedience.” ~Steve Lawson, The Darkness of Golgotha
A quarter of the audience. Packed to the max
“It is finished.’ Please note, Jesus did not say ‘I am finished’.” ~Steve Lawson, The Darkness of Golgotha.
Mosaic at the hotel lobby
“Isaiah 53 is a masterpiece of divine revelation and the providence of God” John MacArthur, The Suffering Servant
And the tempter came and said to him, ‘If you are the Son of God, command these stones to become loaves of bread.’ —Matthew 4:3
Did satan not know Jesus is the Son of God? Of course satan knew. We see that he and his demons knew this in Luke 4:41,
And demons also came out of many, crying, “You are the Son of God!” But he rebuked them and would not allow them to speak, because they knew that he was the Christ.
And we see that the demons knew that Jesus is the Son of God in Mark 5:7,
And crying out with a loud voice, he said, “What have you to do with me, Jesus, Son of the Most High God? I adjure you by God, do not torment me.”
And James 2:19 says even the demons believe, and shudder!
Throughout scripture we read that satan knows full well who Jesus is. So why would satan begin his temptation by saying, “IF you are the Son of God…”?
Because he wanted to get Jesus to doubt. Ergo, satan’s question is a deceptive skepticism.
Satan himself has no doubt whatsoever that Jesus is the Son of God. However, satan’s issue is that he thinks he can beat Jesus in a contest of wills. Satan believes he can usurp Jesus from His position as King of KINGS and Lord of LORDS. We know satan knows that God is highest, and we read satan’s conviction that God won’t be God on his throne forever, that satan himself will usurp Him. These are the five “I wills” of satan in Isaiah 14:13-15. Satan doesn’t doubt a thing.
Satan isn’t skeptical of God’s existence nor is satan skeptical of who God is. Neithr is satan unsure of himself. Satan’s scheme is to get US to doubt.
Scripture warns us repeatedly about deception-
fierce wolves will come in among you, not sparing the flock… (Acts 20:29)
We picture a fierce wolf with fur standing up and fangs bared. But that is how they are inwardly. If we saw the fierceness in the wolf, we would know he was a wolf. What we see in false teachers is a pleasant demeanor, smiles, apparently helpful and meek. A Joel Osteen, not a Hulk Hogan. The false ones are disguised.
false apostles, deceitful workmen, disguising themselves as apostles of Christ (2 Corinthians 11:13)
What they bring, however, is philosophy and empty deceit (Colossians 2:8)
Their disguise and pleasant demeanor hides a purposeful destruction-
false teachers among you, who will secretly bring in destructive heresies (2 Peter 2:1).
We see the philosophy and empty deceit in the tactic satan used with Christ, “IF you are the Son of God…”
Sowing doubt is an age-old tactic of satan, and why not? It works. However there has been a shift from false sowers who sow doubt about God’s word, (like Rob Bell) to those who claim to be Christian but sow doubt about God’s existence. (Like the IF:Gathering). It is a significant shift.
Ten years ago Rob Bell made headlines. He was a self-proclaimed ‘Evangelical’ who sowed doubt about the inerrancy of scripture as God’s perfect word. Bell was the perfect ‘Hath God said?’ guy. His method was to ask questions under the guise of sincerely seeking truth but what he was doing was actually sowing doubt and using dishonest skepticism to do it. There is a difference between honest questioning and dishonest skepticism.
The women of the IF:Gathering, a subject on which I’ve written a three-part series, question the existence of God. No, these women are not atheists. They are not Wiccans believing in goddess power. They claim to be Christians, and claim to study God’s word, IF He exists, that is.
Doubt in a believer happens occasionally. Doubting one’s salvation temporarily is natural. Doubting an interpretation of a doctrine is all right, until you work it out under the illumination of the Spirit. The Holy Spirit eventually supplies confirmation of all of the above, if you pray and seek Him.
Permanent skepticism, though, is not noble. Being skeptical of God’s existence is not all right. But what we see from the dishonest questioners is the ignoble doubt of God’s existence. Ignoble because God has shown Himself to all people and those who fail to accept His existence are suppressing that truth in unrighteousness. (Romans 1:18-19).
It is satan’s assault on our own faith and the baseline truth it rests on: God is One and there is no other. He is real. Believers don’t doubt God’s existence. If you doubt He is real, you’re not a believer. It is not a faith question, then, but a problem of deliberate suppression of the truth that brings wrath.
