Posted in ahmadinejad, interfaith, rick warren

What do Rick Warren and Mahmoud Ahmadinejad have in common?

Posted on by elizabethprata

Mahmoud Ahmadinejad is currently the President of Iran. His tenure is coming to an end, but for these past seven and a half years, he has been the loudest voice of Shia Islam.

Shia Islam is the second largest denomination of Islam. Of Shi’ites, there are about 20 million or 10% of total Muslim population. About 80% of the Shia population lives in only 4 countries: India, Pakistan, Iran and Iraq. The largest denomination is Sunni, of which there are about 1.2 billion or 90% of Muslims.

The Shia (and Sunni) Muslims believe that Jesus, AKA Isa, was a prophet of Allah, born of a virgin, lived a wonderful life, was NOT killed on the cross but lifted bodily straight up to God. They believe that Jesus will return with the 12th Imam or Final Mahdi to perform one last task: to break the cross, to kill the people of the cross, and to renounce his own Christianity and causing all to worship the true God: Allah. Then Isa will get to marry, have children, and die a natural death under the ‘peaceful regime’ of Allah. If this sounds suspiciously like Christianity’s False Prophet, you are correct.

Hugo Chavez was a socialist and friend to Iran, who died this week. Of Chavez’s passing, Ahmadinejad was praising him in a eulogistic pronouncement. However, it seems that Ahmadinejad went too far in his praise of his dead friend Chavez, saying that Chávez would “return on resurrection day” with Jesus and the Final Imam, the Twelfth Mahdi, who is the most revered figure in Islam.

Ahmadinejad is receiving criticism for this statement because Imam and Jesus/Isa are revered figures and are prominent players in Muslim end time scenarios. They take it seriously, because that is the time period which is supposed to usher in the final peace, with Islam being dominant over all the world. Jesus/Isa has a major part to play in that ushering-in. To speak words that include Chavez in the scenario is a religious no-no, illegal, even.

I wrote on the blog in September 2012, that Ahmadinejad said at the UN in his annual speech, “that the return of Jesus Christ was soon to come, along with the Islamic end-time figure the 12th Imam. “God Almighty has promised us a man of kindness, a man who loves people and loves absolute justice, a man who is a perfect human being and is named Imam Al-Mahdi, a man who will come in the company of Jesus Christ (peace be upon him) and the righteous,” Ahmadinejad said, according to a transcript by PolicyMic. According to Shi’a Muslim beliefs, which the Iranian president subscribes to, Jesus of Nazareth will return to Earth along with the above-mentioned Imam, and they together will solve many of the world’s problems.”

One of those world problems is the presence of Jews and Christians, which ‘Isa’ will kill at Imam’s command.

Now to Rick Warren.

At the 2008 Obama inauguration, Rick Warren was asked to give the invocation. He prayed the following to end his prayer–

“I humbly ask this in the name of the one who changed my life, Yeshua, Isa, Jesús, Jesus…”

Warren prayed in the name of Isa.

He prayed in the name of a false god which a billion and a half Muslims believe will return to kill Christians, break the cross and renounce his Christianity. Warren may as well have said “I pray in the name of Baal”.

I don’t want to hear any excuse that Warren was just using a pronunciation. Warren’s next door neighbor is a Muslim, with whom he traveled to Syria to learn more about Islam and his neighbor’s world. He breaks bread with Muslims at their local Mosque on Friday, he has spent money and effort to ‘build bridges to Muslims’, and he has studied Islam for a long time. Warren knows Isa is not Jesus.

The bible says we are not to be yoked with unbelievers when doing the work of Jesus. We are to be separate.

“Do not be yoked together with unbelievers. For what do righteousness and wickedness have in common? Or what fellowship can light have with darkness? What harmony is there between Christ and Belial? What does a believer have in common with an unbeliever? What agreement is there between the temple of God and idols? For we are the temple of the living God. As God has said: ‘I will live with them and walk among them, and I will be their God, and they will be my people.’ Therefore come out from them and be separate, says the Lord” (2 Corinthians 6:14-17).

What good can come from darkness? Hitching with organizations or religions which deny Jesus of the Gospels goes against Revelation 2:14-15. Why unite with apostates? You see the damage it does? You wind up calling Jesus Isa and praying to the “All merciful One” of Islam.

In an interfaith paper to Muslims, seeking exactly the opposite of what the bible calls for, ‘reconciliation between two great faith communities’, Rick Warren was a signatory. The letter ended like this:

“Before we “shake your hand” in responding to your letter, we ask forgiveness of the All-Merciful One and of the Muslim community around the world.”

Again, Warren invoked a different God. By the way, Rick Warren is one of the paid consultants to oversee the scriptural integrity of the doctrines presented in the History Channel’s “The Bible” miniseries.

When Ahmadinejad says ‘Jesus is coming’, THAT Jesus bears no relation to God in the flesh who died for the sins of the world. Ahmadinejad’s Jesus, or Isa, is satan. Rick Warren’s Jesus/Isa is satan.

So what do Rick Warren and Mahmoud Ahmadinejad have in common? They both pray to a false god. To be even more clear, they both pray to satan.

Posted in discernment, doctrine, last days

Discernment: Why is it important?

Posted on by elizabethprata

Justin Peters is an ordained minister and preacher, but is more well-known for his creation of the seminar “A Call for Discernment”. It is an in-depth, biblical critique of the Prosperity Gospel/Health-Wealth false gospel. This false gospel is also known as a Word Faith Movement, perpetuated by Benny Hinn, Joel Osteen, Joyce Meyer and many others.

His bio says that as a teenager, Justin himself attended faith-healing services in hopes of being delivered from his Cerebral Palsy. Though the potential was there to shake his faith in the Lord, in the long run, these experiences had the opposite effect. He says he has learned that his CP is a blessing because it keeps him dependent on God in his own weakness.

What is Discernment and why is it important? Are we supposed to “judge” or not? Are we told to discern even if we do not have the spiritual gift of discernment? In this seminar, Peters shows that discernment is a duty for all Christians, not only to detect issues in Word-Faith preaching, but in all aspects of a Christian’s life.

You might have heard people say, “I don’t need to know doctrine. I am not a theologian. I just loooove Jesus.” Peters says, that is a foolish statement. You cannot know someone unless you study them and know who they are. If you want to love Jesus, become a student of Him, and study His word. It is a false humility to say you don’t need doctrine.

Here is a link to the session’s .pdf outline that you can read along with the seminar clip below.

If you don’t want to or don’t have time to watch the entire video above, here is Todd Friel of Wretched Radio & TV, interviewing Justin Peters, discussing the Word of Faith movement in this 7-minute clip.

The Lord is gracious and kind. He gave us His word in the bible so we would not be unaware of satan’s schemes (2 Corinthians 2:11). I believe the battle is growing more deep and fierce. Satan is scheming mightily to make the unwary drift away (Hebrews 2:1-4). Keep your anchor dug in- the anchor is Jesus. He is the rock, the foundation of our faith. There is no greater joy than in clinging to Him. Never fear: no one can ever snatch us out of His hand. (John 10:29).

Love Jesus by getting to know him, in His word. Doctrine matters. So does discernment. Ultimately the scriptures tell us why doctrine and discernment are important:

“For whatever was written was given to us for our learning, that through patience and comfort of the scriptures we might have hope.” (Romans 15:4 KJV)

HOPE! What a blessed word in dark days! Light shines and hearts melt and love reigns. Hope! Hope in Him, learn about Him, He is the treasure!

Posted in false, history channel, the bible

Why I am not watching The History Channel’s "The Bible", part 2. It sows error and confusion

Posted on by elizabethprata

I believe the contending for the faith over the History Channel’s presentation of the miniseries “The Bible” is a pitched one. I have almost never received the number of views on one essay as I have on part one and in such a short time too. Christian blogger Mike Ratliff said the same. Further, Mr Ratliff said the following, with which I agree:

“… As I stated in an earlier comment referring back to this post, I haven’t experienced such a strong level of dark spiritual warfare protecting some stronghold of darkness in quite some time. Our enemy has obviously staked quite a bit into this…”

Why? Why is this such a battle to get people to see the error and corruption in this film?Look how bad it is, as Ratliff describes,

“I’ve watched extended previews of it Kim that are not available on TV. It is comparable to taking a man-centered version of the Bible and watering it down even further to make it entertainment. I believe the Bible calls that removing the offense of the Cross since the purpose of our Lord’s incarnation, which is the Atonement, is totally submerged into the “Change the World” view that Rick Warren and those who emulate him teach. Paul rejoiced when others preached Christ, but that’s not what this is since the gospel they preach is “another gospel” and the Jesus they preach is “another Jesus.”…

In the film “The Bible”, the bible is mishandled, period. It removes sin, the cross, the need for the cross, changes verses, inserts events, takes liberties, and puts man at the center of a feel-good social Gospel. Anything that is this grossly man-centered is bad, a different gospel, and to be avoided. But let me give just a few examples of how the producers and writers and paid ‘Christian’ consultants have put forward a Gnostic gospel of man to the dilution of the Gospel of Jesus Christ.

Remember, in the Gnostic series I had written a few months ago, the Gnostic will always seek to change the emphasis of the gospel away from the work of Jesus to the worth of man. Always.

An early example is Noah. As he tried to comfort his family on the ark, we listen to the voice-over tell us something that is simply not true. We hear the reason for the flood was: “Wrong choices, wrong decisions, that’s why this [the flood] is happening.”

In the pre-flood world according to the movie “The Bible”, man didn’t sin but simply made mistakes. An entire world was drowned because some people made a bad choice? The bible says, “The Lord saw that the wickedness of man was great in the earth, and that every intention of the thoughts of his heart was only evil continually.” They diminish the rebellion of sinful man against Holy God by making it sound like someone picked sauerkraut for their hot dog instead of ketchup. God didn’t send the flood because of an “oops.” He sent it because He determined to wipe out man due to his continual evil. (Genesis 6:7).

The truth is, after the fall, all humans born on earth were born with a total sin-nature. In the Gnostic world they tell us that we still have the capacity to do right by simply deciding to make good choices and avoiding bad decisions. Without faith in Jesus and His indwelling Holy Spirit, we don’t have that capacity. We see this incapacity and total sin-nature right away, when the son of Adam and Eve, Cain, became a murderer. (Genesis 4:8). We see it when David says, “Behold, I was brought forth in iniquity, and in sin my mother conceived me.” (Psalm 51:5). And again, Solomon knows, “Indeed, there is not a righteous man on earth who continually does good and who never sins” (Ecclesiastes 7:20). It has nothing to do with man’s choices but all to do with man’s evil.

Next: When we hear in the film that God ‘cleansed the land’ by sending the flood, it shifts the emphasis away from man’s sin to the oopsies he did. If I poured out milk onto the floor, the analogy would be that in the real bible I would own up to spilling the milk (man is culpable for his actions.) In the film version of The Bible, God just cleansed the land, so the focus becomes the mess and the mop that wipes up the mess, not the man who made it. It changes from focus on the sin of the sinner to the consequence of his sin, which, after all, was just a little dirt to be cleaned up. Just by saying ‘cleansed’ it removes man’s participation in the reason for the flood. But look at what the real bible has to say–

“for all flesh had corrupted their way on the earth. And God said to Noah, “I have determined to make an end of all flesh, for the earth is filled with violence through them. Behold, I will destroy them with the earth.” (Genesis 6:12b-13)

In another example, in the film series “The Bible,” we hear the narrator say after the flood: “it was a new beginning for Noah’s descendants & a chance to restore the relationship between God and humanity.”

They would have you believe that the restoration and reconciliation between Holy God and sinful man was up to Noah and his progeny. There was no mention of God’s promise of a Messiah to redeem us. According to “The Bible” filmmaker’s Gnosticism, it is up to man to make that reconciliation. A Gnostic always changes the emphasis away from the work of Jesus to the worth of man. Always.

In another example, we hear the narrator say the “Covenant between Abraham and God.” The covenant was not between man first and God second. The covenant wasn’t even between God and man, it was between God and God because it was an unconditional promise of a sovereign God to sinful man, who simply received it.

The truth of that covenant is, “This unconditional covenant, first made to Abraham in Genesis 12:1-3, promised God’s blessing upon Abraham, to make his name great and to make his progeny into a great nation. The covenant also promised blessing to those who blessed Abraham and cursing to those who cursed him. Further, God vowed to bless the entire world through Abraham’s seed. Circumcision was the sign that Abraham believed the covenant (Romans 4:11). The fulfillment of this covenant is seen in the history of Abraham’s descendants and in the creation of the nation of Israel. The worldwide blessing came through Jesus Christ, who was of Abraham’s family line.” (source “The Covenants of the Bible“).

But when it came time to mention the covenant, “The Bible” writers put man first and made it sound like man cut a deal with God and God capitulated. That is a Gnostic tactic.

Then there is what Mike Ratliff mentioned, the “Change the World” theology. This is most troublesome.

When Peter is called; he is told that he “will change the world.”

When Paul is converted and baptized, he is told the reason for his baptism is so he may “change the world in [Jesus’] name.”

When the man playing Jesus emerges out of the water, he says he is going to “change the world.”

This ‘change the world’ theology’ is a repeated message in the film and one that the Gnostic loves. Why? They love it for two reasons. First, because it is man-centered. Who is going to change the world? Man. Jesus is a footnote in this world-changing. It elevates man’s worth above the work of Jesus, something the Gnostic always likes to do. A Gnostic loves himself more than God, who is enemy to Him. And second because it focuses on this world and all the temptations that the Gnostic offers and wants.

Ratliff said,

The scene that sealed this for me was in Peter’s boat after Jesus had him catch all those fish after he had fished all night and caught nothing. The stuff that went on in that scene is found nowhere in Scripture. Instead of Peter saying, “Depart from me Lord for I am a sinful man!” he asked Jesus what he is going to do if he follows him. Jesus replied, “Change the world!”

I have news for you. This world is going to melt. (Matthew 24:35). It is a temporary world. The SOULS on this world are eternal. Yet the ‘change the world’ mentality is simply another name for social gospel, and social gospelers say that the kingdom of God is to be realized by social improvement. They would have you believe this is why Jesus came. It is a different gospel, and if it is a different gospel, it is false. (2 Corinthians 11:4; Galatians 1:8; Mark 7:9).

The encroachment of the Social Gospel is a tactic and a barometer at the same time. Dr. Paul Hiebert was a Doctor of Missiology at Trinity Evangelical Divinity School, and missionary for 6 years under the Mennonite Brethren Board of Missions. Art Azurdia explained in a lecture on the series, Drive By Discernment,

“Hiebert said that the first generation of Mennonites were a people preoccupied with the Gospel and concerned with some social responsibility. The second generation of Mennonites assumed the Gospel, and became increasingly absorbed with social responsibility. The third generation of Mennonites abandoned the Gospel and was consequently altogether was completely preoccupied with social responsibility. Preoccupied. Assumed. Abandoned.”

Over the last century, theological liberals were increasingly defined by the social gospel accompanied by their view of the kingdom. To the liberals the “kingdom was not future or otherworldly, but ‘here and now.’ ” (source)

We want to do good for others but the reason we are called to the Kingdom by grace to go out is not to change the world. Often, that is the result. But the reason we go is to proclaim the Good News of Jesus Christ.

I heard one of the pastors I listen to say that if there is an adjective in front of “Gospel” it is not the real Gospel. We see this split between Gospel and social gospel in David Platt’s book Radical.

“A similar voice is David Platt’s and his book Radical. Platt offers better balance than Chan but still propagates a two-tiered gospel composed of the true gospel of redemption and the social gospel. While Platt is careful to elevate the true gospel, the social gospel of feeding the hungry and giving to the poor is the primary focus of the book and accounts for its popularity. He writes, “As we meet needs on earth, we are proclaiming a gospel that transforms lives for eternity.” The author does not advocate the social agenda as opposed to true evangelism, as mentioned above, but he does say that caring for the poor is evidence of salvation. As a matter of fact “rich people who neglect the poor are not the people of God.” However, when we turn to the New Testament, we find that, while Christians are to be loving and generous to all people, they are never told to attempt to remedy the consequences of the sin of unbelieving humanity through social action. Instead, they are instructed to meet the needs of brothers and sisters in Christ, something Platt admits in a footnote (p. 225). In fact, the church is never commissioned to rectify injustices by dealing with the symptoms of sins but to “radically” uproot sin itself through the gospel.” (source)

Do you see how insidious The Bible series is and its evil ‘change the world’ gospel? It shifts the emphasis away from the work of Jesus on the cross to the worth of man, so that he may boast. “Look what I did! I changed the world!”

No…that was Jesus, our beloved and holy Savior.

The Bible miniseries on The History Channel is not worth your time or energy. The Lord is too Good, too Pure, too Precious to waste even a moment on the darkness and corruption of that show. I am personally convinced that the show is a pivot point in the deepening apostasy of the church. The show sows error, confusion, and corruption.

Like Chris Rosebrough said, lol, don’t watch the movie, the book is so much better!

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

 Part one here

Posted in Uncategorized

Joel Osteen and Jesus are mutually exclusive

Posted on by elizabethprata

A few weeks ago, the Spirit began pricking me over Joel Osteen. I’ve written about him many times and in fact I thought it was obvious that Osteen is a false teacher who brings a different gospel and I moved on to other discernment topics. But in the last few weeks, I’ve prepared in draft several blog essays about him, aggravated in my spirit over this man’s teachings but not feeling the go-ahead from the Holy Spirit yet.

Then in the last few days I have had some conversations about Joel Osteen. More than a few people have said to me, “Oh, I like Joel Osteen.” And now the news that Osteen was one of the paid consultants to the  producers of the History Channel’s mini-series, “The Bible”, my mind and heart went “Aha!”

Osteen has been successful to insert his erroneous theology into our faith. But it is not enough for me to say “He is wrong,” I need to offer you some examples of how or why as talking points so that when you have conversations yourself about the man, you can use them, as will I. I give these to you as food for thought, because right now if you like Joel Osteen, I am contending for you in the faith.

Osteen’s appeal is always the same as satan’s. What satan offered Eve in the garden, Osteen offers us today. The danger of a man like Osteen, who in fact was raised up as our judgment, is that not ALL he teaches is wrong. Not ALL of it is totally off. He has successfully melded false and true in a seamless way that the tickled ears often has a hard time discerning.

What did satan offer to Eve? Health, wealth, god-hood, success, and prosperity.

“But the serpent said to the woman, “You will not surely die. For God knows that when you eat of it your eyes will be opened, and you will be like God, knowing good and evil.” So when the woman saw that the tree was good for food, and that it was a delight to the eyes, and that the tree was to be desired to make one wise, she took of its fruit and ate…” (Genesis 3:4-6a)

What Joel Osteen preaches is the same, including that we are little gods. Here is how.

In a sermon from Lakewood, Osteen was speaking as to how much our words have power over God. He fleshed this concept out in his recent book, “I Declare”. In this pulpit example, Osteen is talking about the power of our words, and gave a ‘biblical example’ of Zechariah as the angel prophesied to him that he and his wife Elizabeth were going to birth the Messiah’s forerunner, John the Baptist. Zechariah didn’t believe the angel, and God shut Zechariah’s mouth. Osteen explained why God did this:

“See, God knows the power of our words. He knows we prophesy our future, and He knew Zechariah’s own negative words would stop His plan.”

Quote. Unquote.

“Osteen is giving more power to the creature — us — than to the Creator. As sons and daughters of God, we reflect the communicable attributes of God, such as love and intelligence, but we don’t reflect His incommunicable attributes, such as omnipotence. Our words don’t contain any magical power that can upset God’s plans.” (source)

Osteen has no knowledge of the sovereignty of God, but preaches that we are in fact in control of Him, and we are in fact in control of our lives, and thus, He is not in control of the universe. If He is not in control of the universe, He is not sovereign.

These kind of preachers do not know the real God and His sovereign will. He hates God, because he continually masks Him from his followers. As a matter of fact, Osteen declared his intention to hide the God of the universe from his followers in this quote from an interview with CNN’s Soledad O’Brien:

“She then said, “When you say homosexuality is a sin and there’s a bunch of people who clearly are gay in your church. You’re calling them sinners. I mean, that’s the opposite of uplifting, I would think.” She established the perfect platform for Osteen to respond with the gospel of Jesus Christ, but he did not. “Well, Soledad, I don’t necessarily focus on that. I only talk about that in interviews,” he said.” (read more here on Osteen from Al Mohler). Refusing to preach sin, masks God and dilutes the necessity for Jesus.

Other examples of Osteen’s preaching that is directly contrary to God’s word:

He has said, “99.9% of people are good people, they just make bad decisions.” You veritably heard Osteen’s voice saying the same thing through Noah’s narration in the recent mini-series segment from the History Channel called ‘The Bible’. Osteen was listed as one of the paid bible consultants for the series. You heard the same theme bad choices, bad decisions theme, when Noah said the reason for the flood was “Wrong choices, wrong decisions, that’s why this [the flood] is happening.” Osteen brought us from the biblical presentation of man as totally corrupt and evil continually (Genesis 6:5), to, “oops, bad choice,” like it was a decision between sauerkraut or no sauerkraut on your hot dog. Saturating sin and total depravity is not a mistake, it is a condition.

Osteen minimizes sin and the necessity for Jesus and instead preaches using the bible as a ‘how to get through life manual’ rather than instruction as to the revelation of who God is. He says, “What I do,” evangelist Joel Osteen told CNN’s Larry King in 2005, “is just try to teach practical principles. I may not bring the Scripture in until the end of my sermon, and I don’t feel bad about that.”

Yet Romans 3:12 states there is none good, no, not one. I can give a statistic, 100.00% of people are bad. You are bad. I am bad. Yet Osteen’s constant preaching that we are essentially good people undermines the necessity for Jesus to go to the cross. If we are essentially good, that we just make bad decisions, then we have the power in our selves to change that by speaking words, therefore we do not need Jesus.We just need to shape up a little. In Osteen’s world, all we need is to adjust our athletic cup or fix our slip, and we’re good to go. Ahhh, that’s better. But the adjustments he tells us to make are all minor, external and end up just being whitewash on the tomb. (Matthew 23:27).

Look how pretty and white! Oops, they’re still dead, though…

Osteen’s job as pastor IS to preach scripture, not just as a footnote but as the entire reason for being. What are pastors supposed to do? Give us a pep talk on how to avoid negative thoughts and get a good parking place at the mall? (as stated in Your Best Life Now). No.

“[W]hat then are pastors supposed to do? Quite simply, they are called to equip the holy believers to do all those things (see Eph. 4:11-12). They are called to teach those holy believers to obey all of Christ’s commandments (see Matt. 28:19-20) by precept and example (see 1 Tim. 3:2; 4:12-13; 5:17; 2 Tim. 2:2; 3:16-4:4; 1Pet. 5:1-4).

Scripture couldn’t make this clearer. The biblical role of the pastor is not to gather as many people as possible at Sunday-morning church services. It is to “present every man complete in Christ” (Col. 1:28). Biblical pastors don’t tickle peoples’ ears (see 2 Tim. 4:3); they teach, train, exhort, admonish, correct, reprove and rebuke, all based on God’s Word (see 2 Tim. 3:16-4:4).”

Comparing these qualifications with those that are often listed by institutional churches that are searching for a new pastor reveals the primary problem with so many churches. They are looking for an employee manager/entertainer/short-speech-giver/administrator/ psychologist/activities and program director/fund-raiser/friend-of-everyone/work horse. They want someone to “run the ministry of the church.” The biblical overseer, however, above all else must be a man of great character and commitment to Christ, a true servant, because his goal is to reproduce himself. He must be able to say to his flock, “Be imitators of me, just as I also am of Christ” (1 Cor. 11:1). (source)

John MacArthur also wrote an introduction to a new blog series on The Role of the Pastor.

Osteen has also said–

“Hindus love God. I’ve seen their sincerity.” Larry King live, 2005, and many times afterwards. Yet, Hindus do not know God. No matter how sincere a person is, if they do not have the Son, they do not have the Father. (1 John 2:23). Yes, look how sincere this Hindu is worshiping idols at his home shrine.

Osteen has said that Mormons are Christians. “The Texas pastor did say that the Mormon faith was “not traditional Christianity,” but that Mormonism still falls under the umbrella of Christian tenets. “Mormonism is a little different, but I still see them as brothers in Christ,” said Osteen.

Yet Mormonism teaches that God used to be a man on another planet.

Osteen has said- “I know when Victoria and I used to travel with my father overseas, a lot of times we would go over a few days early, and it was amazing how many times we would get upgraded to first class. When I’d go up to that counter I’d kid with Victoria and I’d say ‘Watch this! We’re going to get upgraded.’ And I’d go up there expecting to get preferential treatment. I’d go up there knowing that I have an advantage, I’ve got the favor of God….when I’d go up there I’d just smile real big and be real friendly and that whole time under my breath I’d be saying ‘Father, I thank you that I have your favor. I thank you that you’re causing me to stand out in the crowd. I thank you that your light is shining down on me.’ And Victoria will tell you time after time, for no reason at all, they’d bump us up to first class. See, that’s the favor of God… That’s God’s favor giving us preferential treatment.”

Does that sound like the Pharisee in Luke 18:11, or what?! “The Pharisee, standing by himself, prayed thus: ‘God, I thank you that I am not like other men, extortioners, unjust, adulterers, or even like this tax collector.”

Worst of all- Osteen denies the exclusivity of Jesus: saying in January of this year-

“Well, I believe Oprah that there, I believe that Jesus is the way to the one God, but there are many paths to Jesus.” He has said many times on Larry King & other places that Jesus may not be the only way. Many times.

Osteen’s Prosperity theology is a cauldron of cultish doctrines that have been cloaked in Christian terminology so it will fly in under spiritual radars. Osteen and preachers like him are not wrong on just minor theological differences, they are wrong on many of the fundamentals of the faith. It is not a matter of style or delivery or segment of ministry. It is about satan versus Jesus, wrong doctrine vs truth.

I hope these quotes and facts open your eyes to the fact that Osteen is a wolf in sheep’s clothing, Satan is subtle, he is not going to come in with a pitchfork and all ugly. He will smilingly lead you to hell. Osteen sows corruption (Galatians 5:9) & confusion but God is not a God of confusion but of peace (1 Cor 14:33). Osteen is the very definition of this verse:

“For the time is coming when people will not endure sound teaching, but having itching ears they will accumulate for themselves teachers to suit their own passions” (2 Timothy 4:3)

Look at his book covers. It’s obvious who Osteen cares about most.

Can you watch a preacher who teaches the unwary that our words are more powerful than God’s plan? That we have the power to declare and create over our own lives? That Jesus is not the only way and that Mormons and Hindus if they are sincere, will also attain heaven? That your best life is now? Are you are essentially saying to Jesus that you disagree with Him and agree with Osteen that you will trade health, wealth, prosperity, and success as your best life now? Yet Jesus offers so much more. Osteen’s Jesus only offers us sin for a season – but Jesus offers eternal life. The two are mutually exclusive.

Posted in ethiopian eunuch, faith, simon the magician

The Gospel: comparing Simon the Magician and the Ethiopian Eunuch

Posted on by elizabethprata

Jesus said that the Gospel when it goes out, will fall on varying kinds of ground. (Mark 4:3-9). The seed falls on rocky ground, thorny ground, hard ground, and good ground. Only in the good ground does the seed sprout and bear grain.

In Acts 8 we see two men receive the Gospel, and each had a heart that was different kind of ground.

Simon the Magician

“But there was a man named Simon, who had previously practiced magic in the city and amazed the people of Samaria, saying that he himself was somebody great. They all paid attention to him, from the least to the greatest, saying, “This man is the power of God that is called Great.” And they paid attention to him because for a long time he had amazed them with his magic. But when they believed Philip as he preached good news about the kingdom of God and the name of Jesus Christ, they were baptized, both men and women. Even Simon himself believed, and after being baptized he continued with Philip. And seeing signs and great miracles performed, he was amazed.” (Acts 8:9-13)

“Now when Simon saw that the Spirit was given through the laying on of the apostles’ hands, he offered them money, saying, “Give me this power also, so that anyone on whom I lay my hands may receive the Holy Spirit.” But Peter said to him, “May your silver perish with you, because you thought you could obtain the gift of God with money! 21You have neither part nor lot in this matter, for your heart is not right before God. Repent, therefore, of this wickedness of yours, and pray to the Lord that, if possible, the intent of your heart may be forgiven you. For I see that you are in the gall of bitterness and in the bond of iniquity.” And Simon answered, “Pray for me to the Lord, that nothing of what you have said may come upon me.” (Acts 8:19-23)

Believing by seeing

Simon said he himself was someone great. He was proud. He believed by seeing. (Acts 8:13). He tried to buy his way into the kingdom.

As a result, the Apostles told him his heart was not right before God. (Acts 8:21). That Simon was in bondage to iniquity. (Acts 8:23). They told Simon to repent. He did not repent, but only asked them to pray for him so that he could escape the consequences. (Acts 8:24). Just like Judas, who was seized with remorse but did not pray to God for forgiveness.

The Ethiopian Eunuch

Now an angel of the Lord said to Philip, “Rise and go toward the south to the road that goes down from Jerusalem to Gaza.” This is a desert place. 27And he rose and went. And there was an Ethiopian, a eunuch, a court official of Candace, queen of the Ethiopians, who was in charge of all her treasure. He had come to Jerusalem to worship 28and was returning, seated in his chariot, and he was reading the prophet Isaiah. 29And the Spirit said to Philip, “Go over and join this chariot.” 30So Philip ran to him and heard him reading Isaiah the prophet and asked, “Do you understand what you are reading?” 31And he said, “How can I, unless someone guides me?” And he invited Philip to come up and sit with him. 32Now the passage of the Scripture that he was reading was this:

“Like a sheep he was led to the slaughter
and like a lamb before its shearer is silent,
so he opens not his mouth.
33 In his humiliation justice was denied him.
Who can describe his generation?
For his life is taken away from the earth.”

34And the eunuch said to Philip, “About whom, I ask you, does the prophet say this, about himself or about someone else?” 35Then Philip opened his mouth, and beginning with this Scripture he told him the good news about Jesus. 36And as they were going along the road they came to some water, and the eunuch said, “See, here is water! What prevents me from being baptized?”e 38And he commanded the chariot to stop, and they both went down into the water, Philip and the eunuch, and he baptized him. 39And when they came up out of the water, the Spirit of the Lord carried Philip away, and the eunuch saw him no more, and went on his way rejoicing. 40But Philip found himself at Azotus, and as he passed through he preached the gospel to all the towns until he came to Caesarea.

Believing by hearing

The Eunuch was humble, not saying he was someone great (although he really was, unlike Simon the Magician) but answering Philip by saying he did not understand the passage. He asked for guidance in understanding it. This is humility, and he loved the word. He believed by hearing. The Eunuch stood on God’s word, being baptized. The result was, he went on his way, rejoicing.

For one man, he was rebuked and in need of repentance, but refused to pray to God. He is like the “ones sown among thorns. They are those who hear the word, but the cares of the world and the deceitfulness of riches and the desires for other things enter in and choke the word, and it proves unfruitful.” (Mark 4:18-19)

In the other man, he stood on the Word of God and received it with gladness and in communion with the Holy Spirit. He is like the ground that is good, “But those that were sown on the good soil are the ones who hear the word and accept it and bear fruit, thirtyfold and sixtyfold and a hundredfold.” (Mark 4:20).

Seeing is not believing. Hearing is believing.

Posted in history channel, the bible

Why I am not watching History Channel’s "The Bible"

Posted on by elizabethprata

Part 2 here: “It sows error and confusion”

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

I am seeing a lot of tweets and other social media discussion about the debut of the History Channel’s presentation of the miniseries “The Bible.”

I am not going to be watching it. I will tell you why.

First, before watching, reading, attending, or in any way absorbing anything related to the bible, it is wise to look into the background of the people who prepared the material. In our day we have the internet to look into the doctrines of the people bringing us their message. Even in the first generation church, they have heard things about certain men who bring false doctrines and evil words. (Acts 9:13, Acts 15:24). So because we have the opportunity to be Bereans ahead of time, we are.

The people putting together this production adhere to false doctrines and do not know the truth.  As Erin Benziger wrote on her blog,

“Not only, then, were seeker-driven and Word Faith pastors such as Warren, Osteen and Jakes consulted, but others of questionable convictions like Erwin McManus, Craig Groeschel, Gabe Lyons, Samuel Rodriguez and others. Time and space prevent from examining here each of these names in depth. The producers of The Bible even have consulted with Tom Peterson, founder and president of Catholics Come Home. The inclusion of Peterson is most interesting when one considers that the Roman Catholic Church preaches a false and deceptive gospel, having anathematized the true gospel as found in Scripture. The official Board of Advisors for the miniseries also includes such troubling names as Richard Mouw and Miroslav Volf. One cannot help but wonder, with the consultation and input of so many differing theological views (albeit most of them liberal), can this production actually be an accurate representation of inspired Scripture? Having viewed an extended preview (50 minutes in length) of the production, this writer would honestly like to ask the producers and consultants of this miniseries: Was the Bible itself consulted, or was this written using vague memories from stories learned in Sunday School years ago?”

Roma Downey, wife of producer Mark Burnett, plays Mary  in the mini-series, and was best known as the kind hearted angel on the long-running television program “Touched by an Angel.” However, Downey’s spiritual journey has taken a turn toward darkness. She openly embraces New Age and Mysticism. It is reported, “Roma also attends the University of Santa Monica, a private graduate school founded by New Age spiritual and self-help guru John-Roger, and will graduate with a master’s degree in spiritual psychology in June.”

She listens to and is influenced by New Age false doctrines such as Oprah-promoted Eckart Tolle and Tony Robbins, and as she says her husband claims, “‘My husband says I’m so self-realized I’m practically levitating.'”

Self-realized, but not sanctified. When she reaches for the actor playing Jesus, which Jesus is she reaching for? The Jesus of the bible, or the Gnostic/Mystical Jesus that Eckhart Tolle teaches?

With the crew behind the production seeming godly but denying its power, I wonder how much of the pure truth will be presented. Can truth spring forth clean and pure from a whitewashed tomb?

“Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! For you are like whitewashed tombs, which outwardly appear beautiful, but within are full of dead people’s bones and all uncleanness.” (Matthew 23:27)

Another reason to avoid this production is that the makers of the series admit to “dramatizing” the events, something that in the normal world is called “exaggerating” at the least and “lying” at worst. This is OK when dramatizing a story, but the bible is not story- it is truth. It is written, “But we have renounced disgraceful, underhanded ways. We refuse to practice cunning or to tamper with God’s word, but by the open statement of the truth we would commend ourselves to everyone’s conscience in the sight of God.” (2 Corinthians 4:2).

CNN Religion Blog reports, “They took many artistic liberties to compress the story lines while hoping to remain true to the story. A public relations manager for the project described the liberties to me as “extra-biblical but not contra-biblical.”

“Artistic liberties”? If your preacher took liberties with the bible the deacons would be having a conversation with him on Monday morning. “Hoping” to remain true? That means they know they already aren’t.

Ultimately, if it is extra-biblical, it is against the bible. Anything from outside the bible and inserted in, is false because it is not from God. (2 Timothy 3:16). If it is not from the bible, it is from man. Man’s philosophy is called “hollow and deceptive” according to Colossians 2:8.

Third, I’d expect the liberal New York Times to give the mini-series a pan on the basis of it being religious, but that is not the total reason. Here is part of their reasoning:

“In this heavy-handed treatment, having Jesus born in a manger is not enough; the arrival also has to occur during what looks like a typhoon. Because why have a moderate amount of hardship when you can have an excess of it? … The feelings behind the series may be sincere — Ms. Downey has said that she and her husband “felt called to do this” — but the approach here actually shows a lack of faith in the power of the biblical stories.”

“This doesn’t serve the source material — so rich in interconnections across time — very well, and it doesn’t make for very involving television. Abraham, Moses, David, Daniel and the other great biblical figures aren’t really developed in a way that illuminates them or makes them linger in our minds; they are simply called forth to perform a set piece or two. It’s like a trip through a Christian theme park. “Next stop on the tour, ladies and gentlemen: the Noah’s ark tableau, followed by the Daniel in the lion’s den diorama.”

In other words, no only has the source material been manipulated, the results aren’t even that compelling, despite the dramatizations. It isn’t even good tv.

Should we be grateful anyway that such a production offers us an opportunity?

Patheos acknowledges the problems with the way the bible was handled and presented in their piece, History Channel’s ‘The Bible’- Less Filling, Tastes Great’, but they urge us to compromise. “So perhaps in this Lenten and Easter season we may be thankful for any conversation starter, however cheesy, that may give us a chance to have a richer discussion about the Bible and its riches.”

Well, is Jesus a crumb and an afterthought that we are willing to grab onto because the world finally allows a sliver of a conversation about Him – on their terms? No. Did Paul say, ‘well that slave girl is possessed of the devil but at least she is saying the right things. I think I’ll use her as a conversation starter’? No. By the power of the Holy Spirit he ordered the demon to come out of her and he went on presenting the Gospel purely and unadulterated by any compromise (Acts 20:27). The Holy Spirit does not need the devil’s help.

One thing that may help, is to imagine yourself on the couch watching the ‘dramatization’ of His life and His word with that big logo of the “H” on the screen, and Jesus was sitting next to you on the couch. In that case, would watching the show be edifying? Jesus-exalting? Well, the Spirit is in you, present with you always, and if you watch with your spouse then where two or more are gathered in His name, He is there also. (Matthew 18:20). So He will be with you while you watch it. How will you explain the compromise when you give an account for everything? (Romans 14:12).

Remember, this is the same channel that says evolution is truth and the big bang caused everything to come into existence from nothing. That happily teaches our children that dinosaurs roamed millions of years ago, and that archaeological data recorded through fossil dating is scientifically accurate.

There may be some people in your sphere who do watch the series, and may indeed come to you with questions. I’d take the time, rather than spend it putting something vile before your eyes, (Psalm 101:3) to instead brush up on the parts of the bible that the Spirit leads you to. Use the bible itself to witness, not a flawed and corrupt whitewashed tomb. Use the Word from the resurrected Savior, delivered by inspiration of the Holy Spirit. Take the hours you’d watch the mini-series to instead study John’s Gospel, or another section, Genesis 1 or Genesis 6 perhaps. Imagine how sanctifying that would be! :0 Then you’d really have some refreshed chops to speak to a person who asks you.

Psalm 119:3 says that the unrighteous walk in His ways- they do not compromise. If you know ahead of time that the people involved in the writing and scriptural oversight of this series are false, and the people acting in it are false, and you already know they messed with the word, can they really do the justice to the bible that you would want? Are you willing to absorb that?

“I am coming soon. Hold on to what you have, so that no one will take your crown.” (Revelation 3:11)

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

Part 2 here: “It sows error and confusion”

Posted in bedroom, florida, tampa

FL man swallowed by sinkhole: "A loud crash, then nothing"

Posted on by elizabethprata

I wasn’t going to report on the man in Florida who was sleeping in his bed at 11:00 at night and was swallowed by a sinkhole that opened up under his bedroom. The hole swallowed all the bedroom furniture and the man. The only thing the brother found after he heard his sibling scream was a bit of the mattress sticking out.

Because after all, I’ve reported and reported on sinkholes over the years and how many times does one need to report on the phenomenon to have people understand that the very ground under our feet is not as solid as we think, but Jesus is the only solid rock?

But this event in Tampa yesterday is a bit unusual. For one thing, the house did not collapse, not even yet, a day later and the hole getting bigger. Second, the man disappeared in an instant. It is the first time I’ve really heard of a death that has resulted (Likely death, though hope is severely diminishing as the family waits for word). And the worst part of this terrible tragedy is the feeling of utter vulnerability. In bed we are undressed, unconscious and totally unable to defend or counteract what may happen. It is the one time in the day when we lay down and trust that we will wake up the next day.

Except for some people, they do not wake up. We are all unfortunately used to stories of home invasions with death through violence, or death through illness during the night. But this, this, seems beyond the pale.

Except it is not.

No man is guaranteed a tomorrow. This concept is encapsulated in the verses from James most explicitly:

Go to now, ye that say, Today or tomorrow we will go into such a city, and continue there a year, and buy and sell, and get gain, (And yet ye cannot tell what shall be tomorrow. For what is your life? It is even a vapor that appeareth for a little time, and afterward vanisheth away.) For that ye ought to say, If the Lord will, and if we live, we will do this or that. But now ye rejoice in your boastings: all such rejoicing is evil.” (James 4:13-16 Geneva).

Every moment of our lives depend on God. This goes for the saved and the unsaved.

The ground under the house is a chasm, the man said. The officials are quoted as saying:

“Bill Bracken, the owner of an engineering company called to assess the sinkhole, told the AP Friday that he “cannot tell you why it [the house] has not collapsed yet.” He added that the earth below was a “very large, very fluid mass.” “This is not your typical sinkhole,” Hillsborough County administrator Mike Merrill told the AP Friday. “This is a chasm. For that reason, we’re being very deliberate.”

I think of the chasm that is under every person. Jonathan Edwards spoke of it in his classic sermon Sinners in the Hands of an Angry God. I am not relating this to the man in the sinkhole, but to the fact of death coming to every person:

“The devil stands ready to fall upon them, and seize them as his own, at what moment God shall permit him. They belong to him; he has their souls in his possession, and under his dominion. The scripture represents them as his goods, Luke 11:12. The devils watch them; they are ever by them at their right hand; they stand waiting for them, like greedy hungry lions that see their prey, and expect to have it, but are for the present kept back. If God should withdraw his hand, by which they are restrained, they would in one moment fly upon their poor souls. The old serpent is gaping for them; hell opens its mouth wide to receive them; and if God should permit it, they would be hastily swallowed up and lost.”

“The use of this awful subject may be for awakening unconverted persons in this congregation. This that you have heard is the case of every one of you that are out of Christ. — That world of misery, that lake of burning brimstone, is extended abroad under you. There is the dreadful pit of the glowing flames of the wrath of God; there is hell’s wide gaping mouth open; and you have nothing to stand upon, nor any thing to take hold of; there is nothing between you and hell but the air; it is only the power and mere pleasure of God that holds you up.”

Whether the end comes because of a normal means or whether it comes eerily like the way described by Edwards, your end will come.

“As a father hath compassion on his children, so hath the Lord compassion on them that fear him. For he knoweth whereof we be made: he remembereth that we are but dust. The days of man are as grass: as a flower of the field, so flourisheth he. For the wind goeth over it, and it is gone, and the place thereof shall know it no more. But the loving kindness of the Lord endureth forever and ever upon them that fear him, and his righteousness upon children’s children,” (Psalm 103:13-17, 1599 Geneva Bible (GNV)

Man is frail. We do not go on forever, notwhithstanding our lengthening years via medicine and artificial means.

“For all flesh is as grass, and all the glory of man is as the flower of grass. The grass withereth, and the flower falleth away. But the word of the Lord endureth forever: and this is the word which is preached among you.”(1 Peter 1:24-25 1599 Geneva Bible)

The flesh shows the weakness of our nature.

