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Interlude: Gratitude

Posted on March 29, 2014May 9, 2016 by elizabethprata

I’m so grateful for my salvation! I am so blessed to be a new creation in Christ! He came down from Glory to die on a cross, and ascended to heaven again to prepare a place for us. He adopted me as His daughter, His heir, unconditionally. I’m thrilled to love a savior such as this. It’s been ten years but it never gets old! As a matter of fact, life with Jesus gets better and better.

The overwhelming feelings of gratitude and humility that He loved me while I was still a sinner can’t be put into words, can’t even be contained on a blog or in my body or to the earth. My feeling of joy in the Lord is eternal, infinite, expansive, never-ending.

Thank You, Lord, that You were mindful of us, that You sought us, that You saved us. I am ever Your humble daughter seeking ways to glorify You- the only worthy One! What a privilege you gave me, eternity to worship You forever!

EPrata photo

good gifts, jesus, rest, sleep, trust

O, to sleep

Posted on March 29, 2014May 9, 2016 by elizabethprata

Our Father gives us good gifts.

“If you then, who are evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your Father who is in heaven give good things to those who ask him!” (Matthew 7:11)

One of those gifts is sleep.

There is so much meaning in the following verses. Please consider:

“Unless the Lord builds the house, those who build it labor in vain. Unless the Lord watches over the city, the watchman stays awake in vain. It is in vain that you rise up early and go late to rest, eating the bread of anxious toil; for he gives to his beloved sleep.” (Psalm 127:1-2)

First we learn that we are His beloved. Second, He gives sleep to His beloved. It is one of the good gifts. Third, we can do nothing apart from Him.

John Everett Millais, The Somnambulist, 1871

Anyone striving, reaching, or toiling apart from Him will yield nothing, no matter how long they labor and no matter how much sleep they lose. Watchmen can watch all they want but unless the LORD is watching too, they will see nothing. Or if they do, they will be able to prevent nothing. Builders can build all they want but unless the LORD is in it, the endeavor will come to nothing. Anxious toil is not of the LORD. Neither is its mate: anxious rest.

“For my yoke is easy, and my burden is light.” (Matthew 11:30)

Ultimately the verse in Psalms is saying that those who sleep well do so because of the LORD. Not just because He delivered a good gift of sleep, but because they trust Him. Therefore they do not make a habit of unease. They do not worry, therefore they do not become restless at night. Good sleep is a gift and it is from a habitual clean conscience and a characteristic of an obedient soul. Witness the most obedient soul who ever lived. His trust in the LORD was complete and total, and He slept like it.

“And there arose a fierce gale of wind, and the waves were breaking over the boat so much that the boat was already filling up. Jesus Himself was in the stern, asleep on the cushion; and they woke Him and said to Him, “Teacher, do You not care that we are perishing?” And He got up…” (Mark 4:37-39a).

Failure to rest can be showing a lack of faith in God’s provision. A soul which trusts in the Lord will reflect that trust in his sleep.

Oh, I know that temporarily there are circumstances which keep us awake at night. A new mother learning to listen for the cry of her baby may have some difficulty sleeping. And so on. But normally, we should be like David,

“In peace I will both lie down and sleep; for you alone, O LORD, make me dwell in safety.” (Psalm 4:8)

If you’re not sleeping, reflect on it. Is your toil anxious because it is not of the Lord? Is your sleep uneasy because you need to trust Him more?

“Therefore my heart is glad and my tongue rejoices; my body also will rest secure.” (Psalm 16:9)

His burden is light. Hand your burdens to Him, trust in Him. And sleep well my brothers and sisters.

Photo by Brandon Atkinson, creative commons

cessationist, continuationist, john piper, strange fire

John MacArthur and John Piper: lessons from a disagreement over doctrine

Posted on March 27, 2014May 9, 2016 by elizabethprata

EPrata photo

The reverberations from the Strange Fire conference held in southern California at John MacArthur’s church last October go on. The conference was to illustrate the need for a rebuke against the Charismatic movement, which allows for unbiblical practices and so many excesses that the sufficiency of the bible was unknown to millions of people who hold to the ideas within the movement.

As a result, the Strange Fire conference forced the issue. Too many people had either been silent or on the fence as to whether they believe the miracle gifts (tongues, interpretation of tongues, healing and prophecy) are continuing since the first century, or had ceased. (Contnuationist v. Cessationist).

Pastor John Piper is one of those. He believes the miracle gifts continue, and is cautiously open to them as occurring today by the Spirit using men as the vehicle for their manifestation. (Most people believe that God directly performs any and all miracles at any time for His good pleasure and purposes).. Piper is known as a ‘cautious continuationist.’ So is Wayne Grudem, who believes that prophecy is and can be uttered today as a direct revelation from men, but that it can be fallible.

The Strange Fire conference had several goals. One was to present the biblical truth that the miracle spiritual gifts have ceased (healings/miracles, prophecy, tongues, interpretation of tongues.). To this end, the Pastors and speakers at the conference carefully exegeted the passages relevant to the issue and clearly showed that this is so. In addition, the men said that in MOST cases, people who followed these teachings and people who taught these teachings were not saved or that their salvation was in serious doubt. It’s Charismatic Chaos out there as a result, and it has to stop.

The other goal of the conference was to call to account two camps:

–the camp of silent elders of the faith who refuse to condemn the Charismatic Movement and its unbiblical practices, and,

–to address the camp of elders who are trying to stay in the middle, i.e. John Piper.

John MacArthur and the others were firm that opening to the door to the modern day gifts mentioned above was a devastating attack on the sufficiency of scripture. Either the canon is closed and God has ceased speaking new revelation, or He has not. There is no middle ground. Even opening the door a crack in believing there can be new revelation lets in the eventual flood, and that is where we are today.