Believers are held responsible even for sincere or temporary doubts. Priest Zechariah was rendered mute because of the doubt he voiced when the angel foretold that he and Elizabeth would bear a son in their advanced age. (Luke 1:18-20). He was a priest, well versed in the scriptures, and an angel was telling this to his face, but Zechariah still asked how this is possible. The angel responded,
And behold, you will be silent and unable to speak until the day when these things take place, because you did not believe my words, which will be fulfilled at their proper time.
Jesus rebukes us for our doubts, even when they are honest, sincere, and soul-searching. Either pointedly as in Matthew 14:31 to Peter, or gently, as in John 20:27-29 to Thomas.
We are told that when we ask for wisdom,
But let him ask in faith, with no doubting, for the one who doubts is like a wave of the sea that is driven and tossed by the wind. (James 1:6)
Dishonest skepticism emanates from a false worker of iniquity. It is a satanic tactic designed to get you to doubt what you know and thus diminish your faith. Learn the difference and avoid any person, teacher, or organization that systematizes either skepticism or doubt.
School year 2019 was hard, and 2020 was as well. But this year is harder, we all think so, and we can’t figure out why. We’re stressed, sometimes feel defeated, we crawl toward Friday. God is graceful in allowing me to go to #G32021. I need Christ so badly, hearing about him for 3 days straight, ahh. I plan to blog Thursday and Friday, but my plans may go awry if the internet service at the place we’re staying is too slow, or I’m too tired. Well see. 😉
The Bible tells us that there will be false teachers, wolves and heretics. They have malintent, in other words, they want to do you and your church harm. They aren’t simply misguided or temporarily misunderstanding kind people, they are predators out to get you.
They “will secretly introduce destructive heresies,” 2 Peter 2:1 They “distort the truth in order to draw away disciples after them”. (Acts 20:30b) They are “rebellious people, full of meaningless talk and deception” (Titus 1:10b) They “are detestable, disobedient and unfit for doing anything good”. (Titus 1:16b)
They have an agenda of purposeful deception, (Acts 20:30) and their motive for this deception is dishonest gain. (1 Timothy 6:5).
I saw an article with an interesting topic on Facebook and I looked it up to see if it was real. It is real. Here is the interesting news. This article is from The Vatican, and since it involves the papacy, I take it to be credible, since they are reporting on themselves. The religion site is being built in United Arab Emirates, known as UAE.
"The Abrahamic Family House, which encloses a synagogue, a church and a mosque in a single complex, and which is scheduled to be inaugurated in 2022, is 20 percent complete, the Higher Committee of Human Fraternity (HCHF) said in a statement on Tuesday. ... Besides the 3 places of worship, the site includes a cultural center that aims to encourage people to exemplify human fraternity and solidarity within a community that cherishes the values of mutual respect and peaceful coexistence, while the unique character of each faith is preserved."
Each faith, meaning Judaism, Christianity (The Roman Catholic version of false Christianity) and Islam. Note that it is illegal for any building in the UAE to display a cross, therefore the church on this site will be devoid of one. It is illegal in UAE to convert from Islam to any other religion, so it remains to be seen how much ‘tolerance’ will be involved.
If you go to the website for this project, which The Vatican reports is 20% finished and will open within a year, you see a photo of how it will look and the architecture is quite beautiful.
The left is the Mosque, the middle is the Church, the right is the Synagogue. This is an artist’s rendering. Source
Interesting. I had not know about these ‘Abraham Accords’ which was the covenant that forms the basis for the building project, with other projects to come. The accords marked the first public normalization of relations between an Arab country and Israel since that of Egypt in 1979 and Jordan in 1994, says Wikipedia. The progress of this building site is pretty amazing, because the Accords were only signed in September 2020, one year ago.
Let’s turn to past history and future prophecy for a moment
Kay Cude, poet. Used with permission. Artist’s statement on Beulah Land
I think what affects me the greatest about this song is the identifying that His redeemed have a pronounced longing to be with their beloved Saviour and God The Father. Secondly, we will have resurrected and glorified bodies and no more fleshly infringement with which to wage war. And thirdly, the entire body of Christ (centuries worth, from Adam onward!) will no longer be apart! What a great day for us to wait upon! –To look into the face of Him whose death and resurrection became our atonement; He, Who became our individual and personal Saviour. Yet, when for the very first time that we hear His voice as He calls us each by name–perhaps that will be the second greatest joy we will ever know! For the first will be our being in His presence, prone on our faces in unspeakable love and worship, before our King, our Saviour, our Master and Lord, The Christ!
Are you culturally humble? If not, and you’re an employee of the city of Atlanta, you soon will be.
I am headed to the G3 Conference in Atlanta in a few days, so I was googling around to see what the Atlanta ordinances were regarding COVID, and also just researching the city. While Googling, I found this headline from September 21, 2021, which intrigued me in all the bad ways.