If there is any message to be taken from the weird story of the man in the sinkhole it is that- we are going to die. Sometimes today, sometimes tomorrow. Sometimes in usual ways, sometimes in unusual ways. I wrote about that notion here- So many creative ways to die: the story of George Millet and the ink eraser.

So the ultimate point is, are we ready for eternity? Every person has one. We will live forever either in heaven with Jesus, or in hell without Him. When these weird things happen, or when a ‘celebrity’ dies (like Bonnie Franklin yesterday) the first thing I think of is “were they saved?” I hope the unfortunate man in the Florida house was saved. I hope that his grieving brother thinks on eternity now that it came to his house.

We know the Lord is everlasting,
“Blessed be the Lord, the God of Israel, from everlasting to everlasting! Amen and Amen.” (Psalm 41:13)

But we messed up the earth with sin-

“The earth lies defiled under its inhabitants; for they have transgressed the laws, violated the statutes, broken the everlasting covenant.” (Isaiah 24:5)

Therefore those who are not cleansed from sin will go into everlasting punishment. Those who are cleansed of sin through his grace, repentance and submission will go to everlasting peace-

[On Judgment Day] “Then shall they also answer him, saying, Lord, when saw we thee an hungered, or athirst, or a stranger, or naked, or sick, or in prison, and did not minister unto thee? Then shall he answer them, and say, Verily I say unto you, inasmuch as ye did it not to one of the least of these, ye did it not to me. And these shall go into everlasting pain, and the righteous into life eternal.”

PLEASE PLEASE consider these things.

“For he saith, I have heard thee in a time accepted, and in the day of salvation have I succored thee: behold now the accepted time, behold now the day of salvation.”(2 Corinthians 6:2)

THAT is the lesson of the sinkhole.

Posted in armstrong and miller, days of Noah, little flowers

Potpourri for you: Armstrong and Miller, Days of Noah, The Seventies

Posted on by elizabethprata

This is a good article. It begins this way

Noah’s Neighbors & the Moral Barometer
By Dean T. Olson

One of the most powerful earthquakes ever recorded struck Japan in March 2011. It was so powerful that it moved the entire planet by shifting its axis over 6 inches and shoving Honshu, the main island of Japan, 13 feet to the east. The tremor was so violent that it actually sped up the rotation of the planet and shortened the length of that day. As one of the most powerful ever recorded, the Tohoku earthquake devastated the region and demolished the Fukushima nuclear plant leading to a deadly release of radioactivity. 18,000 people died or are missing. Fears of a meltdown of Japan’s nuclear power plants wrought by the damage from the quake spiked sales of iodine pills in America. At the same time, bloodshed and violence escalated in Libya and Syria and threatened to rend the shabby dictatorships across the Middle East. Meanwhile bees are mysteriously disappearing and frogs are mutating accompanied by massive die-offs of birds and fish at widely dispersed locations around the world. Mysterious sounds emanating from the heavens and the earth are reported worldwide. And the sale of doomsday bunkers continues to surge. What is going on?

I don’t know any more than you do. But I have some suspicions. To understand what is transpiring we may need to pull our Bibles from those dusty boxes in the attic. I don’t say that lightly because suggesting that we may be witnessing Biblical prophecy unfolding is to risk the sideways glances of friends and neighbors who assume that early onset dementia has blunted one’s faculties. Such prejudices are not without merit based on the folly of misguided date-setters and millenarians who perennially, and incorrectly, predict the end of world.

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

I liked this one too–

Prudent people will examine their faith
By Mike Gendron

Whenever I meet Roman Catholics, I ask them if they were born into the religion or if they choose it. Almost always they say they were born a Catholic.

I then ask, “Have you ever examined your faith with the Bible to see if it is true saving faith?” Almost always the answer is, “No.” coupled with various responses suggesting “the Catholic Church is the one true church” or “how can one billion Catholics be wrong?” These responses are very troubling when we consider that people can be wrong about a lot of things in this life and still survive, but if they are wrong about their eternal destiny, they will pay for that irreversible mistake forever and ever! The Lord Jesus said the gate to heaven is narrow and very few find it (Mat. 7:14). This is due in part because very few look for it. Instead they follow the masses on the broad road to destruction.

God’s Word says, “The simple believes everything, but the prudent gives thought to his steps” (Proverbs 14:15). People who are lost in religion blindly accept what man says without testing their words with God’s Word.

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

How about a few thoughts on Music Worship?

Hey Church Musician, You’re Leading Worship Too!
by Stephen Miller

There are few things more confusing to me than watching a worship team standing on the platform, and seeing the face of a worship leader who has all of his being in engaged in worship of God. But then as I survey the rest of the team, I see a bass player with a too-cool-for-school scowl on his face or a guitar player with a sheepishly bewildered or bored look on his face. Or a keys player whose face is completely expressionless, glued to a sheet of music.

They are all worshiping the same God, right?

As believers, we are all leaders of worship. Whether standing on the platform or in the congregation, we are all collectively encouraging one another to enter into the kind of full heart, mind, soul and strength demonstration of adoration that our God desires.

This is magnified from the platform. As the privilege of influence increases, so does the responsibility of leadership. That is not confined to vocalists.

The “worship leader” is not the only one leading worship. Bass players… Keys players… Drummers… Guitarists… You’re leading worship too.

Here is a wonderful photo from the National Archives, series called “National Archives: Searching for the Seventies“

Caption: “Gasoline stations abandoned during the fuel crisis in winter of 1973–74 were sometimes used for other purposes. This station at Potlatch, Washington, west of Olympia, was turned into a religious meeting hall. Signs painted on the gas pumps proclaim ‘Fill up with the Holy Ghost . . . and Salvation.’ Potlatch, Washington, April 1974. (David Falconer/National Archives/Records of the Environmental Protection Agency”

Look at more photos from the 70s here.

Saw this on Challies. Armstrong & Miller is a satirical comedy sketch show on BBC One.

Posted in bible, inerrant, sola scriptura

Having a high view of scripture

Posted on by elizabethprata

Do you have a high view of scripture? I hope so! By ‘high view’ I mean do you believe it is the only authority, is the external authority of all things, given to us by God, is sufficient and is the final authority?

Today’s Christian community increasingly has a low view of scripture. They are led by feelings, mysticism, leadings and hints and intuitions. They are saying they’re receiving prophecy and revelation and hearing God in contemplative prayer. Let’s get back to the only word that we can stand on: the bible.

Athanasius, an early church father, wrote, “These are fountains of salvation, that they who thirst may be satisfied with the living words they contain. In these alone is proclaimed the doctrine of godliness. Let no man add to these, neither let him take ought from these.”

Look at something interesting in Matthew 22.

“But Jesus answered them, “You are wrong, because you know neither the Scriptures nor the power of God. 30For in the resurrection they neither marry nor are given in marriage, but are like angels in heaven. 31And as for the resurrection of the dead, have you not read what was said to you by God: 32‘I am the God of Abraham, and the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob’? He is not God of the dead, but of the living.” (Matthew 22:29-32)

Did you notice something? Verse 31, a little nugget embedded in the flow: “have you not read what was said to you by God”? Here was Jesus standing before crowds, speaking directly to the Sadducees. The Sadducees were chief priests and high priest, and they held the majority of the 70 seats of the ruling council called the Sanhedrin. They were the lawyer’s lawyer, knowing the scriptures backwards and forwards so they could make rulings and interpretations. (Read more about the Sadducees here)

So there is Jesus, who is God, speaking truth day in and day out (because these Sadducees, Pharisees and scribes followed Jesus around and they knew what He was saying), and they questioned Jesus. Jesus did not respond by saying, “Didn’t you hear what I said last week?” No. Jesus referred them to scripture, saying, ‘did you not READ what was said’.

