To The Breaking Point

I've seen it firsthand. Actually I am seeing it more readily now. The bending of morality to the point of breaking. Once a person's morals are weakened then it makes it easier for them to bend and break in other areas. So, what is the reason for this? Let's explore it together.

Any number of "bendings" may start the slide down the slippery slope, which is then followed by any other "bending". All are rooted in either personal gratification or an skewed view of humanity and the Aleister Crowley view of "Do what thou wilt shall be the whole of the law". In other words, "If it feels good to you then no one else can say anything about it". You may also have heard this, seemingly harmless, put as "Live and let live". It does sound quite cushy and respective of others, but it can and is very damaging. Of course, this way of thinking is built around the post-modern thinks of "all truths are valid", which is self-contradictory and refutes itself in those 4 words.

Truth is a "static" thing; it doesn't move, it doesn't waver and it is fixed. Nothing can change a truth, nothing can prove a truth incorrect or invalid. Some people today would have you believe that "truth" is whatever you perceive as reality. This could go as far as saying 2+2=5 can be correct to you. Of course, anyone with a 1st grade education knows that 2+2=4 and that there is no wavering and no other correct answer. In that same vein, we know that reproduction of life is by one male and one female, that is a law of nature. Some would have you believe that it is perfectly "natural" for those of the same sex to have "relations" and to have the same relationship that heterosexuals do. In scripture it is called sin and an abomination to God, since He created man and woman to be one, not a perversion for sexual desires between same sex people. But some, even some that call themselves Christians, would say that the Word of God is incorrect, even try to make a mockery of God's Word by pulling in archaic verses out of context while saying, "If you think being gay is a sin, then so is eating shrimp or cutting your hair". Of course this is proof that this person doesn't know the Word of God and that they hold human desires above scripture. This is a very dangerous place to be for a person. It would be better if that person would just deny being a Christian, as their portrayal of being a follower of Jesus is actually blasphemous when they try to speak contrary to the Word of God.

So, the perception that lying is normal is one of the things that some people bend on. Others may be drunkenness, drugs, theft, hatred, gambling, sex outside of marriage, speeding, slothfulness, abortion and any number of other things that go against the Truths of God. Once you have bent and broken one, it is not hard to bend and break another, then another, then another and then end up in the mind state of "Live and let live. To each his own. Who am I to say something is wrong?" That is exactly why we, as the human race, need a solid foundation in which to put our trust - Jesus Christ.

God is unchanging (Malachi 3:6, James 1:17, Hebrews 13:8), very unlike our human existence. Look at the rise and fall of societies, look at the short life of the U.S.A. for example. See how morality has declined in just the past 40 years. This may be due to the lack of reverence for God or the lack of reverence may just be an evidence of the human quest for independence from God, the view that "we" are god and "we" choose our path. Thing is that "path" is a path to destruction without God. Wavering on just one single fact that is plainly laid out in scripture will always lead to other errors. Laying aside known Truth will always end in destruction, which is where our country and our world is headed.

In 1973 Roe V Wade set the path for infanticide, which  has now led to a President and government that wants to force Christians to pay for this murdering of babies. This one court case, set into motion a series of events, a decline over 40 years that has culminated in 1.5 million baby murders per year, in the U.S.A alone. Our government not only allows these murders, but they promote and provide these murders.  Show me in scripture where killing babies is a "good thing". Show me where telling a lie is acceptable or there is room given to make excuses for telling a lie to try and change the outcome of something. Where in the Bible does it say that "all truths are valid"? None of that is in there and Scripture condemns all of that. So we can only conclude that anyone who promotes the things that God condemns cannot be a Christian at all, they are trying to make a mockery of God and His Word.

The breaking point is always within our reach. This is why we must always rely on and go to God's Word for EVERYTHING. While it may not lay out, in detail, the particular issues you may be facing, the principles are there. Do not try to bend God's Word to fit your stinkin' thinkin'. Turn your heart to the Word and allow your mind to be transformed by the Word

Romans 12:2

And do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind, that you may prove what is that good and acceptable and perfect will of God.

Altar-ed Call

I've set through a lot of altar calls in my life. Some of these altar calls were bad, in the baddest sense, others were worse, but none worse than the one I set through last night. It was actually three altar calls strung together over about an hour and a half.

Being raised in a typical “American church” I grew up with altar calls after every service. It was just how the service progressed: Singing, prayer, preaching, altar call with soft music, proclamations of salvation, leave. Of course, I use the “preaching” and the “prayer” in loose terms as they were both usually man-centered. But hey, it's all I knew as a child and I was a fine product of the “modern gospel” for 30 years, believing I was saved because of an altar call. I was “held over hell on a corn stalk” being told how terrible hell was, literally having the hell scared out of me and driving me right to the altar to say the prayer. It was just “how it was” and that's all I knew.

Thirty years later, when I actually had an encounter with God He began to show me things. I had returned to the church of my youth and had heard the same messages, seen the same methods, witnessed the same results. People flocked to the altars to “get saved” or “rededicate” their lives to Christ. The altar call trip when I was 8 was my only one, but I would say 50% of the other altar calls I set through I was praying that prayer all over again. As a mater of fact my prayer before going to bed each night usually had some form of, “God, if I'm not really saved, please forgive me and don't send me to hell”.

The extended altar call last night really struck bad to me. I had just enjoyed a great concert from a Christian band that I really like. I made my way to the merch table to pick up a t-shirt and have the band sign my CD cover before I left. The guest “evangelist” began to speak and they shut down everything, no sales, everyone stop and pay attention. I was told that, “We can't sell anything now, this is why we put this on tonight, right here”, with a head nod to the stage area. The “evangelist” started out making fun of how a few girls had laughed at other events that he had been a part of. I would say that if any of those girls had been there they would not have been very flattered by the words he was saying. He was after laughs and he received laughs. I guess this was his ice breaker routine to grab attention of everyone. It worked, because my attention was fixed on him, wondering why he would be squandering this opportunity to share Christ with the crowd before him. He did speak a little about the bible, told how God's sheep hear His voice and then the altar call commenced.

“Do you want to hear God's voice?”

“Do you want to go to heaven when you die?”

That's about it in several different forms. By this time a brief shower had started falling, so he was rushing to get to the altar call and rushing, somewhat to get to “the prayer”. He asked everyone to bow their heads, raise their hand if they wanted to be able to hear God's voice an commenced the text book “sinner's prayer”. He then did the next thing in the “Altar Calls 101” play book and asked those that said the prayer to stand up, “nobody's looking” after all. Then after a few had made it to their feet began to tell them, “OK, now don't be ashamed, come on forward.” Typical psychological manipulation. I would guess that about 35 kids went forward and were passed off to the events counselors at the side of the stage.

The rain had stopped, so the second altar call commenced. This time it was geared at those that “have heard God's voice, but now listen to the voice of the world instead”. He was giving the altar call for people to rededicate their lives. This was filled with a story about scaring girls when he was younger and was played into “don't be scared to live for God”. Not much of a reaction to this part of his extended altar call. He ended it with “prayer” and handed the mic to the promoter.

I was ready to buy my t-shirt and hit the road for the hour drive back home. But, alas, the promoter must not have thought that the second altar call was good enough. He began with the same “don't be scared” ploy. This was followed by “we have to do....”, “why aren't you.....” and “If you don't.....”. This man was filling these people's heads with works and trying to lay guilt trips on everyone. At one point he said, “If you are not out evangelizing then you are sending people to hell”. My head was about to explode because I had yet to hear anything, in the three altar calls, about God's holiness, God's requirements, man's sinfulness and rebellion, Christ's perfect atonement, the blood of Christ that takes away all of our sins, the grace of God in even allowing us to have a breath because of our rebellion. Nothing. Nada. Zilch. No Gospel. No call to repentance. Nothing of the true Gospel whatsoever. Only a emotional call and guilt trip to garner decisions. I prayed during all of this that God would save despite the false message. He saved me despite the false teachings I was sitting under, so I know He does it.

If I were a confrontational person I would have been in a serious discussion with the promoter and staff last night. If there ever was a time I wanted to confront someone it was last night. It was probably for the best that I did, at that time, not say anything. But, I will probably say something if I ever happen to be at another event that this guy puts on. I know that this false gospel is sending millions to hell. I also think that most of these people mean well, but also that the “road to hell is paved with good intentions”. Unless someone repents and is born again they will not see the Kingdom of Heaven. Jesus made it clear that you must follow Him, lay everything aside, even the love for your family is to seem like hate in comparison for your love for Him. The easy believism that permeates most “churches” and “Christian” events must be addressed and must be stopped. Then again, this may just be part of the judgment of God, giving man over to their own self centered desires and works mentality, trusting in themselves for salvation and not on Christ.

We must stand on the Word of God alone. We must not water down the Message of Christ. We must not tickle the ears of others and tell them what they want to hear in order to get them to commit to a decision. We must not play people's emotions and instead preach the full council of God and allow the Holy Spirit to work in convicting them, God made it simple enough to trust in Him. Sell it all and follow Him. Do not give regard for the things of this life, but instead have the mind of a pilgrim, just passing through, making disciples, pointing to Christ in all that we do, exalting His Name, preaching the Gospel in season and out of season. Proclaiming The good News to this lost and dying world. Are you ready? Then Go!  

Lifeway Did What? Again?

Day 256 in my "Year In My Life Through Pictures" blog series

The latest Lifeway catalog graced our mailbox today. Flipping through the pages I saw the "normal" offerings from their catalogs - Study bibles at a discounted price, small/ personal size bibles for $5, "Christian" romance novels, overpriced gifts, overpriced CDs and overpriced DVDs. Then the last 2 pages struck my curiosity. It was their Easter items.

Some of the items for Easter offered were "Resurrection Eggs", "Jesus Promise Seeds" and "The Jellybean Prayer Bottle". I guess this is what Christianity and Easter have devolved into, cheap marketing ploys to sell candy and plastic colored eggs. If the actual products weren't offensive enough, the descriptions really put it into perspective. Example: Resurrection Eggs - "Crack open the glory of Jesus' resurrection this Easter". Say what? This company that makes these products have reduced the Resurrection of Christ into a plastic egg? And Lifeway proudly sales them? Really? Really!?

I know that Lifeway is a business and in it to make money, but come on already. Step up to the plate and cut these distasteful and borderline blasphemous products out of the catalog and off of the store shelves. Then again, what would one expect from a chain of "Christian" stores that also proudly sells heretical books by Rob Bell, Brian McLaren, Donald Miller and the ever so popular "The Shack"? A caveat about these books: Lifeway for a while had disclaimers with notices about the content of these books, that they did not mesh with Biblical and Historical Christianity. This changed late last year as Lifeway decided to remove the notices, but left the books on the shelves. This made me want to yell. Loudly.

So, what is the Christian buying public supposed to do? Especially when most, if not all, of the other "Christian" book stores sell the same types of items without reservations? Where are Christians supposed to get actual God glorifying materials and gifts? That's not a rhetorical question, I'd really like to know, because I will start shopping there immediately. I am about 75% there in making a decision to personally boycott Lifeway and the other stores that sell the junk I mentioned. I have contacted Lifeway before with concerns about products they carry and got a form letter back pretty much brushing me off. I really think a boycott may be in order to raise awareness of the things that Lifeway sells in their stores. Starting with the new Rob Bell book, "Love Wins" in which he openly states he is a heretic. (I have not actually seen this on the shelf at Lifeway yet. Making an assumption based on their carrying his previous offerings and Nooma videos)

I'll jump off of my soapbox for now. I just grow increasingly angry about these companies, authors and people that continually and increasingly try to drag the Name of Jesus through the wringer to make a buck. My God's Name is to be revered, not placed on a bag of Jellybeans as a marketing ploy to Christians.

Are you with me? Are you ready to stand strong and voice your disdain against items and stores that pander goods that demean our Lord?

Sowing Seeds Of Contempt

Day 246 in my "Year In My Life Through Pictures" blog series.

We had planned to go to the Metropolis Comic Book Show today and I just knew that my post today would include that somehow. Wrong. We did attend the show and I did take some pictures. I even captured on of the guy that played Jason in the first Friday the 13th movie. Not the big hulking guy with the hockey mask, the young guy that jumped out of the water at the end. Seems he is still making a living off of that role 30 years after the movie was released.

My picture today comes from the local Lifeway Christian book store. On the heels of removing the warnings to books like "Blue Like Jazz", "The Shack" and "Velvet Elvis" comes this fine specimen of less than God honoring trinketry. It is a small shovel with a small paper cloth with seeds embedded in it. The verse that is included on the card is part of the parable of the soil types in Luke 8. Verse 8 in particular, "But others fell on good ground and yielded a crop: some a hundredfold, some sixty, some thirty", even though I am not sure which translation they quoted from on the card. I looked through all of the ones at Bible Gateway and found not a translation that said, "But sown on good ground are those who hear the Word...". I did find the manufacturers website (CTA Inc.), but they do not have these exact seed cross packages pictured.

These are the types of products that do not show the reverence required of the gospel, of Christ, His people and of the cross of Calvary. It is a lame tempt of marketing to invoke the cross that Jesus bore our sins on as a seed holder, then use the words of Christ in the parable of the soil types to vindicate selling seeds in a Christian store. Using scripture out of context as a marketing tool is just plain wrong, whether it is on a seed packet or on a t-shirt. It is twisting scripture to mean something not intended, which is not a very good thing to do.

I'd just like to know when this kind of junk became considered acceptable in the Christian community. I'm sure many will say, "Lighten up Jeff, it's just a seed packet". That it may be, but then why use something as Holy as the cross and the Words of Christ to pander your goods? It is an attempt to use the things of God as a marketing tool.

I am sure there are some well intentioned folks doing this too. I don't think they have meeting coming up with blatantly blasphemous items. I think it is not a proper understanding of who God is and what God expects. People just seem to not have any discernment these days in so many areas of life. "Christian" companies market their wares and the public gobbles them up. So many of the t-shirts and other products today really border on heresy or just downright bad taste. I wrote a blog post a few years ago about some of the heretical shirt designs on the market then. Guess what. They have not gotten any better and are actually slipping further down the slope.

Those that are truly children of God need to take note and take a stand against these things. We need to stand firm and call these trinkets, shirts, necklaces, hats, bumper stickers, seed packets and everything else what they are - Blasphemy. Sure, I may ruffle some feathers and I'm sure some will say, "Stop living in the 50's Jeff". But, believe it or not, I do own some tasteful t-shirts and have a sticker on my car that do not blaspheme God or His Word.

Just seriously think about something before you buy it. Just because it's in Lifeway doesn't mean it is a good product to buy. I refer back to the books I mentioned that the warning were removed from. Lifeway deemed the warnings to be un-needed instead of removing the books from their shelves. Anything that is questionable definitely does not need to be in a Christian book store. But, then again, Lifeway is a business, just as the traders were in the Temple when Jesus did a little house cleaning.

Blasphemy For Sale

Day 216 in my "Year In My Life Through Pictures" series

Blasphemy takes many forms these days. A lot of people think it is just the more known terms that conjure up ones definition of blasphemy, but there are many that people do not think twice about.

I wrote a post back in June of 2008 that dealt with some of the more common occurrences of blasphemy. One of the terms I mentioned was "OMG". This is a really common thing to say, put in your status on Facebook or text to a friend. But, it is blasphemy through and through. I do hear a lot of professing Christians say, "Oh, I mean it as oh my GOSH". Really? Does everyone that reads your status take it that way? Just because you have talked yourself into being okay with it doesn't mean that it is okay to say it (or type it). Why not just say something like, uh, "WOW"?

One of the largest forms of blasphemy, at least in the United Sates, is someone that calls their-self a Christian and they aren't. This is very serious and really grates on my nerves to hear someone say they are a follower of Christ, but yet are living in sin. Choose the sin to insert here, but any blatant sin that they are unrepentant over. A lot come to my mind and I am sure a lot come to yours as well. How can someone that says Jesus is Lord (Romans 10:9), but yet still live in complete control of their life be a child of God?

I am in the middle of reading John MacArthur's newest book, "Slave" and am getting a much better understanding what a Christian is in the sense of the wording in scripture of our relationship to God. I would highly recommend this book to anyone that professes to be Christ's follower, whether you think you have it all correct or not. I thought I knew what doulos meant, but MacArthur really opens it up so that the reader knows the true relationship we have as "bondservants" of Christ, as many translations put it. Basically, anytime you see the term "bondservant" you should replace it with slave.

A little off track, but I wanted to show what a true follower of Christ was/ is and how if so a slave to Christ would not be able to blaspheme His Name while living in sin. I really think that any true child of the Living God could not blaspheme God. It's not possible. Ever. See, someone that has truly been born of the Spirit is changed and knows the sacrifice of Christ. They cannot hold His Name in contempt because of all that has been given to them. How could a person dead in sin be resurrected to life in God and then live like they did before their "conversion"? They can't, because the Jesus they "accepted" was false. They were told about a different god that does not demand holiness and is okay with them staying in their sin. Heresy it is.

If you profess Christ I implore you to examine yourself to see that you are in the faith, examine yourself 2 Cor 13:5. Look at what motivates your heart to either rejoice in the Lord or rejoice in yourself. Look at where your time is spent and see if you have idols in your life. If so, repent and turn to Christ in faith. Toss every idol out of your life and flee them all and run to Him.

Day 149: What Are The Kids Consuming These Days?

What are kids consuming these days indeed. Not the liquid or chemical consumption, but the entertainment kind of consumption. Since most children look to their parents for money, through chores or just money given, I would say that the parents are either oblivious to what their kids are buying with that money or they just don't care.

The picture shows the shelves prominently on display in the Barnes and Noble bookstore in the Cape Girardeau mall. Today was a day trip for us to get out of town for some different scenery. This whole line of shelving was labeled as "Teen Bestsellers" next to the "Top Teen Picks" followed with "Teen Paranormal Romance". Looking at the titles throughout this line of shelving you cannot see the difference from each shelf marker's content. All were "paranormal" in nature, most being occultist. Take a look at the Barnes and Noble Teen Section of their website to see some of the titles lining their shelves.

I am fairly certain that the genre exploded with the success of the Twilight series. Now everyone is trying to cash in on the current wave of books. To non-Christians this is par for the course, take something that is evil and anti-Christ in nature and exploit it. What is really surprising is that a lot of professing Christian parents find nothing wrong with these books or their topics. There are even "Christian Vampire Romance" novels being released. My question to that is "WHY?" Why do people feel the need to equate evil with Christianity? It is unneeded and actually damaging and misleading those of lesser faith.

Where is the line drawn on such things? What topics and genres are unacceptable to be called Christian? We already have subsets "horror" in the fiction aisles, now there will be appearing the "Teen Paranormal" in your local Lifeway Store (if it's not already there). Will the line keep moving until it encompasses "Christian Porn"? How about "Christian Murder" novels? What is the exact point that becoming like the world is the tie severed? If "Christian Vampire" were not bad enough and not causing some issues and concerns to be raised.

These types of fiction are, to the discerning, blatantly anti-Christian. What is more of concern are the books that have a widespread appeal in the Christian bookstores. Books like "The Shack" that gain a following even though they are far from theologically sound, actually blasphemous. Professing Christians gobble this junk up like a Thanksgiving turkey, pandering to their "ideas" of who God is. The ideas presented in the Shack are passed off as "it's just fiction", but whenever God is the subject the fiction better be accurate. God is reduced to 3 less than perfect people, as the Father is portrayed as a older, overweight black woman. Why? To scratch some ears? I'd say more to lead to and in deception.

Satan knows what he is doing. He is taking God and Christianity, using the little that is known by most of the population (yes, even professing Christians) and twisting and distorting those principles and terms into right out blasphemy. These products are then gobbled up by those that have little, if any, true beliefs that are biblical or Christian at all. That is why when someone speaks out against this heresy and blasphemy they are the ones that get slammed and not the books and other things in question. The other things include TV shows, movies and a large portion of "Contemporary Christian Music".

When are the true Christians going to take a stand for God? Being silent is actually condoning what these people are doing. Would you remain silent if someone was lying about your spouse or cursing them? What about your Mom? Would you allow a novel to be written about her that was 180 degrees the opposite of her nature? Of course not. Then why would you about your God? Why would you endorse a song as "Christian" because it has the name of Jesus in the title? Kanye West had a hit titled "Jesus Walks" and everyone just accepts that West is a Christian, even though that song and all of his others, his lifestyle and his language says otherwise. There are others that profess Christ throughout every genre of music that live contrary to what scripture says a Christian will live. But forbid anyone say they aren't a Christian or they will be blasted and called a Pharisee.

I'd like to call all true Christians to wake up and take a stand. Rid your homes of junk that professes to be Christian and is not. Take the copies of "The Message" bible and chuck it out, take your copy of the Shack and toss it in the trash. Take your Kerie Underwood CDs and break them in half. Get your U2 CDs and albums and toss them out. True Christians do not need this junk in their lives and actually should be speaking out against it all. Do not be friends with this worldly junk. It causes confusion within the body and to those that may be young in their faith or just starting to explore who Christ is. Do not let these types of things confuse and grab hold to those that have little or no discernment. Tell them to steer clear or you will be held accountable for not telling them.

Stay true to the Word and to God. Flee the evilness of this day and cut the things that are of the world from your life. Ask God to search your heart and show you the things that need to be tossed. If you are a true child of God His Spirit will bare truth to your spirit. You will get convicted of having sinful things that hang on in your life.

I will leave you with a telling verse from Proverbs. Are you either of these people?

Proverbs 17:15 He who justifies the wicked and he who condemns the righteous are both alike an abomination to the LORD.

Is The UFC Good For Christians?

So this evening I see a local "pastor" post about people from his "church" having fellowships centered around the UFC 116 Pay Per view. For those not in the know, UFC stands for "Ultimate Fighting Championship". The men that take part in these events set out to pummel their opponent into submission, unconsciousness or inability to carry on with the fight. The scenes of the gatherings that take place for these fights are typically filled with the normal testosterone flow of yelling, screaming, alcohol consumption and even the occasional fight breaking out as the watchers of the event are worked into emotional frenzies as their minds try to process the amount of bloody violence they are consuming. Not to mention the thinly clad ring girls that get just as many hoops and hollers that the fight gets.

So why is a "pastor" endorsing these events? I have no idea. These types of events are nothing more than modern day coliseum events pitting two gladiators against each other. The only slight difference is the halting of the fighting before death is reached for the lesser of the combatants. The way these athletes engage during the fights could lead to, as they keep pummeling away sometimes until they are pulled from their prey.

This most violent of spectator events has gained popularity over recent years. I assume that to stay relevant to their lost congregations these "pastors" must be lenient to what they deem as wrong. Of course those that do endorse such bloodsport are probably not converted either, so this does not really come as a big surprise. I think the relevance factor shows through on this and all of the other things these "pastors" do to draw interest to their "church". They use worldly means to gain a worldly congregation and then have to continue to use those worldly ways and means to keep their flock of goats entertained.


Relevance also shined through while my family was having dinner at a local restaurant last night. Another of these "pastors" of a different local "church" was sitting at the table beside ours. Not that I was eavesdropping, but I could hear their conversation if I tuned my ears their way. I never heard one mention of God between this "pastor, his wife and the couple that was with them. Their topic of conversation was action movies and their actors and the ungodly movie they were going to see after dinner. No wonder their flock stray from the Word, because their leader is just as deceived as they are.

So is it wrong for me to say they are wrong? I think not as pastors and leaders are held to a higher degree that "regular" people. These leaders should not be doing anything to cause others to stumble and promoting and condoning UFC and filthy movies is doing just that. I wonder how they determine where the line is drawn for what is wrong and what isn't. If beating someone to near death is not bad, then I guess the line would be a sport that's directive is to kill your opponent, movies deemed sinful are probably marketed with an X in their rating.

Morals and biblical mandates to be separated from worldly vices seem to have been forgotten by most church attenders, professing Christians and their "pastors". I can't imagine a counseling session with one of these leaders knowing what they condone. How could you take seriously someone telling you to not fight with a fellow church member when the "pastor" just had you over the weekend before to watch 10 matches of a UFC event? Or a sermon on worldliness when the pastor just had a sermon series based on the spiritual implications of "Sex and the City 2".


Get real Christians. Get out of the world. Stand strong on the Word of God and if your church leaders endorse questionable forms of entertainment, tell them about it. Just because they hold a degree in theology doesn't mean they are discerning. If they are deceiving the flock it is your duty to tell them. If they accept the rebuke and move forward in repentance then great, if not follow the biblical mandates from there.

Christians are called to be holy as God is holy. To be set apart from the world. To be salt and light. To walk in the Light as He is in the light. All of which UFC and filthy movies are not a part of. AM i being too harsh? I think I am not being harsh enough as these deceiving wolves are giving the world ammunition to use against those that do strive for holiness and Godliness. Call them out and mark them as deceivers if they do not repent. I am going to contact the UFC condoning "pastor" about this tomorrow and see how he reacts. I will also in the near future contact the other movie going pastor as I have been in contact with him before. Both of these men are well known in my community and I have given them scriptural basis for things they have said or condoned in the past being false or deceptive. I will continue to contact these men about their deceptions and misleading of their "church" attendees. Pray for them and pray for their followers that the scales will come off and the Truth of holiness and true repentance will be made known to them.

Craig Groeschel's "The Christian Atheist" review (Kinda)

I did it. I finished the book “The Christian Atheist:Believing in God but Living As If He Doesn't Exist”. I actually finished it in fairly decent timing for me, 9 days. I am not the most avid of readers and another thing I am not is a book critic, but one of the main reasons I chose to read this was for that very reason, there were no reviews. Tim Challies, you have nothing to worry about from me. I can barely put 2 words together to make a thought, much less pass an adequate understanding of a book along to others.

This book piqued my curiosity. Its title caught me off guard one day, with the thought “Hey, that’s not even possible!” I even commented on a friend’s wall post (see earlier blog) on facebook and had a “conversation” as to the meaning of the book.

Before reading the book, my number 1 gripe with the book was the title. “The Christian Atheist: Believing in God but Living As If He Doesn't Exist”. To me, before even reading the book its title alone was blasphemy. You can’t take the word Christian and tack the word atheist onto it to describe a person’s belief structure. Like I said, that was before I read the book. Now, after reading the book, I still say the same thing. The title is blasphemy through and through. So much that when I was reading he book, as I took notes I had to abbreviate it CA because I couldn’t bring myself to even write it down.

I want to first contrast the term “Christian Atheist” with another term “Skydiving atheist”. Not that the skydiver doesn’t believe in God, he doesn’t believe in parachutes. He has decided that he is ready to take up skydiving, he goes to a land school where they teach him all the terms, safety aspects, altitude dangers, etc. but most important, they teach him about his parachute. Without his parachute he will plummet to the ground, nothing to slow his fall and ease him softly to the ground he would end up a pile of broken bones and flesh. So, the new skydiver packs into the airplane so very excited at his first jump. The whole class is with him and he volunteers to go last, so he can take part in the others experience as they yell going out of the door. Finally it is his turn, he gets to the door and the instructor says, “Wait a minute. Where’s your chute? You’ll never make it without your chute.”
The newest skydiver looks steadfastly at the instructor and says, “Sir, I have listened to you for a week tell me the ups and downs of parachuting. I can recite everything in my sleep. I know it so well, I don’t need my chute. I believe that it can benefit me, but I definitely do not need it. Seeeee yaaaaaaa!” As he jumps from the plane.
No need to say what happened to him. Splat is the only word needed. But he believed in the chute. Isn’t that enough? Not at all. He did not put his faith in the parachute.

So, why can a story like that sound so ludicrous but not the picture that Groeschel paints? How can someone truly believe in Jesus, the Son of God, but yet not live like it? It is an oxymoron, it is not possible. To believe in God and the atonement of Jesus on the cross for sins is not a pick and choose kind of thing.

Now that I vented somewhat, I will actually say a little about what Groeschel has to say in the book. Actually I do not have many issues in what the book does say as much as the issues in what it doesn’t say. As I mentioned, the title itself is very offensive and blasphemous, the term “Christian atheist” used by Groeschel should actually be “professing Christian” and is what I used when reading the book. Professing Christian is exactly what the author is portraying in this book, someone who believes in the facts of God, but still lives like there is no God. This, my friend, is not a “Christian atheist” but a lost person.

Groeschel puts into 21st Century wording what most easy believism church pastors and evangelists have been saying all along. Another word that could is used interchangeably with Groeschel’s term is “backslider”. These terms and false theologies are very damning and are sending many to hell. At their core is the mentality that since you have “taken care” of your salvation you are free to do what you want, your sins are forgiven anyway, so you might as well keep on sinning. This, of course, is a far cry from the repentance and faith demanded by scripture.

Groeschel’s personal biography plays into the book from cover to cover. He is very free with his life story, which I applaud. He recounts a VBS story about being told to raise your hand then into mid teen years conversation with a pastor who pretty much told him to just do good things, stay away from evil and that’ll get you to heaven. After this his college days are talked about, when he started actually realizing something wasn’t aligning, that something was missing in his relationship with God. That “thing” actually was God that was missing. His “conversion” happened on a softball field where he fell down and cried out to God “take my life”, which I will not knock, it’s not the words one says, it is the heart condition that reveals if the conversion was true.

The years tick by, Groeschel becomes a pastor and gets wrapped up in his ministry. In fact his ministry actually is his god as he tried to “collect converts like Michaels Phelps collected gold metals”. Sadly, this too is the mentality of most pastors and evangelists today. It is more about the numbers than it is about proclaiming the truth of God’s Word.

I will not pick the book apart piece by piece, even though it is warranted to do so as Groeschel is supposedly relaying God’s Word to others. To sum the book up, it is basically the pats on the back self serving pastors give to the teenage boy that is standing in their office, wondering if they are actually saved or not. With 240 pages Craig Groeschel reaffirms the reader that they are okay after all, that it’s o.k. to not believe in God to the extent scripture dictates. The non – “Christian atheist” Christianity that Groeshel describes is a works based righteousness as well.

The Emergent theology is apparent in the closing chapters as Groeshel talks about a social gospel. Just do good to people and show them Jesus, preach the gospel and use words if necessary kind of philosophy is prevalent in his words. Of course he lists some of his accomplishments and how his church changed peoples lives, what his church did for those in his communities. Don’t get me wrong, these are good things, but without the gospel they are just good deeds done by some good people. One not need to be a Christian to do good in their community and any good done should be capped off with why that good was done in the first place. This is what Jesus and His disciples did. They gathered groups of hungry people, fed them all then proclaimed the truth of the gospel of Christ. They did not waste an attentive crowd to let it be known that these 13 men fed us and then left. Those that got fed also got a big dose of truth. Jesus never left a sinner without letting them know their sinful state and telling them to sin no more. Some even went away sad, some never got it like the Pharisees, but they always got the truth of the Word.

In that is our command, to spread the seed of the Gospel of Christ. Sadly, this book does not do that and only adds more to the arsenal of the lost, professing Christian/ false convert. The bit of truth that shines through in Groeschel’s words on page 233, “God created me in my image. I returned the favor and created Him in mine”. But he never tells of his repentance to that fact, never tells of the True God of scripture. What he does do is set a 3-line division between levels of Christianity. The first line believers “believe just enough to be saved”, but still love the world, still live a worldly life. The second line “Christian” have a little change, but do just enough to benefit and give a little back, as long as it doesn’t cost too much. The third line “Christian” are the ones that believe enough to give your life to “it” (Christ). He does say that the first 2 lines do not really seem like real Christianity to him anymore, but does not give a call to those still living there to repent and believe as commanded.

So it is not really what Groeschel says is any different than any other “pastor” out there. It is what he and the other do not say. They do not give a true account on what the bible says a true believer does, the evidences that a true believer will have (fruit) and that his 3rd line Christian is the only true Christian. He sidesteps the answer and says “they don’t seem to be” to him, not that they really need to examine themselves to see that they are in the faith. A person with the readership of Groeschel should be taking the opportunity to sow the seeds of the Word in his reader’s hearts and minds. He has done a dis-service to his readers and taken them to a comfortable level again, they are still lost, they are still comfortable with being false converts, still living in sin and still not concerned. They have their “ticket” to heaven and are going to live like hell on this earth. They now have one more catchphrase to use to describe themselves - adding to nominal Christian, worldly Christian, carnal Christian and the ever popular backslider. The term “Christian atheist” is an abomination and blasphemy. To mix the Holy Name of Christ with the term that is blatant disregard of Him is worthy of damnation.

I pray that Craig Groeschel will one day repent of making up this term. I pray that God uses this book to actually save souls, after Groeschel rebuts it for being forgiving of the unforgiven. Any book that invokes the Name of Christ and does not adequately portray Him is very dangerous. I recommend this book only to those that need to see the mentality of professing Christianity today. If you think yourself to be a “Christian atheist” then you are lost. You need to repent of your sins and believe in Christ. You need to get out of the church that condones this type of “theology” and into a true Church that leans on the Word of God for everything, that leans on Christ for everything.

I am sorry if you thought you were going to get a real review of this book. I am not a reviewer and I am not much of a writer. What I am is someone that loves the Lord and what He has done for me. I do not profess anything except to be His and be available to be used by Him in whatever ways He sees fit. This “book review” started with a post on Facebook that just gave the title of the book. Following the post was a local “pastors” comments about the book, how he was mentored by Craig Groeschel, etc. I asked a few questions and then realized I was talking about a book that I knew nothing more about than the title and what the dust jacket said. I was commenting about the title and knew I needed to read the book to see if my concerns were warranted or not. They were and so I needed to write a little about the book. I am really concerned with the social gospel that is being portrayed by the likes of Groeschel and the others that seem to be in the Emergent movement. They like to explain what the “Church” needs to do to reach the community, but always seem to leave out telling the true Gospel that Jesus and His disciples preached. They want it to be relational and pragmatic, the ends justify the means mentality. But, the end is more often the pits of hell, as they do not tell of the repenting faith that Jesus spoke of during His earthly ministry. Without that, building houses, cleaning up and painting brothels, helping an old lady across the street are but wood, hay and stubble. They are meaningless.

Is U2 A Christian Band?

The greatest question…. The one everyone is pondering……… The one that caused heated debate between a “friend of a friend” on facebook (not really heated, but he was not in agreement with me)……..
Was it “Did you choose God or did God choose you?”
No.
How about, “Should we not pray because God is sovereign and therefore our prayers don’t really do anything anyway?”
No.
Then it’s got to be, “Did Adam have a belly button?”
And, no again.
It was, “Are U2 Christians?” And I’m sure that if you have read even a single post on my blog, you already know what my stance is. A sound no. Well, I can’t say with a 100% certainty they are not Christians, but unless they have forsaken their sins, turned from them in repentance and put their whole faith in Christ it is a definite no.

By they, I of course mean Saint Bono and Saint Edge, the other guys are just kinda there and nobody knows who they are anyway. And by “unless they have forsaken their sins, turned in repentance and put their whole faith in Christ”, I mean nobody knows. They seem to wear their faith on their sleeve. Right? Well, not exactly.

In numerous interviews and quotes found throughout the internet, they (Bono and Edge) paint broad pictures of what their faith looks like. Thing is, it looks different all the time and not in a sanctification kinda way, but in a “We’re going to do what feels comfortable for us” kinda way. They refuse to say what their faith is based on and who that faith is actually in. From what I gather though, they have amalgamated a plethora (my $2 words for this post) of spiritual concepts into one big ball of jello that changes shape depending on which way the wind is blowing at the time.

What is really damaging is their use of Biblical themes in their music and even using Christian terms to describe some aspects of their beliefs. But, neither Bono or Edge have said “ I am a Christian. I follow the risen Savior Jesus Christ. The Bible is the final authority on my life and I lay my life at the feet of Jesus and am His slave.” Nothing even remotely like that. I have found where he says a lot of truth about Jesus and who He is and what faith in Him requires, but nothing that says without a doubt “I am a Christian”. And with that I will have to quote Martin Luther “You are not only responsible for what you say, but also for what you do not say”

U2’s faith is very reminiscent of Universalism, at best. Roman Catholicism is held in deep regard to the band. They have a pragmatic approach to their spirituality using humanitarian aid as a catalyst to their good works, as well as a sign for others to point to saying “See, they’re good guys, they help so many people”. I will not discount their generosity, but that is not necessarily a fruit of the spirit on display. (see my last post on non-Christian philanthropy). It is great that they try to help kids in less wealthy nations, but it is not proof of their spiritual condition. It could be, however, a condition of their conscience, the God given “voice” that points to God. The pragmatism of U2 is at center of their philosophy. The “ONE” movement that has pulled in many mainstream “Christian” bands and leaders is very works based philosophy. It is about serving the poor and needy, but makes no mention of God while doing these works. If you watch the video below you will see the pragmatism on display by Bono. He is somewhat knowledgeable of scripture and also the twisting of it. The “ONE” group/ movement has enlisted the likes of Bill Gates, Third Day, Rick Warren and Islamic Relief. So, as you can see the ecumenical push to join together for the betterment of mankind, to step join together and give credence to false religions and people and groups that are blatantly anti-Christian. I don’t think that is such a good idea and neither does the God of the bible.

I do think U2 have a lot of knowledge of Biblical things, but this can be said of most of professing Christians across the world. Knowledge does not equal conversion. Knowing a bunch of facts will not put you on the narrow road, but still leaves one on the broad path to destruction. Sadly U2 are pulling people that are headed to the narrow path back towards the broad. Actually U2 are embraced as full-fledged Christians by a lot of liberal professing Christians and especially those engrained in the Emergent movement. Bono and Edge truly are saints to those people. This is quite damaging as the lifestyles of the members of U2 are emulated. Chomping on cigars, cursing like a sailor and embracing other religions as true are very commonplace in both the liberal and emergent circles which would make U2 the poster children for either movement.

Conservative Christianity is under attack. Actually when you say Christianity the conservative part should be a given. The liberality that is the pursuit of so many stand in contradiction to most of the New Testament. They mention grace an awful lot, that they are free to do what is good in their own eyes, but neglect the command to be holy. They sin and sin and sin some more because “Jesus died on the cross for me”. They do have that right, but not in the way a true believer says it. Their context is “I’ll sin all I want, I have a license to sin and it’s the blood of Jesus”. The true Christian, however, truly see’s that Jesus did die for them on the cross, that Jesus did pay it all and they no longer desire to sin because of their sins that did put Him on the cross. They want to be Holy as He is Holy and strive to be more like Christ instead of still like their old self with the trinket of Christianity hanging around their neck.

So, is the band U2 Christian? Could be, but if so they would be the new creation talked about in 2 Corinthians 5:17. They would proudly profess Who their hope lies in and Who they are slaves to. Their wouldn’t be the omission and the broad paintbrush strokes to leave people wondering. To some that sounds radical or extreme Christianity, to actually live for Christ, to profess Christ in all that you do. It is radical that all things become new, but it is the fruit of the Spirit that start being produced. You might even say that those “radical” Christians that actually look like nut cases because they love the Lord so much are actually what normal Christianity looks like. Not like the mish mash of worldly entwined with whatever is convenient to a particular person at any given time. Christianity is a call to Holiness and Christ-likeness that is not found in a secular rock band, or any other thing that Satan uses to muddy peoples thoughts.

If there is even a little doubt if something is of God or not, I would strongly suggest to err on the side of caution. Do not try to justify a band, a relationship, a book, a movie, a website or anything else that you find interesting. If you must scour scripture to find something that is not there to justify something, then it is probably a bad idea. Scripture is clear that Christians are to be separate from the world.

In closing, this is yet another call to discernment. Any true Christian will desire holiness as a characteristic. They will seek righteousness and FLEE from sin, not try to justify. They will not condone sinful musicians, they will not justify a crass TV show, they will not find “the spirituality in” Twilight, Harry Potter or Gilligan’s Island. They will seek a true understanding of God in His glory and not use the Blood of Christ as a ticket to sin. So, where do you stand? Are you justifying sins, embracing the darkness of the world? Do you not desire holiness in your life? Do you care that professing Christ, but living like the world is blaspheming His Holy Name? Repentance is the first key to a true walk with the Lord. Turn from your wickedness and sin to the Holy God. Trust in Him for everything. Lay your life at His feet and say, “take me, I am Yours. Do with me what thou will.” And do not look back at the sinful past of your life. Flee from sin, put your hand to the plow and do not look back, truly trust in Him, for everything.


Bono’s pragmatic philosophy from his own mouth. Rick Warren will be proud.

Lost Season Finale (Or how I "lost" 6 years of Tuesday nights) part 2

If you have not read my first post about the season finale of Lost, please do so. This post is to just show the stained glass window depicted in the final minutes of the series finale. Pardon the bad photo, but I could not find any postings on the web yet.

I was confident that the depiction in the glass was for a Unitarian Universalism church, but not 100% sure. But after research that is what this glass would be from. There does seem to be a couple of insignia missing though, maybe as to not cause "too much" controversy. Those being the Wiccan pentacle, the Universalist's flaming chalice, the circles of time and a different symbol for the Islamic faith.

What is present are from top left:
1)Islamic symbol (also predate Islam as the symbol of the Moabites (an opponent of Israel)
2) The Jewish Star of David
3) Hindu Aum
4) A Cross
5) Buddhists Wheel of Dharma
6) Taoists Yin Yang

So, I stand with my original assertion that I will never watch Lost in any capacity again. I think that the producers overstepped their bounds to imply the "all roads lead to heaven" view of religions. Jesus said He was the only Way to the Father. Anything other than that is rank heresy and I cannot and will not support anything that does, especially a TV show.

I showed a lack of better judgment in watching the series in the first place. They peppered it with Christian titles and themes, just enough to hold my interest to see where they were going with things. It worked, I was fooled, but not again.

Lost Season Finale (Or how I "lost" 6 years of Tuesday nights)

As a fan of Lost for the past 6 seasons I have had about every emotion thrown at me. You kinda get to know the characters of a show that you invest so much time in. I guess I now would like a refund on the last 6 years of Tuesday night back.

The final season was a setup for the afterlife, one that the producers seemed to condone as an “all roads lead to heaven” kinda place. As of right now (within 30 minutes of the final credits) I cannot find the end all screen capture posted on the web, but when I do I will post it to this posting. By “end all” I mean my watching Lost, partaking of any extended series books, stories, TV shows, movies, etc. ***Update - just posted a screen capture of the stained glass window in my part 2 to this post***

I will not go into detail, but the ending was very disappointing to me, as a Christian. The “church” where the cast met to be taken into the afterlife had a stained glass window, prominently displayed, with many different religious symbols in it. I assume because they did not want to offend anyone of religions other than Christianity, so they represented several other faiths in the glass. It seems they would have wanted to start the “all roads lead to heaven” story a lot sooner than the finale, say maybe back when they were throwing in a whole lot of biblical references. I can’t seem to recall any Islamic or Taoist text being recited or shown carved in sticks. Christianity was just a side story line that I thought was just that, a diversion for some other central story. And it was, as Christianity now has been brought down to the level of the false religions of the world to many millions of people. But with one fell swoop, the producers have done what Oprah, Obama and so many other Universalists have been trying to do for so long, indoctrinate that all roads lead to heaven into the mindset of the masses.

I am sorely upset at the producers of the series. That is one emotion I have not even thought about throughout the 6 years I invested in their TV show. I have gotten angry at story lines, but not the makers… until now.

I guess it is now too late to boycott the show, since they did not throw this in until the last 10 minutes of the 6 years. Maybe that’s why, they knew that they would be forsaken and lose viewers. I suppose my boycott will now only extend to the re-broadcasts. Knowing the ending will now taint the whole series for me. Just wish I would have known this 6 years ago……..

Acts 4:12 Nor is there salvation in any other, for there is no other name under heaven given among men by which we must be saved.” In reference to Jesus

Christian Atheist? Is That Even Possible?

Luke 11:23 He who is not with Me is against Me, and he who does not gather with Me scatters.

I’m going to admit upfront, no beating around the bush and no apology – I have not read the book I will be referencing in this blurb. The title caught my interest, which I assume is the reason the author chose it. Actually the book’s title is blasphemous and at best an oxymoron (I like that term for some reason), which again is probably the authors purpose in choosing it.
The book is “The Christian Atheist”. I first heard of it a few months ago and thought “Hmmm, that sounds completely ridiculous.” The author of the book is Craig Groeschel, “pastor” of LifeChurch.TV. Not really 100% sure what kind of church that is exactly, but from what I gather Groeschel’s “sermons” are broadcast to 12 locations across the US. Also of note, a local “pastor” calls Groeschel a mentor and has shown his videos, but as of now is not a LifeChurch.TV campus.

My better judgment lead me away from desiring to read the book initially, but my wife’s questioning of the book lead me to dig a little deeper than my discerning mind. To my astonishment I could not find a review anywhere by a reputable book critic. I had hoped that Tim Challies would have a review up, but I guess he is not into reading heresy just to dog it out. Still, I have not found a single reputable review of this book.

Not finding a review actually makes me want to read it to do my own review. The problem is I do not want to plunk down $15 for it. So if anyone knows anyone that would like to burn their copy, please have them send it to me so I can read it, I will then burn it for them when I am finished reading it. I am not what you would call a heavy reader and what I do read is by solid authors like Piper, MacArthur and even Ray Comfort (plus a few others, but you get the idea). I do not find myself wanting to read these types of books for their content, but instead for ammunition to be used to tell others to stay clear. I balk at reading also, because I know that what goes into your mind is very hard to get rid of and most of the time stays there indefinitely.

So the latest round in this books history with me happened on facebook. One of my friends posted – “Christian Atheist - one who says they believe in God, but live as though He does not exist.” A comment, or 3, from the “pastor” of the LifeChurch.TV’s local connection Brad, followed that. Look below for the screen capture of the discussion. He asked the poster if it was a Groeschel quote, which he knew it was but just wanted to flex his “Yeah, I know him” muscle – cough, cough. By the time I had gotten to the post to make a comment the poster and the “pastor” were talking about a lunch date, but I couldn’t resist posting my $.02 that went something like this:
“Someone that professes to be a Christian but lives as though God doesn't exist = a lost person. I believe scripture is fairly clear on that. Even the term Christian atheist is blasphemous.”

So, then I get the politically correct version from “pastor” Brad:
“Hey Jeffrey...
I think that 'lost' is the point of the book Christian Athiest from which that quote comes...
Basicallly(his spelling) that's what he means... The whole idea comes from a teaching focused on reaching the lost who think they are believers...”

Just so I will not get it wrong, here is the remainder of the comments/ conversation:
Me:
“Gotcha. Does the book focus any on the reason these people believe the way they do?”
“Pastor” Brad: “Typically, in America, the reason for stuff like that is consumerism. People are looking to consume services... They take, take and take some more... Wanting things like heaven, forgiveness, and money... But not wanting to take up their cross and follow Him.”
“Pastor” Brad:
“You just don't get one without the other”
Me:
“But aren't those all byproducts of something else? A failing to teach the Word as the Apostles and Christ Himself did? A message that has man at its centrality instead of Jesus? I don't think the root problem is the lost lining the pews on Sunday morning, I think it is the one standing behind the pulpit not accurately presenting the Gospel.
Going after the "Christian Atheist" is damage control, at best. To call these people "Christian" in any sense is blaspheming Christ’s Name. There are only the lost and those saved by God; there is no middle ground. One will not stand before the Holy Throne and say, "I believe in You, but I may not have lived like." If they believed they would have lived like it.”

And there it ended. No reply from Brad and no comments by the original poster, or anyone else. I was kind of disappointed that no one else had any input one-way or the other on the discussion. Not that I like to have disagreements on facebook or anywhere else, but I do like for people to take things a little deeper than face value.

The premise of “Christian atheism” is that someone has a belief in God, professes to be a Christian, does a lot of “Christian” things, but yet lives like there is no God. Actually that pretty much sums up about 90% of those that profess to be Christians today. But does the book address the cause of the terrible fact that today’s “gospel message” is sending countless millions to hell? That is the real issue here and “Christian atheists” are just a by-product of the message that is being spread. If the Word of God was preached in the power of the Spirit, then there would be practically no need of a book like this.

This book, according to the “positive” reviews, paints the picture of those that are on the 3rd road to eternity. This is in contrast to the only 2 roads scripture speaks of, the narrow and the broad. So, for anyone to assume that these “Christian atheists” are on some mid-road is borderline heresy. Jesus put it quite nicely in Matthew 12:30 and Luke 11:23 “He who is not with Me is against Me, and he who does not gather with Me scatters abroad.” So, to say that someone can be for God, but yet not live like it is openly saying that the scriptures are false.

Many times through the Bible we are told that light and dark can’t be together, you can’t serve two masters, do not have fellowship with darkness; if you live in darkness you are lost. So, how does Groeschel mesh his teaching of being an atheist who is also a Christian? That, I am not sure about and might have to read the book to find out. I just know that anyone that truly believes in God, that Jesus died for them, that He was risen on the third day and repents (turns from their sins and to the Holy God) and casts all their being on Christ will be saved. This salvation is not from just the pits of hell, but also from a life that is contrary to the Holy God of creation. Someone that has been truly born again is a new creation and will shun darkness and seek to be conformed into the image of the Savior. These people will not sit in the pews diddling with their cell phones and watching the clock with their only prayer being for the service to hurry up and get over so they can go watch the game.

These lost people were once called backsliders, but as everything with the more emergent folk, they had to come up with a new title for the deceived. I heard the term backslider thrown around much over my childhood life and a lot of my adult life. As a matter of fact, I would have been called a backslider because at the age of 8 I said a prayer, which automatically makes me saved. Saved from what, is the appropriate question there. I lived from the age of 8 until I was 38 professing to be a Christian while those 30 years I lived like the rest of the lost world. I smoked from age 14 through my actual conversion at 38, I drank, had premarital sex, cussed, lusted, lied, stole, blasphemed the Lord and broke every other commandment from God, all the time pointing back to my 8 year old experience, induced by an evangelist with the message of “you don’t want to go to hell do you”. So by all accounts I was just like the majority of professing Christians today, deceived. I was deceived by the modern American message of “just say this prayer” and “just say you’re sorry after you sin”. Never a mention of personal holiness or sanctification. Those words were only used to describe those that were at a higher level of Christianity than the normal Christian. In all actuality those “at a higher level” were those that were probably the ones that were actually converted and were striving after holiness and a closer walk with Christ.

In closing, these “Christian atheists” are lost to put it simply. They need our prayers and most of all need God to intervene. They do not need someone to tell them their Christian atheist title, they need someone to tell them they are sinners and are headed to hell. They need someone that loves them to tell them they are deceived and lost and need to repent or perish. They do not need a fancy new term to describe their “loss-ness”. The congregations need to hear the Word of God and not this ear tickling heresy that spews forth from these so called preachers. Their condemnation will be great on judgment day unless they repent themselves and start faithfully proclaiming the Word in truth.
Click on jpg above for original "conversation" with "Pastor" Brad about the book "The Christian Atheist"

Christian:
n.
1. A person who believes in and follows Jesus Christ, one who has repented of their sins and relies wholly in Christ.
Atheist:
n.
1.One who disbelieves or denies the existence of God

Is The National Day of Prayer Biblical?

Tomorrow marks the 59th observance of the “National Day of Prayer” in our nation. “Every president since 1952 has endorsed and supported National Day of Prayer except President Obama, who has decided not to endorse that,” is a quote from a local news website. Is that an accurate quote? Perhaps, and it would not surprise me. Obama did, however, back an exclusive Muslim day of prayer last September.

Does it bother me that Obama doesn’t support a sanctioned day of prayer for our nation? Not at all and it shouldn’t you either. If you think about it, a national day of prayer will be a day that many people (professing Christians, Jewish, Muslims, Hindu, Krishna, Jehovah’s Witness, Mormons and even Wiccans) will come together to pray to their chosen deity for whatever reason they do. To me this sounds like a common evening at any Masonic Lodge across the world, “just profess to believe in a higher power of the Universe and you can stand beside me in prayer” is the mantra for the day tomorrow.

So, should a Christian get all worked up about the president not supporting this event or the Wisconsin’s judge finding the National Day of Prayer unconstitutional? I say NO with a resounding voice. Tomorrow will mark a day of idolatry when fanciful prayers will be offered up to nonexistent gods, even by those that profess the name of Jesus. These are the modern day equivalence of the Pharisees of scripture. I would say that next to Christmas, tomorrow will be the most blasphemous day of the year.

Matthew 6:5-7 “And when you pray, you shall not be like the hypocrites. For they love to pray standing in the synagogues and on the corners of the streets, that they may be seen by men. Assuredly, I say to you, they have their reward. But you, when you pray, go into your room, and when you have shut your door, pray to your Father who is in the secret place; and your Father who sees in secret will reward you openly. And when you pray, do not use vain repetitions as the heathen do. For they think that they will be heard for their many words.

Wow, Jesus sure made that clear, didn’t He? So, does this one passage of scripture refute having a National Day of Prayer? I’ll let you decide that for yourself. Personally, tomorrow will be as any other day for me, as far as my prayers go. I will awaken and thank God for all He does for me, allowing me to awaken next to my beautiful wife and thank Him for the gifts He has given me, thank Him for my health and ask to be used of Him to do what is pleasing to Him. My day will progress as any other day, I will commune with the Lord throughout the day. I will pray for brothers and sisters as they come to mind, I will pray for guidance and opportunity to share what He has done for me, to be mindful of opportunities to share the Gospel. I will thank Him for the meals He supplies to my family and me. In other words, I never really stop praying throughout the day. I am aware of the presence of God with me. I may not be 100% faithful in this, but God is teaching me to commune with Him and in turn I will sin less against Him and be conformed more into the image of Christ. I am definitely very far from that goal, but He is the Potter and I am the clay and He is molding me and shaping me to be what He wants.

So, I guess my point of this posting is to say, “chill out” if you are uptight about the recent events that are against a National Day of Prayer. Calm down if you think Obama is a Muslim against Christians. I am very certain that God has Obama in control and he doesn’t take a breath unless it is ordained by the Father. Do not bemoan a man sanctioned day of idolatry, I would even say do not take part in the day except to ask the Lord to turn those that are praying to their false idols to the One that can actually answer their prayers. Pray that God is glorified and exalted above all and ask how you can be used of Him to be a part of that.

Let me close by saying that I am not 100% against a gathering of God’s people joining in prayer to ask for the Lords will to be done. We do see in scripture the Church coming together with prayers, but they did not need a certain day of the year to do so. They came together in unison, with one voice, seeking the will of God. That kind of corporate prayer is very much needed today. True Christians need to come together with one voice to seek God as the body, to seek a return to the pure state of Christianity, a true revival of His church. I ask that you pray without ceasing and join others daily in prayer to the Lord. Just don’t plan a day, write out a long and exuberant prayer that will try to tickle the ears of those hearing it instead of petitioning the God and Maker of everything.

Oh, and stop posting prayers on facebook, myspace, youtube or sending them in emails. If those are your prayers to God, why do you post them for others to read? To bolster the readers spirituality? To show how spiritual you are? To show your immense vocabulary? I would very seriously caution posting a prayer to God anywhere. Pray to the Father only.

What Is Your Addiction?

Seems like we’ve got a bit of an epidemic on our hands. David Duchovney, Tiger Woods, Jesse James and now Bruce Springsteen. Anything familiar between these 4 men? These men are claiming to have contracted a newfound condition, which is called sex addiction.

Let me break it down even further and tell you what it is and what it’s not. First I will say that all men are addicted to sex, so yes, it is true these men suffer from the same thing all of us men suffer from. Men are inherently sexually natured, they thrive on it and if not kept in check leads to what these men are currently battling…… divorce. Actually every person ever born is addicted to sin. We can’t get enough of it, that is, unless God changes your sinful nature into a spiritual nature.

I will in no way condone or even give credit for the “sex-rehab: these men are or have already embarked on. These men are sinners against God and against their spouses. What God designed to be a reflection of the marriage between Jesus and His Church has been defiled and these men try to justify what they have done by calling it an addiction. Hogwash! Society now looks to what these men have done with a compassionate heart thinking “poor guys, they can’t help accidentally having sex with all of those women. They are the victims here.”

With the mentality of this being an “addiction” it joins the ranks of alcoholism and overeating. All of these things, if done outside the confines of their design, will bring destruction. Er, uh SIN. Call it what it is people. It is sin against a Holy God and trying to offer a man centered explanation is nothing more than justifying a wicked man. Check out Proverbs 17:5 for what God thinks of those that try to justify a man in sin. But this is just another example of societies downward spiral to destruction.

So, what can we do about this? All we can do is pray for these people, pray that God will be merciful and save them from their sinfulness. I will not entertain what these men claim to believe spiritually, because if it is not God centered it is false. If God was these men’s focus they would not be cheating on their wives and they would not have, to in turn, lie about their condition. I am not going all “Britt Hume” here, but these men need the God of the bible, just as we all did and still do. Outside of the grace of God, we would all be mired in sins trap. Only through the great richness of God’s love has He pulled me from my love of sin and focused me firmly in His Word and in His hands.

I can do nothing good without God’s mercy upon me; I was just as vile as all of these men before God saved me. I may not have ever physically cheated on my wife, but Jesus said that if you even look at a woman to lust after her, you have already committed adultery in your heart. (Matt. 5:28) Ouch. That kinda stings doesn’t it? He got to the heart of the situation, literally. Jesus was saying that your sins are not what people see, they are what is in your heart and mind. What people see are just the outward signs of the internal condition. He again addressed this with the rich young ruler (Matthew 19:16-22; Mark 10:17-31; Luke 18:18-30) but with his love of money. Jesus did not question his assertion that he had kept the whole of the law since childhood, He went straight to the young rulers heart, to his love of money.

Jesus said that your love of even your mother and father must seem like hate compared to your love of Him. (Luke 14:26) Can you say that? Or are the gifts of your family an idol to you? Through Jesus all things were created, so the Father, through the Son, gave everything you have to you. Do you love the gift more than the giver? Do you act like a spoiled kid on Christmas? With a “mine, mine, mine” attitude? Or do you praise God for His goodness to you? Being ever thankful for everything? Praising Him for the food you eat, the water you drink (or diet coke in my case) and everything else? (1 Cor. 10:31). If not, then you may be in the same condition as the rich young ruler. You may have a lot of idols in your life that you love more than God. This could be a sign that you do not truly know God, so I ask that you seek His Word and see that you are His. (2 Cor. 13:5, 2Pet 1:10). Repent and turn to God, seek and you will find Him, ask and it will be given.

Do not allow society to conform your mind to its lies. You must guard against these things and stay focused on the Truth of scripture. If it does not align with scripture it is false, no compromise. Call sin what it is and do not make it shiny call it addiction or anything else. It is sin, pure and simple and God hates it.

I Discern That You Shouldn't Discern ... Or Something Like That

“Allow me to discern for you, that you should not read discernment blogs to help you in your discernment.”

That is the message I am hearing these days. Especially now that John Piper has invited Rick Warren to the Desiring God Conference. These with the rally call to abandon discernment are the same ones that, before the internet and blogging, used to use the name “fruit inspector” for those that had a penchant for biblical discernment.

My question, when did it become acceptable to not be discerning? Why are blogs belittled for relaying information that is needed and usable in the aid of discerning what aligns and doesn’t align with scripture? I have a tendency to be on the discerning side, even in my writing. Maybe that is why I welcome brothers and sisters that have a gift of discernment in these dark days. Not to say that all discernment blogs are accurate, but I feel for the most they are usable tools to aid other believers in developing a view of what is attacking Christianity.

I would even say that NOT being discerning is dangerous. Just the happy-go-lucky attitude that everyone that invokes the moniker of Christian is a Christian is ludicrous. I do not even take a man at my doors word that he is the cable man if he doesn’t have proper credentials (fruit) to show that he is, in fact, the cable man. I would hope that any true believer would want to be more discerning when Christ’s Name is involved in anything, even a profession. I guess that is why I believe it is blasphemous for some to say, “I’m a Christian” when they live like the world, look like the world and desire nothing but worldly things. (See my blog on blasphemy and idle words)

I believe the proper course of anything that is labeled of God should be looked at very closely to see that it conforms to the Word. Be as the Bereans mentioned in Acts 17 and search scripture to be discerning, examine to make sure things mesh with scripture or are, indeed, false. This reminds me of a recent “conversation” with a friend over facebook. I had mentioned that Christians needed to be discerning when listening to the group “Philips, Craig and Dean” because their theology was heretical. Even though they claim to be Christians, sing “Christian music” and are “pastors” in a church is prime example that superficially a lot of things look of God, but with a little discernment things fall apart. PCD are modalists, a heretical view of scripture that denies the True God of scripture, therefore negating anything that they do or say of Godly things. They do know the terminology, but so do Mormons and Jehovah Witness’, which is the same extreme I place the modalism view. Just as Muslims say they worship God, they in fact have created a god in their own image and forsake the God of scripture.

If you look back over my posts, there is a call for discernment. I try to speak it loud and clear and I pray that I never become mushy and accepting of anything and everything that invokes God. I hope that if you are one that has always taken things at face value that you will scratch through the surface and start a discernment habit. I believe that any true Christian will thirst for truth and discernment. I also believe that if the Spirit is in you, then discernment is also in you and you need it awakened. Gods Spirit will bare witness to our spirit, if you feel uneasy about someone then there is probably reason for that. Just as “good” discernment is valid when you feel an instant connection with other believers where Gods Spirit brings our spirits together.

Just be wise and do not speak out because of a personal issue you might have. Make sure that you are being Spirit lead and not emotionally driven. Many times I get upset at things and after reflecting and seeking Gods council I am usually found to be wrong and praise God for allowing me to keep my mouth shut. Discernment is a great gift and tool from God that when actually given by God is very beneficial. But remember Satan also uses things that can seem of God, but are actually counterfeit to confuse, he has also used the word discerning to cause division. Be careful, but be correct. Do not allow false teaching, doctrine and professions to slander and blaspheme the Fathers Name.