Tag Archives: church

Friday Proverb – Don’t be a Talebearer!

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Satan, and the media he controls, is the master talebearer.  It is he that inspires every bit of salacious gossip and slander in the world today.  He camps out in churches too – leading sheeple to verbally destroy their brethren with “something they’ve heard.”  It is sinful human nature to be attracted to darkness.  Talebearing is a slippery slope that is often looked-on as harmless, yet the ones who do it are caught in Satan’s sticky web of darkness.  The more they do it, the more they want to do it.  It is exceedingly sinful.  

Proverbs 11:13

 A talebearer revealeth secrets:

but he that is of a faithful spirit concealeth the matter.

Brothers and sisters – we have enough of our own sins to be concerned about.  Your church family’s, spouse’s and children’s sins should not be shared with others.  Not unless you want them talking about you to their friends!  We will reap what we sow, no matter what it is.  Lying, stealing, greed, and talebearing will all come back to us 10, 100, and even 1,000 fold. One of the reasons  FOX News is so incredibly popular is because of its gossipy nature.  On the website, it features un-newsworthy items such as “More Sex for Grilled Cheese,” or “Get the latest news on celebrity scandals!”  Yes, garbage like that is prominently featured, while zero attention is given to the church’s works of righteousness.  The reason News Corp does this, lies in the love of money.  As  stated before, sinful human nature is drawn to darkness.  Darkness makes money.  Oprah Winfrey’s wild success is proof positive of this.  Not only should we not bear tales ourselves – but we shouldn’t listen to it either! 

Do you really want to resemble the “father of lies” in any way?  When you do his work, he will not reward you – he will be your accuser!

Revelation 12:10

And I heard a loud voice saying in heaven, Now is come salvation, and strength, and the kingdom of our God, and the power of His Christ: for the accuser of our brethren is cast down, which accused them before our God day and night.

Don’t give him any ammunition to accuse you with! 

sage

For the Lord’s Day – Redeemed

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Redeemed, how I love to proclaim it!
Redeemed by the blood of the Lamb;
Redeemed through His infinite mercy,
His child and forever I am.

Refrain

Redeemed, redeemed,
Redeemed by the blood of the Lamb;
Redeemed, redeemed,
His child and forever I am.

Redeemed, and so happy in Jesus,
No language my rapture can tell;
I know that the light of His presence
With me doth continually dwell.

Refrain

I think of my blessèd Redeemer,
I think of Him all the day long:
I sing, for I cannot be silent;
His love is the theme of my song.

Refrain

I know there’s a crown that is waiting,
In yonder bright mansion for me,
And soon, with the spirits made perfect,
At home with the Lord I shall be.

Refrain

“Oh, what a happy child I am,

although I cannot see!

I am resolved that in this world,

contented I will be!”

Fanny Crosby, (March 24, 1820 – February 12, 1915)

1 Peter 1:18-19

18 Forasmuch as ye know that ye were not redeemed with corruptible things, as silver and gold, from your vain conversation received by tradition from your fathers;

19 But with the precious blood of Christ, as of a lamb without blemish and without spot:

sage

Friday Proverb – Pride is Followed by Shame

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Proverbs 11:2

2 When pride cometh, then cometh shame: 

It is a fact – the bigger they are – the harder they fall.  The Pharisee in the illustration was full of himself, totally unaware that he was doomed.  We also, as believers,  can  fall to this sort of pride.

One pastor of a large and beautiful  church, was a very confident man.  He had a beautiful family, and was well received by his congregation.  He was a learned man, and gifted teacher.   This continued on for some time, and his pride grew along with his successes.  One day, his teenaged daughter ran away from home.  They had no idea where she was.  Then his church began to splinter as he attempted to accommodate both progressives and conservatives within his congregation.  The “blended” church service ensued, which was followed by uprisings within the sheepfold.  Half the congregation left to join a contemporary worship church, while another half left to join a traditional church.  His church went bankrupt, whereupon  he was fired by the board.