Jesus held a high view of scripture all His life. Remember what He told satan the three times in response to temptation, “It is written.”

Martin Luther said of feelings and leadings versus the Word,

“Feelings come and feelings go,
And feelings are deceiving;
My warrant is the Word of God–
Naught else is worth believing.

Though all my heart should feel condemned
For want of some sweet token,
There is One greater than my heart
Whose Word cannot be broken.

I’ll trust in God’s unchanging Word
Till soul and body sever,
For, though all things shall pass away,
HIS WORD SHALL STAND FOREVER!”

― Martin Luther

Ultimately, the bible is the Lord GOD’s final, authoritative proclamation. If you are tempted to go forward in worship or a decision or a mission based on a mystical experience of some kind such as a dream or a voice, then I ask, does God use His Word to accomplish His purposes, or not?

Posted in atonement, cross, jay bakker, rob bell

Harlem Shake is dead but at least questioning the atonement is still cool

Posted on by elizabethprata

It’s a little rough but gets the point across:

The Harlem Shake is the latest “craze” to sweep churches that preach an emergent, soft, different Gospel. Those churches engage in social justice on weekdays and re-gather on Sundays to have rock concerts, share what dreams and revelations Jesus sent them whilst sipping cappuccino and admiring the gauge in their nose. You get the idea. There is more here from CNN about the Harlem Shake from a secular point of view, but make no mistake, the shake is sweeping churches. They have to stay relevant you know.

What was encouraging was that the Node ‘Last Shake’ video was posted to Facebook by 19-year old friend of mine. Not all youths are under the sway of the cool pastors in skinny jeans! Hallelujah!

At the blog A Twisted Crown of Thorns this is posted: “These relentless overtures to make the church more hip or more culturally savvy are in themselves a danger to any church. They downgrade the gospel, make people seek excitements as vehicles for their silliness and pander after entertainment instead of seeking Christ as a Savior for their sins. These excitements are a judgement to any church. Believers come seeking for bread and to be fed and you offer them stones! Oh brood of vipers, and you call yourselves Christ-ian (Christ-like)!”

I’m studying for the Sunday School lesson, it is from John Stott’s “The Cross of Christ.” Pretty inspiring stuff. The cross never gets old, ya know?

Except when it does. I believe the study contained in our Sunday School quarterly is timely. The cross and Jesus as the substitutionary atonement, punished by taking the wrath of God for our sins, shedding His blood, is a doctrine that’s increasingly being denied.

Just last week Jay Bakker (son of Jim and Tammy Faye) denied the atonement in his book “Faith, Doubt, and Other Lines I’ve Crossed” following up his doubt about the atonement in an interview with The Christian Post. When CP asked him to clarify, Bakker said, “Yes I am definitely questioning the atonement.” (And yes, that thing on his lip is a honkin’ lip ring.)

One would think that there would be SOME hard and fast doctrines that people would not mess with. Like, Jesus as God. Or the Virgin Birth. Or, the Atonement. But these are exactly the ones that are under attack in the last few years. The atonement is being questioned and denied with increasing momentum. Besides Bakker, other notable people who question or deny the atonement these last 5 years have been people such as Reverend Jeffrey John, a Bishop of the Church of England, who called the doctrine “repulsive.” (Rev. John is gay, by the way).  Giles Fraser, a priest of the Church of England in London,  quickly followed up on John’s assertion by saying, “No, Jesus is not a blood sacrifice to appease a vicious God.”

On this side of the pond, in 2011 Rob Bell denied the atonement in his book “Love Wins,” itself a denial of hell. In case you are wont to say ‘Oh that’s just Rob Bell, some guy who doesn’t affect me,’ think again. Time magazine named him to its annual list of 100 most influential people in the world, after making him the cover story in April 2011. Bell founded Mars Hill church in Michigan and it was considered one of the fastest growing churches in America.

William P. Young denies the atonement. Who is he, you ask? He wrote “The Shack,” a book which spent two years on the NY Times bestseller list AND was given the Diamond Award of sales over 10 million copies by the Evangelical Christian Publisher’s Association!

Still think that the doctrine of the atonement is solid at your church? The influence of these men who deny it is pervasive. Did you read The Shack? You were affected by the denial of the atonement. Think on how many people you knew were reading it, offered it to you, or commented about how good it was. Another influence on denying the atonement. Think you’re unaffected by the likes of Bell or Bakker?  They have large congregations, who are media savvy and have or produce their own television shows. They spawn other men who become pastors. They have congregants who go out into the community and speak of the these ideas. They have members who move and take these ideas with them. They and their ideas are poison chaff, blowing in the wind and landing at your threshold.

Be warned: the doctrine of the atonement is being chipped away at from all compass points and no doubt in your sphere too.

Speaking of Bakker, he announced last week he is leaving Revolution Church NYC “to pursue other opportunities.” And in other exciting news, he wrote a book that is being published this week. He wrote on his website-

“In the coming months, after 6 years in Brooklyn, I will be moving to Minneapolis, Minnesota. I have some exciting opportunities there and decided it was time for a fresh start. … [Sad that after only 6 years he feels stale…] My co-pastor, Vince Anderson, will remain on staff in his role as pastoral care minister and will continue to serve as a resource to the online community. He will be meeting with the local members here in Brooklyn, to determine how they would like to proceed. We believe that this time of transition will make for a more dynamic Revolution Church, and will help us focus and expand our scope and mission. Through this time, we ask for your continued support. Donations can be sent to our Brooklyn office, or online through Paypal. To support Revolution Church click HERE. On another note, my new book, “Faith, Doubt and Other Lines I’ve Crossed” is now out.”

I’ll sum it up: ‘I am restless, bored, and moving on, need time to tour for my book and make merchandise of you, don’t worry, the online stuff is still there because we have diluted worship to the point where ‘connecting’ in Jesus’ name means ‘liking’ the podcast, and don’t forget to DONATE DONATE DONATE. See ya, bye.’

He is going to start a Revolution church in MN. In case you don’t think that Revolution church, with its gay marriage affirming, atonement denying, liberal teachings is a big deal, there is a Revolution Church in Tuscon, Long Beach, Wilmington NC, Gainesville GA, Atlanta GA, NYC, Canton GA, Oakland TN…and the list goes on.

Anyway, the cross. The cross is central. Stott wrote, “Yet the enemies of the Gospel neither did nor do share this perspective. There is no greater cleavage between faith and unbelief than in their respective attitudes to the cross. … Why do we ‘cling to the old rugged cross’ and insist on its centrality, refusing to let it be pushed to the circumference of our message? Why must we proclaim the scandalous, and glory in the shameful? The answer lies in the single word integrity.  Christian integrity consists partly in a resolve to unmask the caricatures, but mostly in a personal loyalty to Jesus in whose mind the saving cross was central.”

Are you loyal to Jesus? Then you are loyal to the cross. Stay that way.