Bad Shirt Designs = Heretical

Q: We've all seen them, some of even may have one and a lot of them are not very biblical. What are they?

A: "Christian" T-Shirts.

I admit it. I own several Christian themed T-Shirts, but when I purchase one I make sure that it does align with the Word of God and is not like the one's pictured below. It is a growing problem where every worldly thing must be twisted around to make a catchy phrase for a t-shirt. Seems like there is a verse about that... oh yeah James 4:4 does say of you are friends with the world then you are an enemy of God and Romans 12:2 says for us to not be conformed to this world but be transformed with the renewing of your mind to prove what is the good, acceptable and perfect will of God.

Don't get me wrong, there are some very wonderful, God edifying Christian items out there, it just so happens that the shirts pictured below are not in that category. In fact there is a website dedicated to some of the more questionable items called "A Little Leaven". I highly suggest checking it out and bookmarking it because they add new things constantly.

So, if you have any of these shirts I would say to toss them into the trash or use them to wash your car with. They are not sound theology and are nothing to base your beliefs on, but then again neither are a lot of so called Christian songs these days (blog in the works for that). Check them out, some of these designs are down right laughable, while others are down right heretical and blasphemous. Of course this is just a small sampling, if you want to see more just type "Christian Shirt" in the search box on ebay and set back and be amazed at what people are doing in the name of Christianity these day. Just shows you the state of the message of today's churches.




A beer logo? Come on!
A whiskey label? Whatsupwitdat?

Merry Christmas To You All

Luke 2:10-14 And the angel said unto them, Fear not: for, behold, I bring you good tidings of great joy, which shall be to all people. For unto you is born this day in the city of David a Saviour, which is Christ the Lord. And this shall be a sign unto you; Ye shall find the babe wrapped in swaddling clothes, lying in a manger. And suddenly there was with the angel a multitude of the heavenly host praising God, and saying, Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace, good will toward men.


Good Morning and Merry Christmas to you and yours.

As Christmas morning approaches each year and I see more and more of the secularizing of this great Holiday I am drawn more to what Christmas is all about. We are all aware that December 25th is not the actual birthday of Jesus. Science actually tells us it was probably mid-summer, but does the date really matter? Are we to be celebrating the "day" or are we to be celebrating the Love of God that would send us His Son, that would 33 years later take His wrath upon Him for our sins? Your sins, my sins. The significance of December 25th should be it is a common day that we, as Christians, set aside to do just that, Celebrate our Lord and Saviour.

But don't forget the reason for Christ's birth in your celebrations. What better day to share the message of Christ, His Gospel, to an unsaved family member or friend? As Christians we are ambassadors for Christ in every situation and especially at Christmas time, when most of the world uses it as an excuse to throw a party and tip back a few (probably more than a few) drinks and eat a whole bunch, we have the duty to proclaim the real Reason for the season. The reason is not to party, not to eat, not to give or receive Christmas gifts, but to celebrate The Gift, Christ.

You already have an opening to the evangelical conversation. "Merry Christmas!" is the ultimate "ice breaker" as Way of the Master puts it. It is an entry, a reason to spark a conversation about things Spiritual. Share your testimony of what Christs birth, His death and His resurrection means to you. Explain Christs propitiation for us. Explain repentance and the TRUTH of the Gospel Message. Do not let this Christmas pass without sharing the greatest Gift with someone you love.

Also keep in mind that not all that profess Christ are really His. Don't let Uncle Bubby tell you that he "took care of it a long time ago" or that he's "got his ticket" or "he said that prayer" or "walked the aisle" when he was a kid. If his fruits aren't in alignment with the Word of God, he is as lost as your Christmas turkey. Share with him the TRUTH of the Word, not what man has distorted to accommodate their sins. The Word is clear that if you are fiends of the World you are and enemy of God James 4:4. Treat the professing Christian the same as any other lost person, because they are lost too, much more deceived, but just as lost. Pray that the Spirit will give you the words to say and He will. Let His will be done this day. Share Him with those you love and if by the off chance everyone in your family is a truly born again Christian, stop by a gas station and share Christ with those poor people that have to spend their Christmas Day working.

May the Lord Bless you all this day and every day!
Merry Christmas!

Real Truth Matters

Hi everyone. I just wanted to let you all know about a great website to check out, Real Truth Matters. It is full of sermon downloads, manuscripts and regularly updated blogs from some really gifted people.