At one Q&A during Strange Fire, MacArthur was directly asked a pertinent question: “What about Piper?” Piper is on record as seeking the gift of tongues, and of being open to the notion that visions and direct revelation are happening today. He is a continuationist. MacArthur answered that it was a tough question. That Piper no doubt is a brother, and that though Piper personally sought the gifts but doesn’t teach them, he doesn’t promote them nor the unbiblical practices that go with them. MacArthur said “Piper is an anomaly.”

As a rabbit trail to the point I’m making, this brings up an interesting question I’ve been mulling for some time.

–Piper is a continuationist.
–Voddie Baucham is an amillenialist and preaches Revelation as symbol and allegory, not literal
–Martyn Lloyd Jones became a Charismatic-Lite at the end of his life
–John Stott became an annihilationist at the end of his life
–RC Sproul is a post-tribulationist

HOW can such men, all of whom can clearly be seen as brothers of the faith, err on such clearly defined biblical orthodoxy? What does it mean? How can this be? It is completely perplexing.

I contend that in Piper’s case, given his unbiblical stance on continuationism, it opens the door for other less
orthodox things, which Piper has in fact been exhibiting, i.e the Mark Driscoll debacle, the Lectio Divina debacle, and more. But this is a side note. Back to the point:

Piper heard of MacArthur’s comment about Piper’s anomalous stance on the miracle gifts, and responded in writing on his website.

However, in Piper’s response, there were assumptions and misinterpretations Piper made in the piece, not having heard MacArthur directly via the mediacast now available. So MacArthur addressed the issue, both Piper’s continuationism, and Piper’s misinterpretation of MacArthur’s comments, on a 4-part blog essay in much further depth. Here they are-

MacArthur speaks eloquently about the church and protecting the purity of her doctrines, and of keeping boundary lines set for who belongs in it and who don’t belong in it. He is very biblical on church discipline in his personal dealings at Grace Community Church, and very firm on the issue in general across denominations especially concerning doctrine. Phil Johnson said in this essay for MacArthur said a few years ago about “Unity Across Denomination Lines“

“The limits on this trans-denominational unity are set by Scripture itself. We cannot welcome into our circle of fellowship people who deny truths that are essential to the gospel (2 John 7-11); and we cannot embrace people who affirm a gospel Scripture condemns (Gal. 1:18-19). The gospel and all truths essential to it are therefore nonnegotiable points of doctrine, and unity on these matters is a prerequisite to any other kind of unity.”

The issue of whether the miracle spiritual gifts were ceased or continuing has become a global phenomenon and a divisive issue which was confusing the sheep and undermining the sufficiency of scripture on such a widespread basis that MacArthur called it a ‘flood’. There are no boundary lines anymore and suddenly, everything is acceptable.

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MacArthur said that his primary concern with the Charismatic movement is that though it claims to be a movement of the Holy Spirit, the Holy Spirit does His work through the Word, not through miracles.

“He does His work through the scriptures. What that mean is, through a true interpretation of the scriptures. The meaning of the scripture IS the divine revelation. If you don’t get the meaning right, you don’t have the powerful revelation. So, how can you have a ‘move of the Holy Spirit,’ and have a wrong understanding of scripture?” (source)

That gap is exactly where John Piper falls. He has not only been silent about the ridiculous Charismatic excesses in our denomination and within conservative circles, but has perpetuated confusion by seeking tongues and claiming we hear from God via the Roman Catholic practice of Lectio Divina. And the issue is such that when our elders have such drastically wrong interpretations of scripture (Piper on tongues, Grudem on fallible modern prophecy) it causes division and confusion for those who are younger, weak or stumbling. That was the question the man at the Strange Fire Q&A was asking. “What about Piper?”

The friendship between these two elders of our faith, MacArthur and Piper, is just as strong as ever. Both men will appear at the Together 4 The Gospel conference in Louisville KY next week. MacArthur considers Piper a brother and Piper is grateful for MacArthur. In this way, though doctrine is important to contend for, the exhibition of patience and grace between the two men as they have this very public discussion is a worthy one to follow and its pattern to adopt.

Ultimately, doctrine matters. You know, the Gospel is doctrine. The Word must be interpreted rightly, and defended strongly because it is our fence around the boundary of the church. That’s why these things are so important to talk about.

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encouragement

Here’s some fun stuff

Posted on March 25, 2014May 9, 2016 by elizabethprata

I finished reading through 1 & 2 Kings. Phew. A wonderful but difficult slog. Tumultuous, really. I’m starting Philippians.

In keeping with lightening things up a bit, here is some fun stuff.

Watching these dogs confused by a magic trick is sweet and funny. Watch through to the last dog.

Creation Ministries International has a 1-minute video on the irony of the science that says a global flood occurred on Mars, despite the fact that there is no water, but not on on earth, which is 70% water.
Here is their summary in case you can’t watch:

“In recent years, NASA probes have sent back images of our nearest planet Mars. These images have prompted some scientists to suggest that a global flood once carved the Martian landscape, even though no liquid water has yet been found. The Bible records and event that certainly sounds like a global flood on Earth. Genesis records that, “All the mountains under the heavens were covered.” Jesus himself, referring to those not on Noah’s Ark, said, “The flood came and took them all away.” Unlike the elusive water on Mars, water covers 70% of the earth’s surface and water deposited sedimentary rock covers much of the land surface. So isn’t it strange that many people who are open to the possibility of a global flood on Mars, despite the absence of water, immediately dismiss any suggestion that a global flood occurred on earth.“

Yes, they suppress the truth in unrighteousness. (Romans 1:18)

I liked this quote posted by Sunny Shell, a blogger worth following here and here.

Don’t be afraid to stand up for the truth! What you’re doing is standing up for Jesus. This is from Chris Rosebrough:

I can’t wait until Jesus glorifies us and we stop sinning! I hate my sins!