How about us?  Are we foolish and prideful enough to think we can accommodate the world in our hearts?  The pastor in the story,  is the story of each and everyone of us.  He allowed his daughter to closely associate with worldly teenagers.  He allowed young and fleshly people to hold sway in his congregation.  We all try in varying degrees to accommodate the world.  Perhaps our teenaged daughter has not run away from home, but put in perspective – we all have our own kind of  “runaways,” don’t we?  Take your pick – job? marriage? favorite sin? addiction?   Do you know where they are?

but with the lowly is wisdom.

Daily, minute by minute, moment by moment, we must strive to keep the world, the flesh, and the devil under complete subjection.  Any compromise or accommodation will lead to our shame.  If we think we can master the devil without copious prayer and Bible study – we give the evil one mastery over us because we are accommodating him.  Don’t think for one second that you can outfox the fox on your own.  Humble yourself, and rely only on God’s wisdom and knowledge.  Never attempting  to put your own thinking or understanding into what you think God thinks.  The only wisdom in this world is in God’s Holy Word – the Bible.

sage

Friday Proverb – Warning Against Falsehood

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Last week the lesson from the Word was a cautionary against idleness.  Today, another warning – against falsehood – which is the sin most Christians overlook within themselves, while being quick to point it out in others. 

scheming

Proverbs 6:12-13

King James Version (KJV)

12 A naughty person, a wicked man, walketh with a froward mouth.

froward = habitually disposed to disobedience and opposition

13 He winketh with his eyes, he speaketh with his feet, he teacheth with his fingers;

gossiping

A direct gaze, without averting the eyes has long been considered a way of detecting honesty in a person.  The Proverb is saying here that  darting eyes, excessive blinking, and rapid hand gestures are all indicative of a dishonest person. 

14 Frowardness is in his heart, he deviseth mischief continually; he soweth discord.

Truly – this must be the greatest trouble in the Body of Christ.  It is tragic that so many false converts are within the fold – but it is a fact that must be faced.  How could anyone professing the Name of Christ be “devising mischief continually?”  The LORD sees everything – and those that do these things will not go unpunished.

15 Therefore shall his calamity come suddenly; suddenly shall he be broken without remedy.

While we may sometimes wonder how evil people seem to prosper – (how do they get away with it?) we can see from this Proverb that the judgement for these offenses will come as a shock to the unrepentant – and without a cure. 

calamity

2 Chronicles 36:16

King James Version (KJV)

But they mocked the messengers of God, and despised His words, and misused His prophets, until the wrath of the Lord arose against His people, till there was no remedy.

More Mealy Mouthed Pastoring

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Billy Graham’s grandson – Tullian Tchividjian – holds forth on what is wrong with America’s pulpits.  My summation of his cotton candy opinion?  Pastors are not being nurturing enough, and are too bogged down with politics!    All blue highlighting is mine . . .


Tullian Tchividjian Says Christian Brand Has Been Damaged by Evangelicals’ Association With Religious Right

By Michael Gryboski , Christian Post Reporter
December 30, 2014|2:48 pm
Tullian Tchividjian (Courtesy of Tullian Tchividjian)

The grandson of the Rev. Billy Graham commented Tuesday that he believes Evangelicals’ involvement in the conservative political movement “has done more damage to the brand of Christianity than just about anything else.”

Tullian Tchividjian, senior pastor at Coral Ridge Presbyterian Church in Fort Lauderdale, Florida, explained to co-hosts of the MSNBC program “Morning Joe” that American evangelicalism has been harmed by its association with conservative politics.

“Over the course of the last 20 or 30 years, evangelicalism, specifically their association with the religious right and conservative politics, has done more damage to the brand of Christianity than just about anything else,” Tchividjian asserted.

“That’s not to say that Christian people don’t have opinions on social issues and we shouldn’t speak those opinions, but Sunday morning from behind the pulpit is not the place,” he added.

Tchividjian also told those on the “Morning Joe” program that he feels his job, as a pastor, is to go beyond social issues and social solutions when preaching.

“It’s not so much religion in the public sphere as much as religion in the pulpit, behind the pulpit, that’s my primary concern,” Tchividjian continued. “As a preacher, my job when I stand up on Sunday mornings to preach, is not first and foremost to address social ills or social problems or try to find social solutions. My job is to diagnose people’s problems and then announce God’s solution to their problems.”