Please take the time to check it out and if you have a blog or web page of your own please put a link to it yourself. The weekly sermons are awesome. Pastor Michael Durham speaks the truth as revcealed in scripture and does not compromise.

Christmas Giveaway

Trevin over at Kingdom People has a great Christmas contest up. With it he is giving away his top 10 books of 2008 and an ESV Study Bible. Totalling $260 in value. Wow! Be sure to check it out!

Here are the books:
#1. THE REASON FOR GOD - Tim Keller
#2. CULTURE MAKING - Andy Crouch
#3. SURPRISED BY HOPE - N.T. Wright
#4. WHY WE’RE NOT EMERGENT - Kevin DeYoung & Ted Kluck
#5. HOW PEOPLE CHANGE - Timothy Lane & Paul David Tripp
#6. THE BIG PICTURE STORY BIBLE -David Helm & Gail Schoonmaker
#7. JESUS MADE IN AMERICA - Stephen Nichols
#8. RESIDENT ALIENS - Stanley Hauerwas & Will Willimon
#9. WORSHIP MATTERS - Bob Kauflin
#10. The Sermon on the Mount through the Centuries - Jeffrey Greenman, Timothy Larsen, and Stephen Spencer

A Dog By Any Other Name Is Still A Dog.

If I told you that I was a doctor and had a very successful practice would you believe me? Let’s say I even went to the hospital Monday through Friday each week, went into patients rooms and talked to them about what their ailments were. Would you believe me? If you know me, probably not. If you don’t know me you would probably want to see some proof, maybe my diploma or some other fruit of my many years of laboring in school. Let’s say then that you followed me around for a couple of days, just hanging out while I was in the hospital for a day or two. What you did see was me going into the rooms and talking with patients. But what if something was peculiarly missing? What if no one ever acknowledged me as a doctor, or I never read any charts, talked to the nurses about the patients or did any of the other things that the other doctors were doing? What if I actually just talked to the people superficially? Nothing about their ailments, nothing about their medications. Would you start to question my doctorate? Would you then ask for proof that I was actually what I was saying I was?

Switch scenarios. What if I talked about being a chef, how I spent years laboring in culinary school, training under the greatest chef’s of our current day. I ask you over one night and we have frozen pizza. I ask you over another time and we have cheeseburgers and fries. Our conversations would be about food and it’s preparation, not all the time but I would make it a point to work it in somehow. This goes on for a few years and I never fix anything remotely resembling a culinary masterpiece. Would you start to question my cheffness (I just made that word up)? Would you believe that I was still what I claimed to be?

A third scenario is of a police officer. Say that someone comes to your homes front door, knocks and introduces himself as a police officer. Would you ask for proof of this before trusting him into your home? Would you ask for his credentials? Badge, name, etc before allowing him into your home? What if this person did have a badge that resembled a real one and had on a uniform that didn't quite look like all of the other officers that you had seen before. Would you still take him at his word and superficial appearance? Would you prod further to see if he actually was what he said he was?

In all of these scenarios I would be claiming to be something that I obviously wasn’t. You would probably start to question me even, maybe even ask to see my diplomas or strongly suggest that I produce some kind of proof that I was a doctor or a culinary master chef. What if I even did things that were detrimental to both of those professions? Did things that would blatantly go against what a doctor would do or mess up boiling water?

Why would someone then take a person at their word as being a born again Christian if their lifestyle did not line up with what you knew a Christian is, biblically? This is a major problem in churches these days as thousands if not millions of professing Christians become members, even going on to be deacons and pastors. People take them at their word, even though their fruit doesn’t match up with what the bible say’s are the fruits of a follower of God. Can a true Christian live in sin? No. Does a true Christian plan their sins out in advance, in the name of grace? Does a true Christian think they have a ticket to heaven and are free to commit whatever they can because all they have to do is ask to be forgiven? Where do people get that crazy idea? Oh, yeah that’s right, it’s the false gospel that has permeated the church buildings for the past several decades.

Do you take someone at his or her word as being a Christian? I must say that I do initially, but when things start to not line up with what the Word says, then I start to question. If someone professes Christ, but blasphemes His name…. then I can say with almost 99.99% confidence that they are not truly converted. If someone says they are a Christian, but listen to music that is provocative, glorifies sin, defiles women or is out and out satanic and offer nothing but “It doesn’t affect me” then they have just admitted that the Spirit is not in harmony with their own spirit. Their conscious has been seared and they are living in self-deceit. What if a person is living with someone of the opposite sex and sees nothing wrong with it, even bragging that God put them together to live in sin? That they are a Christian because God is love and will forgive them on judgment day because He forgives every sin.

“So, Jeff. You sound awfully like a Pharisee right now. Passing judgment on peoples sins like that. You have no place to judge anyone. Judge not lest you be judged.”

All I have to say about that is you need to keep reading the bible, the same book and chapter, Matthew 7 and see that we are to judge by fruits, not cast pearls before swine or give to dogs what is Holy. Now, I’m sure it’s not just me reading it that way. In order to not cast pearls before pigs I have to what? Know that they are pigs. How do I do that? I judge to see that they are pigs, swine, hogs. I see that they are not sheep; I see that they are not Christians. How do I know that a dog is a dog? It’s obvious, they look like a dog, act like a dog and bark like a dog. A dog can be nothing but a dog.

Q: So what does a Christian look like?
A: A Christian, of course.

They follow the Word of God. They love the things of God. They abhor the things of this world. They love their brothers. They seek to become more like Christ and less like them. They search the scriptures. They love to interact with other Christians. They listen to edifying music. They get offended when someone uses the name of God in vain. Their spirit bares witness with The Spirit. In other words, they do what the bible says and still feel wretched in doing it, not worthy of any of the Grace that the Lord shows them.

What they do not do is use that Grace as a get out of hell free card. They do not blaspheme Gods Holy name. They do not listen to worldly music. They do not watch filthy TV shows or movies. They do not steal. They do not lie. They do not cheat on their wife.

So is a Christian sinless? No. We all sin, but the difference is the reaction to sin. A Christian will be sorry for their sins, will turn from them and strive not to sin. A Christian will not plan their sins out, but fall into sin. A Christian will not and can not use the Grace and Price of Christ’s sacrifice on the cross as a freebie to partake of this worlds lusts. If someone does, then they are in serious need of examination. If it is you, check yourself, Are you living for God or living for you? Are you doing things that are glorifying the Lord or satisfying your flesh?

To close, I am not saying that you are going to hell because you tell a lie, steal from your employer, listen to AC/DC, get drunk or cheat on your wife. What I am saying is that those things will be the evidence that you are going to hell, not the cause. Did I judge you? Yes. Did I judge you because I want you to go to hell? No. I wouldn’t wish hell upon the most evil person in the world. I want everyone to know Christ as a true follower of His. I pray that the Lord does a work so miraculous in your life that your drastic change in life will be evidence to those around you that you have been truly converted. And with time as you grow; your fruits will be evidence of your conversion. Not your words, not your profession of faith, but your lifestyle, your fruit production and your following in the path of Righteousness. May God do a work in your heart.

Office Christmas Parties and Professing Christians

Well, the Christmas season is upon us and with that comes the office Christmas parties. Some of these are good, some are bad and some are just downright ugly. Oh there is the other kind as well, the non-existent one. That’s the kind my job has, although they do give us an extended lunch period the day before Christmas Eve and we all bring something to eat, a pot-luck if you will. Don’t get me wrong, I am very appreciative of the extended lunchtime and most of the food brought is good.

A lot of office Christmas parties are nothing more than an excuse to have a party. By party I mean drinking alcohol. I attended my wife’s office party this past weekend and really felt like a outcast. I am by no means a conversationalist, especially with people I do not know and about things I do not have any desire to talk about. This night was a prime example of that. For those of you that think I'm quiet, you would have thought I was comatose had it not been for the occasional drink of the diet soda. The closest thing that even resembled a conversation I had was with someone that attends my former church (read my other blog entries to see the state of this church). I asked them how things were going there, with all the changes taking place, etc. I knew they would be very vague because they only graced the church with there presence every now and then.

I went into the evening with the desire to be a faithful witness and actually preach a little bit. Most of these people are professing Christians, but you would have had a hard time picking them out from the others. Drinking, cussing and talking about men (from the ladies) were the status quo of the night. I did pass out a few gospel tracts during the parade that was taking place outside before I partook of the hors devours and joined my wife upstairs at C.C. Cohen’s in downtown Paducah.

So why am I writing about this? I guess it’s to vent, somewhat. I have to continually remind myself “Sinners are going to be sinners. They are going to sin. They aren’t spiritual, the do not want anything to do with God”. It’s a really hard thing to do when they claim to be Christians. It is blasphemous to profess Christ and live like the world. I saw the real deal hypocrites in full force that night. Well, until the Christian doctor in the practice showed up and everyone seemed to change very quickly in what they were saying, what they were drinking, etc. Although when he and his wife did show up I felt a kinship for the first time that night.

As Christians we are supposed to distance ourselves from the worldly things. James 4:4 says that to be friends with this world is to be an enemy of God. Matt. 5:13-16 says that we are the salt and light of the world and we are to let our lights shine to glorify God. I know some will say “Well, you have to be out in the world to share the gospel.” And that is true, you have to spread the Word, but should you be doing so to people that are under the influence of alcohol? Not drunk, but “feeling good” as they call it. Matt 7:6 says that we are not to give that which is Holy to dogs or cast pearls before swine. Is this what that verse means? Not to spread the seed in places that are not tilled yet? But, maybe instead, do a little tilling, preparation for the sharing of the Gospel? In my experience, telling someone that is drunk about Christ would be like casting pearls before swine – they would not and could not appreciate what is being told to them, they would dismiss it as soon as you open your mouth.

That night I was out of my element. My element has been to be around mutually edifying brothers and sisters that love the things of God. We do go out and witness and yes, it is in areas that sinners frequent, but not in a bar, strip club or casino. There are obviously sinners at all of those places, but they are all one huge pigsty. The pearls of Truth would be trampled on in the mud of the flashing lights and cigarette smoke. I have heard of people saying that it is o.k. to go to a bar to witness. My question is – where do you draw the line on sinful places to go to for witnessing? Do you also go to the strip clubs? The casinos? How about the porn shops? Maybe just go into a Mormon Temple or Jehovah’s Witness church? Those places are houses for the demons and if you enter in one of them you better be prepared for spiritual warfare. But then again, maybe they are no worse than the majority of professing Christian churches out there as well, that have created their own god that allows them to frequent those kinds of establishments because they are living under grace and only have to ask to be forgiven. O how that makes my blood boil to hear someone say that.

This post has really gone on a different direction than planned, which often is the case with me. Eclectic at best, but prayerfully, informative and relatable. I guess I should really start using an outline and sticking to it. Nah!

Who Put The X In Christmas? A Poem By Me.

Every year I send out this poem that I wrote several years ago. It was probably 10+ years ago as I was driving around my hometown of Paducah and was noticed several marquees that had "Merry Xmas" and "Xmas Sale" on them. I was getting somewhat upset because, to me, this is blasphemous. You are replacing Christ with an X. The whole reason for Christmas is abbreviated out of convenience and it upsets me.

I have even had arguments online about this, once with a person that claimed to have been a biblical student. I can't remember if he said he was a pastor or had just studied Greek, in which his instructor had told them to abbreviate Christ as X in their notes and studies. This may be so, but in my neck of the woods it's just blatant blasphemy. Please don't ever abbreviate CHRISTmas.

Here is the poem I wrote. It was written before I was truly converted, but I suppose God was already working on me back then too.

Who Put the X in Christmas
Who put the X in Christmas ?
I ask myself today .
Who forgets the reason ,
And puts our Christ away ?
Who are the ignorant ones ,
That replace His name in vain ?
Each time I see the blasphemy ,
I hang my head in shame .
As I look upon my Christmas tree ,
And the star that's placed up high .
I think of what He gave for us ,
And for the ignorant my heart does cry .
It's been many , many years ago ,
But Christ will always be .
How great our God that gave His Son ,
That died on the cross for me .
Just one thing I'll say to you ,
And I think you will agree .
Without our Christ in Christmas ,
Just another day it would be .

So, have you experienced? What? You ask. I suppose it depends on which side of the charismatic line that was drawn you stand on. Do you believe that “experience” trumps scripture? Do you know that scripture is the litmus test for everything? Do you believe that speaking in tongues refers to speaking in an actual language or incomprehensible gibberish? Have you ever been “slain in the spirit”? Do you follow leaders such as Kenneth Copeland, Rodney Howard Brown or Benny Hinn? Do you test every spirit as required by 1 John 4:1?