We know that in the last days apostasy will rise to pernicious levels. (2 Timothy 4:3). One thing that I hate about apostasy is that it blasphemes the name of Jesus. Don’t we all long for the day when every knee will bow in acknowledgement of Him who is King?! I do. But the other thing about apostasy is that it sweeps away loved ones. The tide of Catholicism is returning, with tsunami force. So many people I know are flirting with it. This is so dangerous. Others are simply devoured by it as they return to it, the religion they once knew, and reject Christianity once for all.

(Jeremiah 3:20; Isaiah 1:21; 57:8; Ezekiel 16:30, (Hosea 2:2–5…)

Flirting with a false religion could take the form of trying a labyrinth, or lectio divina, contemplative meditation AKA breath prayer. (Catholicism). Or circle making (Wicca). Just trying a practice from another religion, just to try it, or for no reason. That’s flirting.

One brother I know thought that my use of the term ‘flirting’ with Catholicism was funny. Funny as in weird, not ha ha funny. But going after strange gods is spiritual adultery. A person is being unfaithful to God when thy accept other gods. You go too deeply into a false religion and God calls you a whore or a prostitute. And how does apostasy start, seeking after these false gods? By flirting. So the metaphor is apt. You stick a toe in, then your foot, then you find out an alligator has your leg in his teeth and you’re dragged under. (Revelation 17:15; Isaiah 57:3).

Mike Gendron was a Catholic for much of his adult life. Then he realized he wasn’t saved. He is now an expert in apologetics to Catholics. Read his bio here, on how the Holy Spirit lifted him out of the darkness of Catholicism and saved His soul. Meanwhile, Mr Gendron posted this essay which is a quote from a man who wrote about Catholicism 100 years ago.

Catholicism is Satan’s Best Counterfeit

Speaking of counterfeits, another of my favorite writers, Robin Schumacher wrote about the ways Christ is counterfeited. He wrote about 7. It’s not just about Jesus. It’s all about WHICH Jesus!

The Dangers of a Counterfeit Christ
by Robin Schumacher

I’m not a professional photographer, but even I know how to take appealing pics. These are from Bad Real Estate Photos.

The property has been recently upgraded
to withstand the forthcoming zombie apocalypse.
Follow on Twitter @BadRealtyPhotos

From Laura Smith on Pinterest titled Clean Funny Stuff

I opened with Dogs Confused By Magic Trick. Let’s end with a dog, this one another sweet and cute series of photos about a little girl and her dog. A Young Girl Who’s Best Friends with an English Bulldog

Have a wonderful rest of the week!

antics, beth moore, circus, dignity, ed young, gramling, inappropriate, Rod Parsley, sober, worship

Men of the Church: Are You Sober?

Posted on March 24, 2014May 9, 2016 by elizabethprata

When you read the New Testament you’d be surprised to read how many times men (and women) are called to be sober. And most time when the word sober is used, it means not only ‘not drunk’ of course, but mentally alert, sharp, thinking clearly with right judgment. Women are called to be sober as well. In many cases for both sexes, particularly church leaders, it’s meant as a call to be dignified. (Proverbs 31:25; 1 Timothy 2:2).

Three years ago, when I first posted about Beth Moore and the trouble I was having with her teaching, one of the things I took issue with is that she isn’t dignified when she teaches. I’d written,

She isn’t dignified. Yes, that’s what I said. Beth Moore is not dignified on her stage. She moves around a lot, quickly delivering scriptures and her interpretations in rapid-fire fashion. She will use tricks like having a wastebasket prop to “throw away” negative behaviors, she presses participants to wear bracelets that supposedly mean certain things (I read this from three blogs) and she will contort, kneel, dance, and generally cut up, sometimes while holding the bible. Laughter is frequent.

A bible lesson is not a comedy routine. I am all for laughter. Our pastor says some funny things sometimes and the congregation will of course laugh. I am among those who laugh loud and I’m sure even the choir can hear me from where I sit. But teaching the bible with respect requires some gravitas. It requires some dignity. It isn’t a prop or a party trick. I shun antics as the main behavior of the teaching session. Funny sometimes, yes. Zany bible teachers? No.

Call me staid (Decorous? Sedate?) but I don’t think Paul hung “I AM” posters
around the necks of hapless volunteers in the synagogues
when he was reasoning with them

“Their wives likewise must be dignified, not slanderers, but sober-minded, faithful in all things.” (1 Timothy 3:11)

I took a lot of flak from people about that rebuke. Many people thought I was being too picky, or too staid, or too Northern. Most of those people who said I was wrong had overlooked the clear commands in the bible about behaving soberly in church and out. Even though I posted them, lol. But it’s pretty simple. We’re commanded again and again to be sober.

Many people these days don’t like it when we remind ourselves of a doctrinal standard. (2 Tim 4:3). They really hate it when we remind ourselves that there are behavioral standards, too. ‘Who are you to judge how someone should act?!’ Etc. But it’s not me, it’s God. They are His standards, both doctrinal and behavioral (moral).

As you read all the verses in the NT which mention sobriety, you begin to notice a pattern. Sobriety in behavior comes first because we are clear in our thinking. ‘Be sober-minded’ ‘Exercise sober judgment’. ‘Don’t be drunk, so you can think clearly.’ Like that. We are called to act this way because we hold Jesus up as the highest and most important Person in the universe, worthy to be worshiped. We are serious about this and we are dignified about it too. We want to think clearly, witness accurately, show self-control, love, and patience, and be serious about the King so we can make good decisions. We also do this because we do not want to be a stumbling block to the weak. (1 Corinthians 8:9, Romans 14:21).

With all this in mind, let’s take a look at the spectacle that Christian worship services have become. Are these men sober-minded? Exercising good judgment?

“Older men are to be sober-minded, dignified, self-controlled, sound in faith, in love, and in steadfastness…” (Titus 2:2)

source

In the above picture, ‘Pastor’ Troy Gramling set himself ablaze to demonstrate something from his preaching series “Daredevil.” (Why any Christian would want to say he is anything like a devil is beyond me…Christ bought us away from the devil). When Paul wrote to Timothy about the behavioral qualifications of pastors, and thought he had covered it with ‘exercise good judgment ‘ and ‘be sober,’ I don’t think he would have thought he’d have needed to spell it out: “Do not set yourself on fire.”