Tchividjian was on the program to talk about his soon-to-be released devotional, It Is Finished: 365 Days of Good News.

Slated for purchase on New Year’s Day and published by David C. Cook, the book is a daily devotional centered on the Good News of God’s love.

“God’s radical grace is unbelievable, unexplainable, and definitely undeserved. But it’s the foundation of our faith. In this new 365-day devotional, Tchividjian reminds you every day that the Gospel is good news,” noted its Amazon description.

“It’s God’s message that He loves us even when we don’t deserve it. These short readings each contain a truth from God’s Word that will set you on a solid foundation for the day — a foundation of God’s grace, goodness, and unconditional love.”

In discussing the devotional with the “Morning Joe” co-hosts, Tchividjian said the book, It Is Finished, is comprised of “365 days of short readings.”

“I am really trying to help people know that all of the meaning, all of the worth, all of the value, all of the significance that we long for and that we look for, we already have because of what God has done for us,” Tchividjian explained in response to a question posed to him about New Year’s resolutions.

Well, he’s trying to sell a book of “short readings” here.  Too bad he not once mentioned getting his sheeple back to the Word of God!  Must be all that hair gel addling his brains. . .  almost seems like the goo has seeped in. . .

Yet another winning entry into the Halls of Cotton Candy Christianity!

Infiltration vs. Separation

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The Laodicean Church in the last half of the 20th century can be defined in one term – New Evangelicalism (or neo-Evangelicalism.)  It began within Fundamentalism itself, in the 1940′s, and has proven to be Satan’s strongest weapon  in defiling the church – bringing it from the Philadelphia Church Age, 1700-1900, when this country was founded – to a fully lukewarm, weak and ineffectual body.

The term “New Evangelical” was coined by Harold Ockenga, pastor of The Park Street Church in Boston, Massachusetts.  In a news release, dated Dec. 8, 1957, Ockenga stated:

The New Evangelicalism has changed its strategy from one of separation to one of infiltration. 

Ockenga believed that separation was outdated, and no longer useful in Christianity – despite the Biblical mandate for Christians to avoid being unequally yoked.  Like a giant snowball – the movement gained momentum – and doctrine after doctrine was cast aside for what was deemed to be appropriate for the times. 

Beck II

Here you see Evangelical John Hagee in the center, with Mormon Glen Beck on the left, and Patriot David Barton on the right.  This performance is done under the auspices of patriotism, but anyone who seriously studies the Bible knows what it is.  And we can’t exactly give it a pass under the domain of political expediency, as John Hagee is neither a politician nor a news pundit. 

Mixing solid Biblical belief,  with cults and liberality equals one very  lukewarm church.  This tepid soup, has given birth to spiritual poverty, apathy, and utter blindness.  The old Jesuit philosophy – “The ends justifies the means” – has brought Romanism right-smack-dab into the middle of the church in the form of  “Evangelical ecumenism,” a phrase coined by Billy Graham, wherein he became the “spokesman of the convictions and ideals,” of the New Evangelist.  Here is Graham in an interview with Larry King regarding the passing of Pope John Paul II:

KING: You said that he was an Evangelist.

GRAHAM: He was, indeed. He traveled throughout the world to bring his Christian message to the world. And we see tonight the outpouring from the world that he touched. And I think he touched almost everybody in the whole world.

Read cbn.com article here. 

When I see Glen Beck speaking of Joseph Smith, while on stage with Evangelical Sarah Palin during a rally – I point it out to whomever I can.  Would you like to know what response I receive?    “That’s not so bad.  They’re trying to take back this country! You’re being too judgmental!” 

The hallmarks of New Evangelicalism:

  1. Liberals and cultists are included in prayer, crusades, committees, and given equal recognition as  Christian leaders.
  2. Believes it is appropriate to join forces to reach souls for Christ – “The ends justifies the means.”
  3. Remains in liberal churches and organizations, like a mega or Purpose Driven Church, or the Masonic Lodge.  Infiltration is better than separation.
  4. Conforms to the world’s thoughts and preferences.
  5. Questions the authority of Scripture and accommodates evolutionary theory by co-opting it into the Book of Genesis.