I have always been fascinated by the “faith healers” that are on television. Even as a young child, when cable TV first came to Paducah KY and I got my first glimpse of Ernest Angley. He was quite peculiar to my brother and me. He was very different than the pastor at the church we attended. Our pastor never smacked anyone on the forehead or stuck his fingers in anyone’s ears and said they were healed of deafness. Angley was actually one of our favorite characters to imitate when we were playing. My brother would smack me across the forehead (probably just to inflict pain) and I’d fall back and act like I was healed of whatever ailment I professed. We didn’t know any better we were kids. What we did know is that something wasn’t quite right with what was being portrayed on “The Ernest Angley Hour”.

Fast forward several years to Peter Popoff and his miracle water and gloves or whatever he was peddling at the time. He had people throwing walkers into the air and old ladies jumping up from wheel chairs and doing a Luau. Yet again, I was awestruck at what this man was claiming; a few years older and still unconverted I knew this man was a fraud. Something was very similar to me between these 2 men. Maybe it was the theatrics, maybe it was the constant asking for money for healings and blessings.

Now that the Lord has chosen the convert my soul, He has also been glorious enough to open my eyes to a lot of things that do not stand up against scripture, one being these false prophets that claim “signs and wonders” take precedence over scripture. In other terms, it doesn’t matter that the bible says to test everything against scripture. The newest breeds of these false prophets claim to have regular meeting with Jesus, face to face. Claims of day trips to heaven are common as well as “miracle gold dust”, miracle gems, miraculous dental work and oil appearing from nowhere. All I can say is….. WOW! What is really troublesome are the countless thousands of people with itching ears that are sending their welfare checks to these men in hopes of healings or financial gains. I pray that these people will realize that these men (and women as well) are charlatans and are out for nothing but monetary gain and doing the devils work of deception and sending these people to an eternal hell.

One major question. Where is the Gospel? Why do these people say “Lord, Lord” and deny His Word? Why do they claim to do the Lords work in healing and casting out demons, but deny the power and never say anything about a repenting, saving faith in Christ? To me these false prophets are very obvious, but to countless thousands they are what they have been waiting for; someone to tell them what they want to hear, that they can be healed, that their marriage can be fixed or that their bad back can be mended and they’ll be doing cartwheels this very night. Why can people not see this? Why are these people looking for this type of message? I just speculate when I say selfishness, but it all points to that. People seem to have a “me” complex and want what is good for them only. But this “good for them” is usually heal my headache, heal my flat tire, make my bank account larger, fix my cars engine, let me win at bingo tonight, give me the winning lottery numbers. Nothing about healing ones sinful ways, giving them a heart of repentance, showing them how sinful they are and how in need of a savior they truly are.

I received and email today of one of these healing ministries setting up camp here in Paducah on Fridays starting this weekend. I am a skeptic at best, but I am at least not going to pass judgment without first testing the spirit in which this is being held in. I am skeptical because of the false prophets I mentioned earlier and really want to believe that people are not being deceived, but I will go into these meetings with a discerning eye and ear and will be testing what is taking place against scripture, not experience. It is being billed as “healing meetings” so it already has a mark against it. Why? Because they have already said God will be there and will be doing their bidding of healing. They have made a demand of the Lord and a promise that He will be there to do what they have planned. I just see a lot wrong with that. I never go anywhere knowing that the Spirit will show up, although that is what I pray for, that God will manifest Himself and His presence felt, but I never go into any place or any situation expecting Him to do anything. To do so is very arrogant and does make demands of God and I am just not going to do that and see it as wrong by those that do.

So what is my point in this rambling? It is to test everything against scripture. 1 John 4:1. We are even supposed to test ourselves 2 Cor. 13:5. That would be a good starting place for anyone that is reading this. Test where your faith lies, in God or in an experience, in a profession, in a pastors words. Has the Lord saved you from your sinfulness as well as hell? Do you still live a life that is sinful to God? Can you steal from your employer and it not phase you in the least? Paperclips may be cheap, but then it’s not the price of something that dictates the sin, it’s the motives. Do you lie on your taxes? Have you created a God in your own mind that you think turns his eyes from your blasphemy or your promiscuity? Do you hold a hatred for someone? If God has saved you, you will be changed. You will not continue on a path of sin to a fiery pit. God will finish His work in you and will not allow one of His to live a sinful, blasphemous existence. It is not possible. That is a starting point, once you have a saving faith in God and not anything else and then you can start to examine other things in light of scripture and Gods revelation in the Bible, not by experience that doesn’t align with His Word.