In the photo below, ‘Pastor’ Ed Young decided to preach about sex. Young and his wife Lisa staged a 24-hour bed-in on the church’s roof to discuss truths about sex before a live Internet audience. When Paul wrote the following words to Timothy…

“As for you, always be sober-minded, endure suffering, do the work of an evangelist, fulfill your ministry.” (2 Timothy 4:5)

…I am sure he did not think to include prohibitions about silly stunts in the sun and sex talk in front of the world. ‘Fulfill your ministry by being immodest, a stumbling block to the young and intemperate, and say things in public that would embarrass your mother. G’wan. Jesus is ‘kay with it.”

‘Pastor’ Rod Parlsey is pastor of World Harvest Church, a large Pentecostal church in Columbus, Ohio. As Stand Up For the Truth describes the now deleted video, “Is it a bird? Is it Tom Cruise? No, it is a pastor! Rod Parsley of World Harvest Church is raising some eyebrows by releasing this now-viral video of himself zip lining through the air over his cheering congregation, and landing onto his pulpit. His band is playing the “Mission Impossible” theme music to kick off its “Mission Possible” sermon series leading into Easter.“

Easter!!!

source

“The end of all things is at hand; therefore be self-controlled and sober-minded for the sake of your prayers.” (1 Peter 4:7)

At the revelation of Jesus Christ, do you think the Head of our church will look favorably on the ziplining pastor making a mockery out of his House of Prayer? Well, how did He like it the first time? (Matthew 21:13)

“Therefore, preparing your minds for action, and being sober-minded, set your hope fully on the grace that will be brought to you at the revelation of Jesus Christ.” (1 Peter 1:13)

In this next example, we’re told not to think more highly of ourselves than we should, but ‘Pastor’ Steven Furtick thinks just as highly of himself as Jesus thinks of the Father.

“For by the grace given to me I say to everyone among you not to think of himself more highly than he ought to think, but to think with sober judgment, each according to the measure of faith that God has assigned.” (Romans 12:3).

source

Furtick is building the church? I thought Jesus was doing that. Building it upon a vision Furtick had? I thought the church was being built on the fact that Jesus is savior. And uniting around Furtick’s vision? I thought we were supposed to unite around the Spirit. (Ephesians 4:3)

“Simon Peter replied, “You are the Christ, the Son of the living God. … 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 16:16, 18)

Blasphemy. And remember, Furtick was the one who perverted the worship service by seeding planted people in the audience to manipulate congregants into coming forward for a baptism he called spontaneous, but was anything but. It was a total manipulation from start to finish, including the music, teaching the planted people how fast or slow to walk down the aisle and what to say to the baptizees coming forward. Spontaneous, my eye.

“You keep using that word. I do not think it means what you think it means.” ~Inigo Montoya

Strong’s numbered Greek words in the lexicon explain that in most cases in the above verses, ‘sober’ means for the believer to “think shrewdly”, reflecting what God defines is true moderation. In the other cases, it means don’t be drunk. ‘Be sober, unintoxicated’ refers to having presence of mind (clear judgment), enabling someone to be temperate (self-controlled)”.

Jesus is the head of the church. If we can’t picture Jesus doing something or saying something behind the pulpit, then His under-shepherd shouldn’t do it.

I’m not talking about never smiling, never having fun, or never relaxing. In fellowship or casual settings away from church, sure, have fun. Even then, don’t be so wild as to give cause to the unbelievers to slander us. (1 Tim 5:14). But in church or in bible teaching settings, such antics have no place. Why? Because of this verse:

“Therefore, my beloved, as you have always obeyed, so now, not only as in my presence but much more in my absence, work out your own salvation with fear and trembling, for it is God who works in you, both to will and to work for his good pleasure.” (Philippians 2:12-13)

Obey. Fear. Trembling. It is all joined at verse 13- ‘for it is God…’ God is in us, working out His will and plan and we work out our salvation because we obey in fear and trembling. Why? Again, because He’s God.

We feel utter joy in knowing He is God and utter gratitude for our salvation. We do feel joy and love and we exhibit it, but it is all rooted in the fear and trembling because He is God, and there is no other. We aren’t flippant, casual, irreverent, zany, ‘devilish’, foolish, or outrageous. Our joy comes from the fear and trembling, the fear of sinning against the Lord, of not being active in our sanctification, and fear of loss of rewards

If you would like to listen to an excellent sermon on the Christian life centered around an exposition of the above Philippians verse, please do so. It is by Dr Steven Lawson, “Christian Living 101: Part 1” Here it is

Meanwhile, remember worship is not a party! Be sober, be mindful, be dignified. This will please Jesus.

bible, don green, lloyd-jones, macarthur, phil johnson, preachers, spurgeon, steven lawson, the word

Through the Years: Faithful men and praise to Jesus for raising them up

Posted on March 23, 2014May 9, 2016 by elizabethprata

What is it? Answer at bottom

The above is the sermon list by year of sermons available in Dr. John MacArthur’s sermon archive.

On a recent blog essay, someone posted the following question to me:

“Why do you worship MacArthur so much? You quote him on your blogs more than you do the Bible.-Jeff”

I answered this way:
“Great question! However I don’t worship Dr John MacArthur. I worship Jesus. You know that. I quote MacArthur a lot for several reasons:

–He is doctrinally correct on every issue I’ve heard him speak to. This means his interpretations are aligned with the bible. This is a precious rarity in these days,
–His entire body of work is online, and easily obtainable. Therefore he is easy to quote,
–He has addressed all of the relevant cultural issues, and these also are online and available, and once again therefore easily quotable.

I also often quote GotQuestions, for the same reasons, and Christian Apologetics and Research Ministry. I’d quote Phil Johnson just as often as I do MacArthur but his sermons are not transcribed as MacArthur’s are. And as a side note, he said a couple of years ago that the same lady has been his transcriber for over 40 years. What a blessing to the faith these people are! We all benefit.

I have quoted in the past Jonathan Edwards, but his language is further away from ours, being almost 300 years old. Same with Charles Spurgeon and Matthew Henry. But I still quote them on occasion as well.

If you came across a doctrinally correct, easily obtainable body of work freely given to the body of Christ from a persevering man of faith, why would you NOT want to use it as much as possible? That is what it is there for.”

My response got me thinking about how grateful I am for the good men and pastors God has raised up. I was thunderstruck by Jonathan Edwards’ sermon “Sinners in the Hands of an Angry God“. I have an excerpt of it which I carry constantly in my bible. I occasionally re-read it in its entirety to myself aloud so I can remember and value the feeling of gratitude I have that Jesus saved me from His wrath. The sermon is almost 300 years old, but God carefully preserved it for us so that we can be edified these many generations later.

I was deeply moved by Charles’ Spurgeon’s sermon on God’s Providence. His proposal that the cherubs of the wheels within wheels could be part of the machinery of God’s providence as it works out in our lives was completely amazing to me. I often re-read that sermon to gain further insights that the Spirit will have me learn.

But it was with the advent of technology that we are blessed with being able to hear these preachers as they preach. Many of the later Martyn Lloyd-Jones’s sermons were taped and put onto more current media. John MacArthur’s first sermon at Grace Community Church in 1969 was cassette-taped and transcribed and so have all the rest ever since.

These men are good expositors. The Lord raised them up for the benefit of the church and the edification of souls. When Charles Spurgeon was actively preaching, his sermons were re-printed in the newspaper. He was endlessly quoted. His magazine Sword and Trowel enjoyed a high circulation. Thousands came to hear him in the Tabernacle and the tens of thousands read his sermons each week.

When Spurgeon died, in January 1892, London south of the Thames went into mourning. Sixty thousand people came to pay homage during the three days his body lay in state at the Metropolitan Tabernacle. A funeral parade two miles long followed his hearse from the Tabernacle to the cemetery at Upper Norwood. One hundred thousand people stood along the way, flags flew at half-mast, shops and pubs were closed. It was a remarkable demonstration of affection and respect, even in an era when people were scrupulous in observing the rituals that accompanied death.” (source)

Yet would anyone in those more Godly times peevishly complain that a person was sourcing Spurgeon’s material too much? Worshiping him? I doubt it. “Stop reading his sermon every Monday! You do that too much!” It’s laughable.

I respect the men who came before us and the men whom God raises up today. Their commentaries, books, and sermons are for the benefit of the church members and ultimately are to glorify Him. It’s been true ever since this verse was spoken,

“I will raise up for myself a faithful priest, who shall do according to what is in my heart and in my mind. And I will build him a sure house, and he shall go in and out before my anointed forever.” (1 Samuel 2:35)

God did that and continues to do that until He raised up Jesus, the final High Priest and the Priest forever, bless His holy name. After the cross, back here on earth, God still raises up men to teach and preach to us, because God’s word goes out forever and will never pass away (Matthew 24:25).
“Preach the word; be ready in season and out of season; reprove, rebuke, and exhort, with complete patience and teaching.” (2 Timothy 4:2)

The apostasy is growing at an exponential rate. My job as an encourager and a discerner is to point people to credible men whose teaching is solid. We are long past the tipping point where most preaching is solid. Nowadays, most preaching is NOT solid. We have gone from being a ‘God-fearing’ nation, to a God-mocking nation.

Therefore when as Bereans you compare to the bible the links I offer you, I believe in every case you will find it matches. Therefore I am unashamed to continue to quote Dr MacArthur, and I refuse to be browbeaten into seeking other men for people to read who may not be as solid simply to cater to whims and wishes of those who are peeved for some reason.

Now, if someone wants a wider array of Godly preachers to select from, I can accommodate. I listed below my favorites, men to whom I give my respect as elders of the faith and to whom I daily and weekly listen or read. They are all expositors.

What is expositional preaching?
“Expositional preaching at its simplest is preaching that is focused on explaining the meaning of Scripture in its historical and grammatical context. Expositional preaching involves explaining what the Bible says to a contemporary audience that is likely unfamiliar with the cultural and historical settings that the passage was written in. The word exposition simply means to “a setting forth or explanation.” So expositional preaching is the explanation of Scripture that is based upon diligent study and careful exegesis of a passage. It is the primary call of the pastor or preacher as we see in 2 Timothy 4:2: “Preach the word! Be ready in season and out of season. Convince, rebuke, exhort, with all longsuffering and teaching.”

These first three men have been or are in service to God in a mighty, MIGHTY way, and what a ministry! I praise and thank Jesus for raising them up!

John F. MacArthur, 3,000+ sermons. He has been preaching at Grace Community Church for 45 years. (b. 1939- ). Bio. Sermon archive. I especially enjoyed his preaching series from Genesis

Charles Haddon Spurgeon, (1834-1892). 3,561 sermons. AKA The Prince of Preachers, preached at New Park Street and then Metropolitan Tabernacle for 37 years. (Bio). Sermons. My current favorite is the sermon on God’s Providence.

Lloyd-Jones

Martyn Lloyd-Jones, (1899 – 1 March 1981). 1591 sermons available. He preached for 41 years at Westminster Chapel in London. (Bio). Sermon archive here. My current favorite are the Great Biblical Doctrines, especially, The Fall.

Also:

I also enjoy Dr Steven Lawson. I just listened to a wonderful sermon of his from Philippians, about daily Christian living. Sermon archive here. (Bio).

Phil Johnson is a personal favorite of mine. I’d quote him as often as I do MacArthur but his sermons haven’t been transcribed until lately. Pastor Johnson preaches at the GraceLife Pulpit of John MacArthur’s church. I enjoy the sermons from Dr. MacArthur, but I personally identify with Johnson. My current favorite sermon of his recently has been What Creation Reveals. (Bio and other Bio)

Don Green

Finally, though certainly not least, is Pastor Don Green. He preaches at Truth Community Fellowship. (Bio). My current favorite sermon of his is called “What is Sin?“

I hope these links and the thousands upon thousands of wonderfully exposited sermons available to you will edify you in a great way. May the spotless name of Jesus be glorified through their ministry and by us as we receive His word into our hearts and minds from these men.

creation, encouragement, God, Lord, sun

Creation Grace: Dawn and the Sun

Posted on March 23, 2014May 9, 2016 by elizabethprata

The sun comes up to the left of my driveway. As I leave for work and head down the driveway and stop to look left for traffic, I often see the first rays peeking up over the hill. In spring, the sun shines through the blossoming trees, illuminating them so they look like fiery snowflakes.

The Lord made the sun for His own good pleasure and for us as a useful time-marking tool

“And God said, “Let there be lights in the expanse of the heavens to separate the day from the night. And let them be for signs and for seasons, and for days and years, and let them be lights in the expanse of the heavens to give light upon the earth.” And it was so. And God made the two great lights—the greater light to rule the day and the lesser light to rule the night—and the stars. And God set them in the expanse of the heavens to give light on the earth, to rule over the day and over the night, and to separate the light from the darkness. And God saw that it was good. And there was evening and there was morning, the fourth day.” (Genesis 1:14-19)

At one point He made the sun stand still:

“And the sun stood still, and the moon stopped, until the nation took vengeance on their enemies. Is this not written in the Book of Jashar? The sun stopped in the midst of heaven and did not hurry to set for about a whole day.” (Joshua 10:13)

At another point He made the sun go backwards ten steps:

“And Isaiah said, “This shall be the sign to you from the Lord, that the Lord will do the thing that he has promised: shall the shadow go forward ten steps, or go back ten steps?” And Hezekiah answered, “It is an easy thing for the shadow to lengthen ten steps. Rather let the shadow go back ten steps.” And Isaiah the prophet called to the Lord, and he brought the shadow back ten steps, by which it had gone down on the steps of Ahaz.” (2 Kings 20:9-11)

And at a still future point, He will blink out the sun entirely:

“Immediately after the tribulation of those days the sun will be darkened, and the moon will not give its light, and the stars will fall from heaven, and the powers of the heavens will be shaken“. (Matthew 24:29)

Our Lord is Lord of Creation! This is who we worship:

“For thus says the LORD, who created the heavens (he is God!), who formed the earth and made it (he established it; he did not create it empty, he formed it to be inhabited!): “I am the LORD, and there is no other.” (Isaiah 45:18)

francis, pope, repent, unforgivable sin

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?

earthquakes, end of days, end time, oklahoma, prophecy

USGS says "Significant rise in Oklahoma quakes" since 2009; other seismologist says fracking isn’t the cause

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

There have been a lot of earthquakes in Oklahoma this week. There has been some ‘spillover’ in that there have been quakes in bordering Kansas (four of which are on this map). Here is a map showing quakes in Oklahoma in the past 7 days.

Here is a news spot about the OK quake swarm.

Magnitude 4.0 earthquake hits central Oklahoma, follows six other quakes Friday
A magnitude 4.0 earthquake shook central Oklahoma shortly after 10 p.m. Friday, the U.S. Geological Survey reported. The quake followed two other earthquakes — a 2.8 and a 2.6 magnitude — that were centered near Langston just minutes earlier and four other earthquakes ranging from 2.7 to 2.9 magnitude near Guthrie, Yale and Crescent on Friday afternoon and evening, the Geological Survey reported. That makes seven earthquakes of magnitude 2.6 or greater recorded in the state on Friday.

Since January 2009, more than 200 magnitude 3.0 or greater earthquakes have hit central Oklahoma, marking a significant rise in the frequency of the seismic events, the Geological Survey reported. A study released last year shows that one to three magnitude 3.0 or greater earthquakes occurred yearly in Oklahoma from 1975 to 2008 but that the average grew to around 40 earthquakes per year from 2009-2013.

In this map of earthquakes recorded by the US Geological Survey in the past thirty days (each quake is marked by a dot on the map), Oklahoma is a clear hot spot. (USGS)– (source)

source

This article states, “[T]here have been more than 500 earthquakes in Oklahoma this year and 150 last week. (As of 2/19/14) … No one is disputing that such a dramatic spike is unusual. The question is why it’s happening now, and science suggests that the fracking boom may be, at least in part, to blame. Researchers say the toxic wastewater, stored thousands of feet underground, reducing friction along fault lines, which can trigger earthquakes.”

Or does it? This scientist said six months ago of the connection between hydraulic fracturing (fracking) and earthquakes in OK:

Seismologist: Fracking doesn’t cause earthquakes
“Frohlich cited six earthquakes since 2008 in Texas, Arkansas, Colorado, Ohio and Oklahoma, ranging from magnitude 3.3 to magnitude 5.7. Their locations show that human-caused earthquakes are geographically widespread and geologically diverse, but “very rare,” given the amount of petroleum produced and the amount of waste being disposed of. Why some injection wells cause earthquakes and others don’t remains unclear, he said. Frohlich hypothesizes that quakes occur when a “suitably oriented” fault lies near an injection site.”

“Texas has 10,000 injection wells, Frohlich said, and some have been in use since the 1930s. That effectively makes the state a giant research lab for the shale-gas drilling issues now facing Appalachian states including West Virginia, Pennsylvania, Ohio and New York. If injection wells were “hugely dangerous,” he said, “we would know.” “Texas would be famous as a state that just rocks with major earthquakes,” Frohlich said. “That is not true.“”

Scientists will debate this and that. Whether all the quakes in Oklahoma are from fracking or not isn’t the issue. The issue is where can we find truth? The bible has it. We are told that in the last days there will be earthquakes in diverse places, and we are in the last days. We have been in the end times since Jesus ascended. (Hebrews 1:2).

“For nation will rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom. There will be earthquakes in various places; there will be famines. These are but the beginning of the birth pains.” (Mark 13:8)
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Heretic Beth Moore partners with New Age Mystic Roma Downey in new bible convention touted as "America’s Largest Bible Event"

Posted on March 22, 2014October 16, 2022 by elizabethprata

The bible says that Adam was made first, then Eve. (1 Timothy 2:13). Man was made to have a woman in his life because otherwise he is not complete, and woman was made to be a man’s helpmeet. (Genesis 2:10). When a woman is out from the protection of a man, her father, older brother, husband, etc, she is vulnerable to deception. (1 Timothy 2:14).”

“Just as Satan’s strategy was to deceive Eve, so heretical false teachers have frequently chosen to spread their falsehoods by the same method. It doesn’t mean that they don’t approach men also, it’s just that Scripture’s telling us this is their target very often.” (source)

In secular life, “American women influence 80 percent of all automotive purchases…Chances are, you rule the roost when it comes to deciding which vehicles your family will drive. Your fella may want that Ferrari but cooler heads prevail, since you can’t really slap that child safety seat into the back of a California. Yes, women do make most family vehicle decisions…”

This UK Telegraph article reports that Women are key decision-makers in the home, DWP says
“But they are increasingly taking charge of traditional male household decisions such as choosing the family car, which pension provider or utility firms to choose and where to go on holiday.”

Satan sees an opportunity to weaken the church through the women, by women. We see this clearly in Revelation 2:20-23.

“But I have this against you, that you tolerate that woman Jezebel, who calls herself a prophetess and is teaching and seducing my servants to practice sexual immorality and to eat food sacrificed to idols. I gave her time to repent, but she refuses to repent of her sexual immorality. Behold, I will throw her onto a sickbed, and those who commit adultery with her I will throw into great tribulation, unless they repent of her works, and I will strike her children dead. And all the churches will know that I am he who searches mind and heart, and I will give to each of you according to your works.”

Apparently, a woman was teaching in Thyatira even though the bible says women are not to teach in the church over men. (1 Timothy 2:12). Worse, she was teaching heresy. Worst of all, the discerning Christians in the church at Thyatira knew she wasn’t fit and wasn’t true, but tolerated her anyway. Jesus said unless she repents, and her followers also, He will kill them. The ones who tolerated the false teaching from a women, He has this against them. It is the most weighty matter to have the God of the Universe against you.

Here is the problem. First, the penchant for big convention events is growing. I remarked that the Passion event held at the Georgia Dome for youths between ages 18 and 26 is at root a Gnostic event. I further mentioned that rounding up youths and taking them away from their parents for a several-day sleep-away event apart from their home church to learn doctrines from people with no accountability is simply not a good idea. The Women of Faith organization also has staged Revolve events aimed at teenage girls since 2005.

There are huge bible events, Christian retreats, revivals, and workshops held for many reasons targeted at many segments of the population, and for men, this may or may not be fine. But for youths and for women, it is not good. Youths and women are being separated from their families and home church, rounded up by wolves as it were, as sheep and getting them away from the safety of the pack. Once apart, they are either shredded by false doctrine, gangrenous theological disease, and poisonous leaven- or, they are planted with false doctrines to bring back to their home church and let bake in a slow cooking oven of leaven and the church dies from the inside.

So, increasingly, youths and women are being targeted for infiltration at huge “live events” where doctrine will be taught away from the oversight of the husbands or parents. Another new women’s convention has just concluded, and it is touted as the biggest bible event in Christianity. It is put on by Women of Faith, which is reported by Wikipedia,

“Women of Faith is a Christian-based live events organization. It stages non-denominational events across North America. According to the company, its events have been attended by more than ~~four~~ five million people in total.”

Five million people! That is a lot of people. What are some things the Women of Faith live events are offering? The newest is-

“We’re thrilled to announce with our friends at Women of Faith, America’s largest event for Christian women, the creation of a brand new bible event, ‘Unwrap the Bible.’ ” (source)

Who is involved in Unwrap the Bible? Mark Burnett and Roma Downey.

Burnett & Downey in promo video for “Unwrap the Bible”

This husband and wife duo are not saved. They are workers of evil. They are heretics. They are not in partnership with the Light. They do not know Jesus. I am trying to be very clear. Mrs Downey has a spiritual degree from a New Age teaching institution, practices mysticism, Catholicism, and necromancy (seeking communication with the dead). On live television, Downey communicated with her dead mother through a medium on live TV. Necromancy is strictly forbidden in the bible-

“Do not turn to mediums or necromancers; do not seek them out, and so make yourselves unclean by them: I am the Lord your God.” (Leviticus 19:31). Also Deuteronomy 18:9-12, 2 Kings 21:6, Isaiah 8:19, Revelation 21:8.

The same duo created The Bible miniseries seen last year on the History Channel, and from that series, edited it down to a 90 minute movie focused on Jesus, called Son of God and released this month in movie theaters. The TV mini-series and the movie theatrical release both were fraught with biblical omissions, twistings, and outright heresy and in no way represented the accurate truth of the Gospel of Jesus Christ nor did they correctly reflect His spotless character and Person. Yet Mrs Downey is considered a Christian. She is partnered with Women of Faith in this new bible teaching endeavor.

Why I am NOT watching the History Channel’s miniseries ‘The Bible’.

Why I am NOT going to see the Son of God movie

The lineup of bible teachers at the Unwrap the Bible convention (just concluded a few weeks ago) are below. Beth Moore is one of the teachers who taught at the convention. Some of the materials the women of faith are using are the clips from the Son of God movie. The promotional material states,

“In addition to the in-depth Bible study, dynamic worship pastor and recording artist Kari Jobe will lead musical worship and praise throughout the event. The program will also include video clips from Mark Burnett and Roma Downey’s “The Bible” mini-series, illustrating stories from the Scriptures.”

The venue for this largest bible event in America featuring a lineup of utter heretics is, Lakewood Church, Joel Osteen’s Church, a church of heretics led by a heretic.

Now let’s add up the numbers, starting with Women of Faith, five million women. I don’t believe all their events stretching back to the first one in 1996 were all false, I don’t know for sure, but the nature of apostasy is for seducers to creep into to households and by flatteries deceive women. (2 Timothy 3:6, Jude 1:4). So a ministry may start out good, sound good, look good, but if there are any evil doctrines in there, they will eventually come out and pervert the women.

Beth Moore has a following on Twitter of over 450,000 women. She is the cornerstone of LifeWay teaching materials, even being the anchor for their worst quarter when the economy turned sour. In other words, her materials sell briskly to millions of people. Moore has an ongoing rotation of television shows, speaking engagements through Living Proof Conventions, a blog, podcasts, and more. Shirer has 130,000 Twitter followers, plus a webshow, a blog, a bible study and is partnered with Lifeway in Sunday School curriculum, etc.

Aside from the Unwrap the Bible convention, the Passion Convention, Women of Faith conventions, there are other female teachers out there. We haven’t even mentioned the biggest female powerhouse teaching heresy. It’s Joyce Meyer. Her influence and popularity is incredible and deeply penetrating across many denominational lines. Millions of women are influenced by Meyer. Meyer is an outright heretic, claiming that Jesus stopped being the Son of God on the cross, and that she herself isn’t a sinner. The bible says that Jesus is the Everlasting God (Isaiah 40:28, Hebrews 1:8) and anyone who says they don’t sin doesn’t have the truth in them. (1 John 1:8).

In any case, The Christian Post says “Another adept Twitter user is Joyce Meyer Ministries, previously reported as having the most retweeted messages on the network, above brands like ESPN, the Miami Heat and CNN Breaking News.”

Did you know that 140 characters at a time, Meyer is tweeting poisonous and heretical messages cloaked in pious sounding Christianese which are re-tweeted to the tune of being more penetrating than CNN Breaking News??

Retweets are messages Meyer sends out over Twitter, and then someone else sends it out again, in ever widening circles. As of March 21, 2014, Meyer had 2.69 million followers on that particular social media. Meyer has a television show called Enjoying Everyday Life which reaches potentially two-thirds of the world in 32 languages. She has brisk sales of her 30+ books, over 5.2 million likes on Facebook, live speaking engagements, podcasts, and many other venues into which she pours her poison. And this poison is picked up by women and brought into homes, who they are entrusted with the care of the Godly seed, the children. Many times the husband is unaware or barely aware that Meyer, Moore, Shirer, Caine etc teach doctrines contrary to the one Jesus gave us. This infiltration is repeated with Rachel Held Evans, Ann Voskamp, Oprah Winfrey, Lynne Hybels, Jen Hatmaker, Kara Powell…

You see the progression- a household life of the women in charge, yes, even in Christian households, a female’s natural inclination to be spiritually deceived if a male is not guarding her, an incredibly powerful and popular slate of female Christian bible teachers, infiltrating homes with false doctrine at a massive rate with the power and force of a tsunami. Inattentive or undiscerning husbands. You see the problem, the false teachers, many of them women, are coming for the women. And they are succeeding. They did when Paul wrote to Timothy, (2 Timothy 3:5-9) and they are succeeding now. In this sermon by bible teacher John MacArthur on the 2 Timothy 3:5-9 verses, he explains,

Who do you think they’re after? Weak women who are vulnerable because they’re out from some protection and who are captivated by these people because they promise them deliverance from the burden of sin and guilt and they promise them a system of truth … Just as Satan’s strategy was to deceive Eve, so heretical false teachers have frequently chosen to spread their falsehoods by the same method. It doesn’t mean that they don’t approach men also, it’s just that Scripture’s telling us this is their target very often. Women not strong in virtue, weighed down by sins and driven by impulse and lust, women not strong in truth, women who want to know the truth, who are always learning but have never come to the epignosis, the deep knowledge of the truth are the victims. … And then in verse 7 it says they probably are the kind of women who have a curiosity about religion. They’re attracted to easy solutions that don’t really call for a radical change and don’t deal with the real issue, the issue of sin before a holy God and salvation in Jesus Christ. They’re interested in a cheap gospel. They’re the kind of women who maybe are always learning, taking it all in, attracted to some kind of religious teaching.

Fortunately we can review the verse in Revelation when Jesus said he was angered by the prophetess Jezebel and by those who tolerated her. Jesus also said that He gave her (the Jezebel false prophetess) and her followers time to repent. Jesus is merciful! These false teachers have time still to repent!

Any person following these false teachers or promoting their teachings or even just tolerating them can repent! Jesus forgives, He wants His children to be pure and holy, as He is holy. The church however should be guarded always, and this is an active, never-ending activity until the glorification comes. It means NOT tolerating sin, and actively confronting it. In Thyatira’s case, the church failed because of poison from the inside.

We women are entrusted with the Gospel, with helping our husbands, with the children. It is a precious cargo we women have given to us. As Oswald Chambers said, Let us do our utmost for His highest! In this case it is protecting ourselves from false doctrines by reading the word, submitting to male spiritual authority, and constant prayer. In this way, that we may help our husbands or the church in proper encouragement and support, and keeping our children away from heretical teachings.

For you yourselves know, brethren, that our coming to you was not in vain, but after we had already suffered and been mistreated in Philippi, as you know, we had the boldness in our God to speak to you the gospel of God amid much opposition.

For our exhortation does not come from error or impurity or by way of deceit; but just as we have been approved by God to be entrusted with the gospel, so we speak, not as pleasing men, but God who examines our hearts.

For we never came with flattering speech, as you know, nor with a pretext for greed—God is witness— nor did we seek glory from men, either from you or from others, (1 Thessalonians 2:1-6a)

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