DISCERNMENT: Have you polished, adjusted, and thanked God today for your spiritual armor? We should be armed and ready, from head to toe, and praising the Lord for His generosity in protecting us from the demons and from the evil one himself! If we are on guard, rooted in His word, and seeking His face, we can always spot the real from the imitation, the Godly miracle from the demonic copy, the truth from a lying sign. It is a skill that needs honing, and we will need it more than ever as each day from now on progresses. Be ready and sharpen that sword: read your Bible today!
HOW, THEN, SHALL WE BE? Since all these things are to be destroyed in this way, what sort of people ought you to be in holy conduct and godliness, (2 Peter 3:11). When He comes, how will Jesus find each one of us? Arguing with a spouse? Or serving with humility? Without self-control? Or sober and watchful? In His glorious wisdom He gave us opportunity to obey Him. Let us be faithful and diligent in His service, till the end!
BAD TIMES ARE GOOD TIMES: Oh what an exciting time we live in! Are you looking up, looking forward, and looking out? Share Him, expect Him, and love each other till the moment the trumpet sounds… He said He will come, He said to look up when we see these things come to pass, and He is coming soon. Do this, knowing the time, that it is already the hour for you to awaken from sleep; for now salvation is nearer to us than when we first believed. (Romans 13:11). Now is the time to urge those who do not believe to seek truth. Truth resides in Jesus and in Him alone. And aren’t we who know Him blessed with the most wonderful relationship of which we can possibly conceive? Even if we do not have opportunity to witness every day, let us reflect Him in our demeanor and smile. We are rejoicing always!
For God has not destined us for wrath, but for obtaining salvation through our Lord Jesus Christ, who died for us, so that whether we are awake or asleep, we will live together with Him. Therefore, encourage one another and build one another up, just as you also are doing. (1 Thessalonians 5:11)
SPEEDING UP! Do you feel things are going faster and faster? The news that is coming at us is ever more forceful in its depravity? I do! I feel like a gal stuck in a snowball that is gathering speed as it rolls down the hill. The times are picking up steam. Are you using one eye for looking out (for your fellow man) and the other eye for looking up (for our redemption draweth nigh)?
KINDNESS IS THE WATCHWORD: The times are getting harder now for all of us, financially, emotionally, physically. Let us remember to share our faith with unbelievers but also encourage each other. Now is the time to let grudges go, to refrain from being annoyed by small things. Put personal differences aside and “build each other up” as we face increasing iniquity that disheartens and depresses, as the news indeed often does. (Be Salt & Light, Matthew 5:13-16)
Jesus said we do not need to worry. Matthew 6:25: “For this reason I say to you, do not be worried about your life, as to what you will eat or what you will drink; nor for your body, as to what you will put on. Is not life more than food, and the body more than clothing?”
It has been The End Time since Jesus ascended and will end when He returns. We are in the last days. The Lord may tarry longer but it feels to me and many others that the end of the end days may be upon us. Whether or not they are, let us watch and marvel at His word, feel joy in His promises, even as we see the needs of others rise in confusion and fear…because that represents a tremendous opportunity to share Jesus with them! It is hard but it’s also exciting for us to actually see many of God’s works unfold in these days.
Whatever it is or whatever you’re going through, God’s got this! It is not a surprise to Him, it is ordained for His glory and our good. Cling to that and the knowledge that if you are in Him, He is your all in all, Alpha and Omega, perfect Savior who loves His children dearly.
Yes, they are.I discuss Alisa Childers' shift toward engaging with false teachers to reach the lost. While some support this view, I warn against the dangers of false teachers, asserting they corrupt faith and lead believers astray. I emphasize the importance of avoiding such influences, offering evidences of biblical warnings regarding sin and temptation.
I’m often asked to review or share my thoughts on a Christian Bible study, a new book, or other material. As someone with the spiritual gift of discernment I am happy to do this for women since the gifts were distributed for the edification of the church; local first, then global. Recently I was asked about a popular book by Emily Lex. The book is called-
Freely and Lightly: God’s Gracious Invitation to a Life of Quiet Confidence
I love all things Italian. My father’s side of the family came from Italy. I have a fascination with the Roman empire because of its monumental achievements. Who wouldn’t be amazed at the discipline of the Roman legion? The straight and paved Roman roads? The soaring aqueducts, bridges, and buildings? The breakwaters?
Wait, wut? The breakwaters?
Yes, perhaps the most amazing achievement of all. Astonishing because they have lasted for 2000 years, and, modern engineers can’t figure out how.
the-end-time.org 