And just as Billy Graham received great “puff” press support from William Randolph Hurst in the 40′s and 50′s, so today, does Rick Warren receive the same support from Rupert Murdoch and his powerful news agencies.  Living along side and cozying up to evil has served us the same as it served ancient Israel.   When they did not eradicate the Canaanites remaining the land – they became just like the nations that were before them. They intermarried, joined in ventures, and worshiped their gods. 

Quote of the Day: “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.” – Rick Warren in a speech to Muslims. 

We do not need to be “like” the world to “win” the world!  Our greatest and only tool is the Word of God.  Period.  Just as our Savior responded to the devil – every time  – with the Word of God.  

2 Corinthians 6:14-15

14 Be ye not unequally yoked together with unbelievers: for what fellowship hath righteousness with unrighteousness? and what communion hath light with darkness?

15 And what concord hath Christ with Belial? or what part hath he that believeth with an infidel?

Study of the Church – Part 3

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Thus far our study of the church has explored that the church is called a:

  • Mystery (Eph. 3:3-10)
  • Body (1 Cor. 12:12-31)
  • Building (Eph. 2:10-22)
  • Bride (2 Cor. 11:2)

It has also been established that the Lord Jesus Christ is the Foundation and Head of both the local church and the universal church.  Today we discuss church organization.  There is Scriptural evidence of some organization in the local church from its very inception.  Indeed – it was a defined and permanent congregation – but not as we know it today. 

THE LOCAL CHURCH IS A MICROCOSM OF THE COMPLETE BODY OF CHRIST IN HEAVEN AND EARTH

Most of the over 100 references to “church” in the New Testament refer to the local church.

Church officers:  

  • “Apostles” – The 12 – There are NO apostles in the church today.
  • “Prophets” – There are NO prophets now, and have not been since the last book of the New Testament was written.
  • “Evangelists” – Evangelists will serve the church until Jesus comes again – they are ministers at large. (2 Tim. 4-5)
  • “Pastors, Teachers and Deacons” – Pastors, teachers, (Eph. 4:11-12) and deacons, (1 Tim: 3:8-11) are local ministers.

Membership Records:

  • The Book of Acts tells of us that there were about 120 in the Upper Room (Acts 1:15-26) and resembles very much a local church business meeting with Simon Peter as the Pastor.  It is here that he leads in choosing one to replace Judas with Matthias by drawing lots. 
  • At Pentecost about 3,000 were added to their numbers by Holy Spirit Baptism (1 Cor. 12:13) followed by water baptism for the local Jerusalem church (Acts 2:41.)
  • About 5,000 were added (Acts 4:4)

Please notice that the above Scriptures state that the numbers were “about,” indicating that they were not striving as many churches do, to achieve a certain number of members in their congregations.  This is a serious problem in many churches, as pastors covet large flocks.  This coveting is often, but not always, fiscally based – frequently  it is very much ego-driven.

ACTS 2:47

Praising God, and having favour with all the people. And the Lord added to the church daily such as should be saved.

Church ordinances:

  • Baptism – There are two Baptisms – Holy Spirit Baptism, (Acts 1:5)  being absolutely necessary for salvation, and the other, Believer’s Baptism, an important and profound symbol of the Gospel (Acts 2:41, 47)  It is important to recognize that water Baptism must come after Holy Spirit Baptism – or else it is meaningless.  In essence – it is like washing a burned, filthy, encrusted, rusted, and pitted pot with water, when it is truly unsalvageable.  Water Baptism identifies the believer with Christ in His death, burial, and resurrection. 
  • The Lord’s Supper – The Lord’s Supper is commemorative of His broken body and shed blood for the remission of our sins.  The Lord’s Supper is restricted to those who are born again or Spirit baptized (1 Cor. 10:16-17.)  It is also restricted to those who are in right fellowship with the Lord, striving to walk with Him and making full confession before partaking in the ordinance.  (1 Cor. 11: 17-30.) 
660b1-sheep-with-shepherd

TITUS 1:5 

For this cause left I thee in Crete, that thou shouldest set in order the things that are wanting, and ordain elders in every city, as I had appointed thee: