Trust And Obey, For There’s No Other Way…

I may need to change the title of my blog to “That Trust May Abound”. God has seen fit to allow another trial for my family and myself. This one will have some major implications as well as the last one that I mentioned a few blogs back. Thankfully the Lord has been preparing me for this for a while now in so many ways that are becoming evident to me every day. I cannot stress enough the importance of a strong; Christ centered church family and how they minister to someone in need. I have experienced this first hand over the time that I have been at Oak Grove Baptist Church. All I can say is praise the Lord for his gracious ways and allowing me to be lead to this wonderful family.

My current trial is more in depth and requires me to once again place my total trust in the Lord. This is very hard for me to do, because I want to try and do all I can to work this one out. I do feel like I am just adding to the issue when I do try, so out of recently gained wisdom I have given control to the Lord. Actually I have realized I never had control in the first place and just acknowledged that fact. God is in control of everything. Period. If He weren’t, then and only then would I really need to worry. So I have gone to a deeper place of trust in the Lord, which is good. I know that He is in control and I know that what happens will be right for me. After all, I am His child. What Earthly parent would do something that wasn’t for the best of their child? So why would I think that the God of all would be trying to hurt me or punish me in some way? He’s not and I don’t blame Him for anything.

I know that my Father is in control. I may not understand why this is happening totally, but I can see (or I can speculate) as to why. I do trust in Him and in that I am obeying His Word, not because I feel that it is something I should be doing, but it is all I can do. I am perfectly content as to whatever direction the Lord has in store for me. There are 3 different outcomes and I am content with any He has chosen for me in His sovereignty. Through this I am also confident in knowledge that God will be glorified. He is being glorified already and He will continue to be glorified throughout this trial and beyond. God has shown more grace to me than I could ever have hoped for. Even on my worst day God is still gracious in not giving me what I deserve and instead gives me love, grace and forgiveness.

I am doing as Psalm 46:10 says – Being still and knowing that He is God. I am not pushing any issues, I am not trying to persuade anyone to do anything, I am only doing what I should be and trusting. Not that I have not realized some things I was doing wrong and made corrections, but I am trusting totally in Gods wisdom of the outcome of this. I will not waver from His Word and I will not compromise. Ephesians 6:10 says to be strong in the Lord… and I am. He is my strength and my refuge through it all and I praise Him for His goodness to me.

Some verses shared with me by a good friend have helped me, not with the situation itself, but in strengthening my relationship with the Lord. Please if you are going through a trial, take comfort in these verses as well. If you are not, then you may want to bookmark this page for future reference, because a trial is just around the corner. I will divulge in the future about this trial in its entirety, to show how God is working through it and what I have learned and gained from it. I will not speculate at the outcome or what I think may happen, but I will once again say God will be glorified.

Jeremiah 29:11-12 For I know the thoughts that I think toward you, says the LORD, thoughts of peace, and not of evil, to give you an expected end. Then shall you call upon me, and you shall go and pray unto me, and I will hearken unto you.
Hebrews 4:15-16 For we have not an high priest which cannot be touched with the feeling of our infirmities; but was in all points tempted like as we are, yet without sin. Let us therefore come boldly unto the throne of grace, that we may obtain mercy, and find grace to help in time of need.
1 Peter 4:12-13 Beloved, think it not strange concerning the fiery trial which is to try you, as though some strange thing happened unto you: But rejoice, inasmuch as you are partakers of Christ's sufferings; that, when his glory shall be revealed, you may be glad also with exceeding joy.
James 1:2-4 My brethren, count it all joy when you fall into divers temptations; Knowing this, that the trying of your faith works patience. 4 But let patience have her perfect work, that you may be perfect and entire, wanting nothing.
Proverbs 3:5-6 Trust in the LORD with all your heart; and lean not unto your own understanding. In all thy ways acknowledge him, and he shall direct your paths.
Philippians 4:4-9 Rejoice in the Lord always: and again I say, Rejoice. Let your moderation be known unto all men. The Lord is at hand. Be careful (anxiouse) for nothing; but in every thing by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known unto God. And the peace of God, which passes all understanding, shall keep your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus. Finally, brethren, whatsoever things are true, whatsoever things are honest, whatsoever things are just, whatsoever things are pure, whatsoever things are lovely, whatsoever things are of good report; if there be any virtue, and if there be any praise, think on these things. Those things, which you have both learned, and received, and heard, and seen in me, do: and the God of peace shall be with you.
Isaiah 41:10 Fear thou not; for I am with thee: be not dismayed; for I am thy God: I will strengthen thee; yea, I will help thee; yea, I will uphold thee with the right hand of my righteousness.
Isaiah 41:13 For I the LORD your God will hold your right hand, saying unto you, Fear not; I will help you.
Isaiah 43:1-4 But now thus says the LORD that created you, O Jacob, and he that formed you, O Israel, Fear not: for I have redeemed you, I have called you by your name; you aret mine. When you pass through the waters, I will be with you; and through the rivers, they shall not overflow you: when you walk through the fire, you shall not be burned; neither shall the flame kindle upon you. For I am the LORD your God, the Holy One of Israel, your Savior: I gave Egypt for your ransom, Ethiopia and Seba for you. Since you were precious in my sight, you have been honorable, and I have loved you: therefore will I give men for you, and people for your life.
Psalms 16:8 I have set the LORD always before me: because he is at my right hand, I shall not be moved.
Psalms 27:1 The LORD is my light and my salvation; whom shall I fear? The LORD is the strength of my life; of whom shall I be afraid?
Psalms 27:3 Though a host should encamp against me, my heart shall not fear: though war should rise against me, in this will I be confident.
Psalms 28:7 The LORD is my strength and my shield; my heart trusted in him, and I am helped: therefore my heart greatly rejoices; and with my song will I praise him.
Psalms 138:3 In the day when I cried You answered me, and strengthened me with strength in my soul.
Psalms 138:7 Though I walk in the midst of trouble, You will revive me: You shall stretch forth Your hand against the wrath of my enemies, and Your right hand shall save me.
Psalms 100:3 Know ye that the LORD he is God: it is he that has made us, and not we ourselves; we are his people, and the sheep of his pasture.
10 Be still, and know that I am God: I will be exalted among the heathen, I will be exalted in the earth.
Proverbs 16:1-3 The preparations of the heart in man, and the answer of the tongue, is from the LORD. All the ways of a man are clean in his own eyes; but the LORD weighs the spirits. Commit your works unto the LORD, and your thoughts shall be established. Proverbs 16:9 A man's heart devises his way: but the LORD directs his steps.
Proverbs 16:20 He that handles a matter wisely shall find good: and whoever trusts in the LORD, happy is he.

Internet At Home.... Finally.

Hi everyone. Thank you all once again for hanging in there and checking back periodically. Guess what. No, I'm not giving up the blog. I finally have the internet restored at my house. So the official count was 14 days without electricity, 25 days without the internet, 4 days without cell phone service and now our home phone has been out for about a week even after lasting through the whole ice storm and its immediate effects.

Just wanted to fill you in that I will definitely have a new blog posting up in the next day or 2. The Lord has seen fit to begin a new trial in my life that has really moved me into a further level of trusting in Him for everything. I thought I was, but this latest happening has shown me that I haven't been. I know the Lord is in control of my life, I am His child and I know that He is allowing this to show me a lot of things and I am learning so much through it. One thing is that He lead me to a wonderful church home with the greatest church family that have been wonderful through everything my family has been through recently. I know that if it wasn't for my family at Oak Grove Baptist Church that I would not be able to handle these tests. God brought me to where He knew I needed in order to draw strength and support from each and every person in the OGBC body. He was gracious enough to put me there before these things came about and I am so very thankful for God's goodness, which I in no way deserve.

The passage of scripture that really plays through my head these days is Philippians 4:11-13 Not that I speak in regard to need, for I have learned in whatever state I am, to be content: I know how to be abased, and I know how to abound. Everywhere and in all things I have learned both to be full and to be hungry, both to abound and to suffer need.I can do all things through Christ[a] who strengthens me. Especially with the content part - God supplies everything I need, He gives and He takes away - He is good and He loves me through it all - He doesn't give me what I deserve - He shows His grace and mercy to me daily - for I am His child and I am resting in His loving arms and it is good.

Ice Storms and Loss of Power

Broken Limbs - This is what every tree in Paducah looks like.

Hi all. Just a quick update on the ice sorm aftermath. it is Saturday Feb 7 and still without power at the house. I am sitting in the McCracken County library parking lot checking emails and posting this.

We are still on generator power at the house, which is getting kinda pricey after 12 days. It takes about 1/2 gallon of gas an hour, so it's about a dollar an hour to run, but hey it's wortj it to keep the famil warm and have a hot shower. I plan on writing a real blog post up soon and get that posted. Thanks to everyone for still checking back from time to time. Thank you all foryour prayers through this situation. It's a definitely an experience I will not soon forget. Waking up at 3:00 AM to put gas in a generator has a way of sticking in your mind. Especially when it's 12 degrees outside.

Take care everyone. I'll be back as soon as power and internet are restored at the homestead. In the mean time please check out www.realtruthmatters.com and all the free resources available through that God centered ministry.

Slip Slidin' Away

Hi everyone. I just wanted to let everyone know that my home is part of the mass power outages due to the ice storm that passed through our region last week. I currently still am without power or internet connection at my home and have limited access to email and some internet sites via my work computer. Usually the firewall blocks the blogger page, but it looks like today it isn't for some reason.

Please keep the people of my area in your prayers. Their safety and that power will be restored soon. It is a big inconvenience, but it also helps one to appreciate the Lord even more. God is good, during the good times in life and during the difficult times. I praised the Lord when the storm was occuring and I praised Him when I saw the large limb sticking through my bathroom ceiling caused by the ice. He is good and even at the lowest points in our lives we receive much more than we deserve.

As sinners we deserve the Gods wrath and judgment and instead He offers us forigiveness and love. What a wonderful Maker we have. To God be the glory FOREVER and EVER!

Father Forgive Them .......

Luke 23:34 Then said Jesus, Father, forgive them; for they know not what they do. And they parted his raiment, and cast lots.

Wow, the Lord just opened my eyes to a wonderful verse that I have read and heard quoted thousands of times. It is Luke 23:34 in which the Lord Jesus asks The Father to “Forgive them for they know not what they do.”

I have always thought of this verse speaking of the Roman soldiers that were nailing Christ to the cross, or the Jews that allowed Barabbas’ freedom over the Spotless Lamb. But last night the reality set in to me. He was talking about me. He was talking about the sinful humanity in each of us. Our sins put Jesus on the cross at Calvary. Yes, the soldiers did strike the spikes with the hammers, yes Pilate passed the judgment, but we put Him there.

I have known that my sins were why Christ died, but I did not relate that verse to it. I was thinking of the things I mentioned above, soldiers, Jews, Pilate, etc. But I don’t guess I ever realized that I was in the Bible and I am spoken of by name in the word “them”. I have heard the saying “When Jesus was on the cross, you were on His mind” before and if ever there was a scripture to back that up it is this. I can’t imagine the pain and anguish our Savior went through on the cross for us. I know that a small cut on my hand hurts a great deal sometimes, but the piercing of your hands, a large spike being driven through your flesh. Blood gushing, skin tearing. The thoughts are unbearable to me, not to even mention the ridicule, beatings, stoning, scourging and being spat on that day leading up to the cross. The movie “The Passion of The Christ” does not even come close to what Jesus went through that day. It does not show the weight He carried of all of our sins, the humiliation a man would have endured, the pain…. Oh the pain.

But the first Word recorded of Christ on the cross were what? “Father forgive them, for they know not what they do.” Imagine the pain He was in physically, imagine the shock to His body as His weight pulled at the spikes in His hands, the joints being stretched and he did not utter a complaint, but a prayer to the Father of forgiveness. What an act of mercy shown on the cross as Christ took the brunt of our sins and was even then our Advocate to the Father. My heart breaks at my sins now even more, I praise God for His sacrifice for me, for you for the World.

I’d like to say that if you have not known the forgiveness of the Lord, knowing that Christ died so you might live. If you have been living a life that is full of religion and void of the Lord, there is real Hope. If you have made a “decision” at some point in your life, but have lived like the World since, spitting on the work of the cross, there is still Hope. The Hope is Christ and you need to call out to Him to save you, because nothing you can do can do it, no works will save you, no prayer, no walk down an aisle, no proclamation by a pastor, on God can change your heart. Only God can transform your sinful pride into a love so dear for Him that you will be in constant awe of Him. You can’t do it, only He can. Please seek His Face, seek out a truly God centered church, with God focused people that can help and disciple you to a real relationship with Christ and not the decision based form of religion the world embraces. Please for the sake of your eternal soul, for the Glory of God.

The Audacity To Hope In A Person

My hope is built on nothing less
Than Jesus’ blood and righteous;
No merit of my own I claim
But wholly lean on Jesus’ name.
On Christ, the solid rock, I stand;
All other ground is sinking sand.

It seems like a lot of talk of “hope” is being heard these days. I would say it has a lot to do with, now President, Barack Obama and his rhetoric of hope for many things, the title of his book “Audacity of Hope” and his campaign memorabilia emblazoned with the word hope.

I still haven’t quite figured out what the “hope bandwagon” is all about. What exactly is everyone hoping for and why do they believe Obama is the one that will usher in their dreams of hope? Maybe it is because President Obama is a great speaker and everyone hopes that he will come through with his promises. I for one do not hope that at all. My hope is that Obama will soon see his sinful, worldly ways and repent and become truly converted and actually believe what the Word of God says instead of making a mockery of it. See below for a video that explains that statement.


If anyone’s hope lies in any man, then they are painfully looking in the wrong direction. The only hope you or I have is in Christ and what He did on the cross for us. Anything other than that is inconsequential.
Psalms 56:11 In God have I put my trust: I will not be afraid what man can do unto me.
Psalms 118:8 It is better to trust in the LORD than to put confidence in man.

Every Christian needs to earnestly pray for Obama’s salvation. He is very deceived and has compromised the Word of God, justifies murdering babies, twists and mocks scripture, keeps company with questionable “pastors”, not to mention is in cahoots with the queen of the world, Oprah. What Obama needs is the repent and trust in the Lord as any other worldly person does. Oh how that would glorify the Lord if Obama would make a speech and say, “I was wrong. Abortion is truly murder, and I have lied to each and every one of you. I am sorry and I have repented unto the Lord.” Now, will that happen? It could, but he is heavily mired in the sins of his flesh and is only getting deeper. Oh yes, the Lord can save him as well as He can anyone, but Obama’s presidency may just be a judgment on our society as it was in the days of Noah and Sodom and Gomorrah.

Please pray for Obama and his staff and even your local elected officials. God has put them there for a reason, even if they do not follow Him.

Obama Mocks God and The Bible

And Such Was I

One of the most powerful verses in the bible, to me at least, is delivered by Paul, to the Corinthians. If you have been truly converted then this verse will really pop to you and shows how good God is, how He reached from the Holiest of places to save me, to save you, to save us all from not only the torments of hell but also from the sinful lives that we once loved so much.

When I read this verse:
1 Corinthians 6:11 And such were some of you: but you are washed, but you are sanctified, but you are justified in the name of the Lord Jesus, and by the Spirit of our God.
All I can think about is “Praise you Lord for saving me, you didn’t have to, but You did and You are worthy of my praise to You, You are more worthy than I could ever say.” Now if you back up a little earlier in chapter 6 you will see what the “such were” were that Paul was addressing. You have a whole gamut of sins listed – fornicators, idolaters, homosexuals, thieves, alcoholics and extortionist. And such was I. Paul took the title of “Chief of Sinners”, but in my wretchedness I was pretty low myself until the Lord saw fit to save me from that sinful life. God is so good to have pulled me from the mire of my sin and wash me clean.

This verse is a wake up call and God used it to show me of how judgmental I can be, not of brothers and sisters, but of sinners. I would somehow expect the lost people at work to conform to what God was so gracious in showing me. They don’t. They won’t. That is until the Lord saves them as well. I realized that a sinner sins, they care nothing of the Spirit and what He is about. They care nothing for pleasing the Lord, but only themselves. And such was I. One of the worst things a true believer can do is tell a non believer that they shouldn’t do a particular sin. “Hey Jimbo, you shouldn’t be living with your girlfriend or cheating on your taxes.” That would be like telling a Christian “Hey Bubby, you need to be reading your Bible and praying every day.” They both come natural to either of them. The true Christian walks with God, the non-believer walks in the world. You can’t tell a dog he now needs to purr like a cat, but if God changed the dog into a cat, it would be natural for it to purr then.

Sorry for getting off subject. Now back to the blog already in progress. We were all a “such were” at one point in our life, if you can not see that then you may want to go over a book to 2 Corinthians 13:5 and do as Paul exhorts there to examine yourself to see if you are in the faith. Then read 1John and the Gospels, Acts, Romans and then the rest of the bible. If you never saw how filthy and wretched you were, how much you hated God and how you could do nothing but call out to Him, then you may have a huge problem. If you think you have your ticket, that you took care of things a long time ago, that all you have to do is ask to be forgiven of your sinful life and use Christ’s work on the cross as a get out of hell free card, then you are still on the “such were” category. You would actually be called a “so are”. If your heart does not break for sinning against God, then I beg you to seek God out with all that you are and all that you can so that He can save you too, that He will keep you from hell, that you will lead a God centered life, that all you will want to do is try to bring glory to the King of kings and Lord of lords. He is indeed worthy, more worthy than anything we could ever offer.

Praise the Lord for opening my eyes to my sinfulness. Thank You God for showing me that sinner’s sin and I can’t change them. Please Lord give me the grace to share Your Word with them in a loving, but true way to them. God please make me not compromise your Word for any reason but to reflect Your Light. Open my mouth to speak Your Word that many will come to repentance. Thank you Lord for all that you do. Amen

From The Highest Mountains To The Lowest Valleys

Mountains in Washington, recent trip by my wife and I

The depths of a valley are often defined by how high the mountains are surrounding them. You may be driving your car and just go down to a lower point than the surrounding area, while you can still see everything that you could before, just from a different perspective or angle. Other times you could end up in a deep valley with the mountains jutting upward and you can’t see anything except the side of a mountain. If you've ever driven in the mountains, you know that going up is a lot harder than when you're coming down. Coming down also builds speed as you try to slow down and pump the brakes of your car.

But through both of these what you do see is the higher ground. You know that the valley is temporary and it’s just a matter of time before you will be out of the valley, possibly even on top of the mountains, looking downward toward where you came from, what you went through that brought you to the higher ground. You pause for a moment and just soak in the beauty of what is before you.

Isn’t life a lot like that? Right now my family is in the deepest valley it has ever experienced and it was a downhill plunge in a matter of seconds. We are all affected by what is going on and it will have affects for the rest of our lives here on this earth. It is a difficult place to be, it is not easy and it is not without worry. Don’t get me wrong though, the worry is because we do not know the outcome, it is not because we do not trust who is in charge of this. Worry can be a cancer and destroy a person, but this worry is the kind that pushes you toward the only One that can remedy. This is in God’s hands and the valley may seem deep at this moment, but you know what? I see the mountains. I see the One that created the mountains and I have put my trust in Him to see us all through this, in His way.

Is it easy? No, not by a long shot, but knowing that the Lord is in control does ease things a lot. I gave up control about 2 seconds after this situation came about, which is about 2 seconds longer than I should have. But I know through this trial that God is ever present and will keep us from harm and will be glorified. He already has been as His power to transcend this situation with His peace and with the family of believers He has been so gracious in putting us into. This has brought me closer to God and also is strengthening my family and bringing them closer to Him as well, which glorifies His working in our lives. To God be the glory, for everything!

Please do keep my family in your prayers for His peace to transcend through this, especially to my son, my mom, my wife, the other 2 boys and myself: as well as the extended family members. Please leave a comment of any verse that may have come to mind for you or anything else that you might think could encourage us through this difficult time.

Matthew 11:28-30 Come unto me, all ye that labour and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you, and learn of me; for I am meek and lowly in heart: and ye shall find rest unto your souls. For my yoke is easy, and my burden is light.

Philippians 4:6-7 Be careful for nothing; but in every thing by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known unto God. And the peace of God, which passeth all understanding, shall keep your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus.

1 Peter 5:7 Casting all your care upon him; for he careth for you.

Proverbs 3:5-6 Trust in the LORD with all thine heart; and lean not unto thine own understanding. In all thy ways acknowledge him, and he shall direct thy paths.

Psalms 130:5 I wait for the LORD, my soul doth wait, and in his word do I hope.

Psalms 57:1-3 Be merciful unto me, O God, be merciful unto me: for my soul trusteth in thee: yea, in the shadow of thy wings will I make my refuge, until these calamities be overpast. I will cry unto God most high; unto God that performeth all things for me. He shall send from heaven, and save me from the reproach of him that would swallow me up. Selah. God shall send forth his mercy and his truth.

Psalms 55:22 Cast thy burden upon the LORD, and he shall sustain thee: he shall never suffer the righteous to be moved.

Happy New Year - 2009

I just wanted to take a moment and wish everyone and their families a Happy New Year. Start out the year right with humbling yourself to the Lord and asking Him to cleanse your life of all possible sins, make it a point to pray constantly, be in constant communion with the Lord. Ask that He be ever present in your thoughts and life and that you think of Him before you do anything.

Also on a personal note: My family is in the midst of a very difficult situation. I will not go into detail, but say that my son is in a lot of trouble with the law. This is after years of issues with him, he has finally gotten caught and must now pay. I tried for a long time to change him, praying the whole time that "I" could say the right words, that "I" could do the right things, that "I" could make him see what he was doing was destructive, that "I" could just make him understand. God showed me that "I" couldn't do anything except show him love and tell him the truth and leave the rest up to the Lord. That's what I did about 2 years ago, my son has done things that he should have never gotten away with (and did get away with) and now he got caught and it is serious to the law and has devastating implications for my whole family.

I know the Lord is in control and I gave up control of my son to Him a long time ago. I know I still pray for my son and I know that God will be definitely glorified through all of this. This may be the bottom of the barrel - where my son finally sees God and how he sins against Him, the Creator of all. Please pray for my son that God will open his mind and heart to Him, please pray for my family during this storm of life. I gave up control of this situation to God a few moments after the initial shock of what has happened and am resting perfectly in His Bosom. Jehovah Shalom, You are with me,
To supply all my needs.

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.

The Todd Bentley "Type" Deception

I have watched with a lot of wonder and amazement as the hit count on this blog have increased. I do take advantage of a free counter that shows referring websites to this blog. What is disturbing is the number of hits for people searching google for “Where’s Todd Bentley” Where’s Bentley” etc. and my blog has found a place for those searchers because of a post I did back when Todd Bentley was at the pinnacle of his popularity and had gone missing for a few days. This was written a few weeks before anything was released about his affair with his staff person.

I assume that Todd is still hiding out somewhere waiting for the right opportunity to make his comeback as other false prophets have done historically: by name Peter Popov, William Branham, and recently Ted Haggard (who is now blaming everyone in his past for his homosexual tryst that landed him on the curb). Some do not ever go away like Benny Hinn, Kenneth Copeland and Rodney Howard-Browne. Some have been accepted as true followers of Christ and are deceiving millions of people every day with their self help, prosperity preaching that caters to the egos and worldly lusts of the general public. Those being deceived have itching ears and are following a message that is as man centered as have ever been. Even the newest “prophet” on the scene that people are enamored with, Barak Obama, openly denies Christ as the only way, openly defiles and mocks the Word of God while all the while claiming to be a Christian.

These situations leave me dumbfounded as millions of people follow these, in essence, false prophets. How does a little blog like mine gets so many hits for a search engines link to my blog titled “Where’s Todd Bentley”? In my honest opinion it is because these poor lost souls are searching for a savior, a messiah that is going to fix them of what ails them, fix their bank accounts and make them prosper physically, emotionally and monetarily. They are not searching for the True Messiah, the True Savior Jesus Christ. So many people latch on to hopes in a man like Bentley, Hinn, Obama or Joel Osteen that deny the true Jesus Christ of scripture. Scripture does not say, “all roads lead to heaven” it says Jesus is the Way, the Truth and the Life – No one comes to the Father but by Me John 14:6. It also says that the path is narrow and many will be deceived and few will find the true path to salvation Matt 17:13-14. This narrow path is…. NARROW, not broad as many people think, “Oh well, let me bring all this baggage of my life along with me, the fornication, lying, stealing, blasphemy, partying, smoking, cussing. Jesus is my ticket He will forgive me. I can do all things because Christ will forgive me”. What? How wrong is that? The path is narrow. You cannot bring the baggage of those sins with you, they must be checked at the door and left behind, and you must travel the path of salvation by yourself. See, God saves you alone. God does not save a family or church simply because they are a part of that family or church. Salvation is a One on one with the One in which God creates a new heart in you because of His mercy and His pleasure, not for anything that you can do. All we can do is repent and believe and continue to repent and believe daily, every minute of every day.

Salvation is evidenced by the radical change in lifestyle. Out with the old, in with the new. I have heard it said “If you are what you were then you ain’t”. Not correct grammar, but correct theology. If your lifestyle continues to be one of sin, not just expressed but also in your heart, the desire to sin like always, then you really need to examine yourself to make sure you are in the faith 2 Cor. 13:5. There is a very good chance that you are not a Christian. You will be a new creation 2 Cor. 5:17, old thing will be passed away and all things will become new. That is the biblical way of saying if you are what you were then you ain’t.

If you came to this blog searching for where Todd Bentley is hiding out, I do not know. I do know that if you desire Bentley then you are looking in the wrong place and upon the wrong person for your answers. Bentley is a false prophets at it’s most obvious and if you tested every spirit as 1 John 4:1 dictates then you would discern that Bentley as well as those previously mentioned are false prophets sent by the god of this world to deceive millions as they have been doing. What you really need to be searching is scripture and spending time on your knees asking God to reveal to you true salvation and to create a new heart in you. Repent of your sins, leave them behind, don’t look back Luke 9:62, keep your eyes on Jesus instead of an earthly figure. If God saves you then He will also keep you, if He started a work in you He will finish it. You will not be partially saved from your sins, but will grow in the sanctification process, as you will become less like you and more like Him. Cry out to God right now for mercy, for His truth of salvation. Do not be deceived any longer by these worldly and corrupt men of the devil. They desire nothing but your money and your souls in hell.

My prayers go out for you that are deceived, my heart breaks for the countless souls that believe these lies. Please God open their eyes to the Truth of Your Word.

Light of the world....

Matthew 5:14 You are the light of the world. A city that is set on a hill cannot be hid.

Chandra and I just returned from a few days in Seattle Washington. To say it is a lot different than Paducah KY is a harsh understatement. Not just in the sense that it is a bigger city, has mountain peaks as scenery and millions of people, but in the sense that the spiritual atmosphere there was completely different.

Here in Paducah you can find a church in about any direction you turn, you actually don’t even have to be looking for a church (building) to find one. That is the same for about any other city I have visited, but then again I have never been that far West and out of the direct impact of the bible belt. In Seattle I did open the phone book and find a lot of listings for churches, but driving and walking the streets I found only 1 and it wasn’t in Seattle, it was in Renton just outside of Seattle.

I had already made plans to attend Mars Hill Church there, because of the sound theology (although somewhat controversial) of the pastor, Mark Driscoll. Well before the trip I had contacted Mars Hill and asked them which of the 7 campuses would be the most convenient and was decided on that the Downtown campus would be the most likely candidate. I did take a little stroll on Saturday following one of those cute little cartoonish city maps, but with great success. I found the building of the Mars Hill Downtown campus.

The service Sunday morning was winding down for the Song of Song sermon series, so it had a lot to do with husband and wife and how they should be “doing” things. It actually went right along with a course titled “Love and Respect” that Chandra and I have been attending at Oak Grove Baptist here in Paducah. I won’t go into detail of the décor or message, because I’ve gotten totally off base on what I was going to write about.

On the flight out it was daytime, very bright sky very beautiful to look out over the clouds. I always set next to a window when I fly so I can soak in Gods creation. I pray in thanks of God for allowing me to look down at what He has created. About the most spectacular sight flying in was the mountain ranges, but Mount Ranier, Mount Olympus and Mount St. Helens jutting skyward was just simply breathtaking.

Taking all of the beauty of the mountain ranges, the landscape and the marvels that we flew over during the day, I can say that they return flight had more impact on me than anything I saw in the daylight. This was only the 2nd flight I have ever been on at night, but God has been working on me a lot since that first night flight. This flight I was noticing the lights below.

1 John 1:7 But if we walk in the light, as he is in the light, we have fellowship one with another, and the blood of Jesus Christ his Son cleanseth us from all sin.

I started thinking that as Christians we are to be salt and light to the world. My mind started to wonder around that verse and I began to see the lights differently below. They looked a lot like how Christians are in the world. You see great darkness and then see thousands of individual lights scattered throughout these dark places. Then you see thousands of lights together in places that form neighborhoods and those are on the outskirts of cities that have millions of lights. My mind was racing to equate that as the single lights are very noticeable in the darkness, they do not conform to the light, they in fact nullify the darkness. The neighborhoods I likened to groups of Christians that study together, hang out together, witness together and are there in the rough times for each other. Or even could be the Church study groups or Sunday school classes. Then you gaze out further and see the cities, the Churches. The brighter light in the darkness cast by them is because of them being grouped together. Not that one shines more than the other, but they all shine together to be a beacon in the darkness. Looking out from the plane window I could see cities plotted out across the blackness. I could also see the single lights as we were flying over them, but only for a fleeting moment. I then started to think about what connected them and that each and every one of those lights were connected by the streets. If there was a light, then there was a street, road or highway that would get you there.

My thoughts then changed to the parable of the vine and branches that Pastor Durham has been teaching on. The lights being connected to the streets were like the branches being connected to the Vine, just as Christ connects us all. All the lights that the plane flew over were in fellowship together because of the road, they were all doing what lights do – casting light into the darkness. Even the lights in Seattle are connected to the lights here in Paducah; we all have the same roadway, which is Christ. Christ connects each Christian together and when we come together we cast more light as neighborhoods, more light as Churches and then when the sun rises, that Light exposes everything. Christians can then sit back in the Light of the Son as His Light shines upon the Earth.

The light of Christ exposes all the darkness, not like our small lights that affect only our surroundings. But God has purposed us to be those lights in the darkness, to come together as friends and families to study His Word to cast more light, then to be the Church which casts off even more light, that is connected to all the other Churches to be one Church, the Bride of Christ so the Light of Christ can shine.

Matthew 5:16 Let your light so shine before men, that they may see your good works, and glorify your Father which is in heaven.

Ephesians 5:8 For you were sometimes darkness, but now are you light in the Lord: walk as children of light:

1 Peter 2:9 But you are a chosen generation, a royal priesthood, an holy nation, a peculiar people; that you should show forth the praises of him who has called you out of darkness into his marvellous light:

Biblical Discernment (or open your eyes to the truth)

I’d just like to address a dire situation in the church buildings these days, a very dangerous practice that is letting untold thousands, if not millions, of unbelievers through the doors. Some of these people are becoming leaders, deacons, nursery workers, Sunday School teachers, door greeters and even pastors. This could possibly be the most dangerous practice of the modern church age, well next to “decisional regeneration”. But then again this goes hand in hand with people making “decisions” for Christ.

The practice is in not discerning true believers from the “carnal Christians”, which are not Christians at all. These professing believers at one time made a decision, walked an isle, got baptized or any number of other modern, non-Biblical methods of “gaining salvation” instead of placing trust in Jesus Christ, repenting of their sins and actually becoming new creations in Christ. You can see alot of the unregenrated professors in the music business as they sing their songs that glorify sinful lifestyles, drinking, partying, promescuity, drugs, extramrital affairs, etc but then come out with a "gospel" CD and they are welcomed with open arms to any church that they want to step in to to sing their songs. It's not possible to have one foot in the world and the other in heaven. That is clear in the bible.

The modern “church” is more concerned with numbers, programs and putting out a false gospel messages themselves to be discerning. They willingly let hypocrites (actors) into their church buildings in search of higher attendances, higher offerings and higher carnal feelings. What happened to proving all things 1 Thess 5:21, judging professing Christians by their fruits Matt 7:20 and John 7:24? Instead these have been replaced with decision cards, slaps on the back, hand shakes and tithe envelops. No discernment of anyone or by anyone, all the while these unconverted people are gaining access to the sanctuaries and church class rooms, moving into leadership roles and enforcing these false beliefs that just because someone professes faith it should be taken as the truth. Churches are being filled with people that base their salvation on a decision, not Christ. These lost souls do not know what true Christianity is, so how can they be spreading the true gospel message? They can’t! Church leaders are letting Freemasons in leadership roles and no one sees a problem with this?

Then again this is a form of godliness, but believing a lie 2 Tim 3:1-7. They read the Word of God, but they either don’t understand it, or they just blatantly deny what it says. I would go with the first; they don’t understand it because they aren’t truly converted. How could supposed people of God be letting unbelievers into leadership roles? Or even letting them become members without anything but a signature on a card to move their membership? The bible is very clear that this would happen. Also with all of the new age, post modern junk that’s out there (all roads lead to God) it should not really be such a surprise. The TV preachers promote this, Joel Osteen denied that Christ was the only way on the Larry King show and yet he still has millions of other professing Christians buying his books, sending him money and attending his services. Have you ever watched a Osteen broadcast? I have, in hopes that I would hear something more than a pep rally meeting to make his followers feel better about themselves. Osteen doesn’t want to offend anyone, so he dodges the Truth and in doing that he denies Christ. Oprah has millions of followers and has pretty much the same message out there all roads lead to God. President elect Obama said very flippantly the same thing in a speech and then went on the mockingly tell the crowd that “people need to start reading their bibles”. I would suggest the same, but when they do and start believing the Word they will soon dismiss Obama, Oprah and Osteen for what they are – heretics, hypocrites and false converts.

Christ is the only Way. There is no way around it. All roads lead to hell unless they are through repentance and trust in Christ. God will not partially do anything, He will save a person or not. He will not save someone and then allow them to live in rebellion as “carnal Christians”, it’s not possible. An encounter with God is the most powerful thing that could ever happen to someone, that’s what the new birth is that Jesus told Nicodemus about, being born again is not just a cute little catch phrase, it is a biblical, Christian Truth. Unless you were reborn with a new spiritual nature then you are not a Christian. In being reborn spiritually your desires will change, you will love the God you hated. You will desire to know Him more, you will desire to please Him, not out of fear but out of love for your Savior. How great is that love?

Don’t rest in a decision, examine your spiritual walk and make sure it lines up with scripture. Start in 1 John, then the Gospels, Romans, 1 and 2 Corinthians and wherever God leads you and see if what your profession of faith means in light of the Word of God, not the words of a preacher, evangelist or your own feelings. If you continued in sin, it is a great possibility that you are not a Christian and you need to repent and turn to Christ. Put all faith in His Word and believe with all your heart that His Words are true. Find a biblical church, one that discerns between professing believers and true believers, one that preaches the Word in Truth and Righteousness. If a church uses worldly ways to draw people in, then it will have to use worldly ways to keep the people there. If God has truly saved you, then He will open your eyes to the false teachers and heretical ways of most churches. They have a form of godliness, but deny the power of God. Ask God for eyes to see and ears to hear that you might be able to discern the lies if your church spreading them. God will do it, He wants you to be in His Church, not the worlds church buildings. Don’t let traditions men keep you away from the True Word of God. He will lead you if you ask. I can highly recommend Oak Grove Baptist Church if you are in the Paducah Kentucky area and Union Baptist Church near Marion Kentucky. Other than that I have not been in any truly biblical churches in the immediate Paducah area, that’s not saying that there aren’t any, just that I haven’t been in any. I wouldn’t be apposed to visiting a church if you need an outside ear to hear. God has blessed me with an ear for the Truth and I praise Him for it. God will open your eyes too, it is simple after you have been truly converted. God will keep His own.

Repent and Trust.

Obama Declared the Next President

Well, Obama was just declared to have enough electoral votes to be the next President of the United States. I would go on a tirade and ask how people could be so deceived or how a professing Christian nation could elect a murdering baby killer to the highest office. But I wont go there. This is all in Gods plan and while I don't think Obama is the anti-christ, I do know he is an anti christ and a large step towards acceptance of the real anti christ to come.

So am I bothered? Not really. I voted for McCain after deliberating on casting my vote for Chuck Baldwin of the Constitution party. It is no surprise that the majority of Americans voted for Obama. I say this because of the sinful state of this country. I believe God has finally had enough and is giving this country over to it's sins in judgement. I am not a prophet or the son of a prophet, but I do know somewhat the Word of God and His character. God can not stand sin and the blatant, revelling in sin that the USA does is very damning.

I just pray that you truly know the Lord and are not resting in a decision that you made way back when. If you are trusting in anything other that the redemptive work of Christ then you are not a Christian and will be cast into the lake of fire. If you think of salvation as being kept from going to hell for eternity only, then you are not a Christian. If you put your faith in a pastor, Sunday school teacher or a priest that declared you saved, then you are not a Christian. Please examine yourself and make sure that you have TRULY repented of your sins, turned from them to God and put your faith in His Word. That is the only way to salvation contrary to the false gospels that abound now. Christ is the Way, Truth and the Life and no one can get to the Father but by Him.

As a Christian, I can not support the choices of President Elect Obama. I will however be praying for him, as I do other lost people. I will pray for his genuine conversion which will be evidenced by his fruit. Please also pray for him. Even though you may not like him, what he does will affect you and your family. God is sovereign and Obama was elected for a reason. The hand of God was upon this as millions of people were left to be deceived by this man. All in Gods glorious work.

The Great Commision As America See's It

Matthew 28:19-20 - Go ye therefore, and teach all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost: Teaching them to observe all things whatsoever I have commanded you: and, lo, I am with you alway, even unto the end of the world. Amen.

Have you ever bribed someone to become a Christian? Have you ever told someone “I’ll give you $1 a day as long as you follow Christ, listen to a sermon every day and read this Bible I give to you?” Would that be a draw to someone? Probably not in the depraved United States, Canada, England or any other economically “sound” country.

What if you did the same thing in a deprived nation instead of a depraved nation? Imagine the people that would be knocking you down to get that dollar bill a day. Let’s use Ethiopia as an example. This is one of the poorest countries in the World. The Per Capita income of Ethiopia is in the $90 range, meaning some people get more and some get less. So offering a person $1 a day would make that person wealthy in Ethiopia. Now what if you changed the offer, “I’ll feed you, your family, your village every day. I’ll build you houses, give you free medical and dental care, dig fresh water wells and set up schools for your people. All you have to do is listen to our message, follow what we say and accept Christ as your savior.” Does that sound familiar to anyone? Am I very far off base as to what goes on in some mission fields?

I have heard mission trip reports of how many people were fed, how many teeth pulled, how much food given out, how many people ministered to and how many people that got saved. Let me clarify something now before you read any further – I am not against missionaries, I am not against feeding the poor, I am not against treating the infirmed or pulling teeth. I believe a Christian should help out who they can, when they can. But I will put this out there – Is it biblical for confessing Christians to bribe the poor people with food, health care and shelter in order to “get decisions for Christ”?

Jesus did feed thousands on a couple occasions found in scripture (Matt. 14:13-21, John 6:1-14) and it would probably be safe to say He did even more times than these. What I see in these passages is Jesus feeding those that were following Him to hear His Word. They were not being bribed with food to come and listen. Not to say that some did not have the purpose of a free meal in mind. But the food was secondary, it was not a calling, it was not an issue. It was a freebie if you will. The draw was Christ Himself and His Word, Christ’s teachings, not bread and fish.

Once again I am not disrespecting the feeding of the starving or any other good that comes out of mission trips. What I am speaking about is motives for why people do these things. Is it to feed people, help people? Is it more selfish and about the mission persons works and to feel better about themselves. Is it about the numbers and boasting about how many people “accepted Christ” along with the bag of beans? I am sure that a lot of emotion is seen on the mission field, a lot of joy and a lot of grief. Shouldn't Christ be central to everything on the mission field? Not the human ego that thrives on “feeling good” about what they have done. But is that the answer to this dilemma? A lot of missions trips are for the sole purpose of making the missionary feel better about themselves, feel good that they “did their part and saved some souls”?

What if only 10% of those souls were the only truly converted ones? Actually, what about the other 90% that were told because they “accepted Jesus” that they were going to heaven where they would never be hungry again, where you can have whatever your hearts content, where the person’s needs are magnified above The True Reason for Heaven. God. Sure the benefits of being in heaven are great, but is that a persons motivation for going there? If so I would strongly consider doing a self-examination to see if you are really in the faith - 2 Cor 13:1-10. God is central to any truly converted life. Not the sparkles that entice the flesh, be it food, health care, fixed marriages, healed relationships, full bank accounts or a warm fuzzy feeling. All of those may be true fruits, but the Lord is the True Reason, His Glory, His Exaltation. We are but mere slaves that He bought but a great price, a true Christian is not central to their own lives, but the Master is central and is worth everything.

So what is the answer for missions trips? Like anything else the answer is God. What will bring Him more glory? What will get the message of the Cross out there more? Spending $5,000 for a missions trip per person, or sending that same $5,000 to indigenous missionaries that can use that same $5,000 to build 5 churches or feed a whole village for a year or send 10,000 bibles to China? What is the motivation is the ultimate question and answer as well? Is it self-centered or is it God centered?

What about the American mission field? What should an evangelist do in America if 90% of the “decisions” they are getting are not true conversions? This is the exact question I would submit to the large crusades, celebrations and festivals throughout the USA. If the 10% were your goal and the 90% thought they were saved but were speeding toward an eternal hell, would you change your message? Would you tell the 90% that they were damned or would you assure them that because of their decision, an emotional outpouring, after hearing you speak of how bad hell was on one extreme or how loving God is on the other extreme they “decide” to follow Christ? Jeremiah 17:9 declares that the heart is wicked above all things. We as humans are wicked and therefore it is our nature to reject God in His Holiness and righteousness. We need Him to burden us, to show us our sins, to take us to a point where we then see how deceitfully wicked we are, how much our lives were lived in hating God and how unrighteous and deserving of hell we really are. Then and only then can you look to God and plead for His forgiveness through the redemptive work of Christ on the Cross, Repent and Believe is all we can do, it is the only way to God through Christ. You can’t profess to be a Christian and live like the world (Romans 12:1-2, James 4:4, John 15:19, John 17:14) it is not possible – can a dog meow or a cat bark? Can a fish live out of water? So a new creation in Christ (2 Cor. 5:17) cannot live like the world. We are birthed into the family of God out of the bondage of sin, we are His and He will keep His children faithful. God will not partially do anything; He will always finish what He starts (Phil. 1:6)

So just seek the Lord’s Word on missions. Do not jump into something with selfish motives. God does not need more missionaries to go have a feel good trip, that will make you feel good for taking beans to an outskirt area in Africa. He needs His people to take the Word of God in all Its glory to those people, without compromise, without bribery and without selfish motives. As I said before if you really want to help, send your $5000 to an indigenous or native missionary and take the vacation time you would have traveled on and go to the outskirts of your own city, or the vastest mission field of all – the American Church.

A great place to start if you would really like to help spread the Word of God would be Heart Cry Missionary Society. This is a great organization that takes the true Word of God to many places first and foremost, without compromise. I am sure there are many other missions and opportunities for you to be a part of sowing the seed of Gods Word throughout the world. Please do extensive research and commit to prayerfully seeking God's will before you send money to any of them. Make sure that the Word of God in TRUTH is the foremost to whatever group you send financial support to. If you truthfully seek Gods guidance He will direct you.