The Mormon Mitt Romney is Christian According to Joel Osteen

Having Fun in His Name?

These comments by A.W. Tozer are just are applicable today as they were over 50 years ago when he wrote them.

"Any appeal to the public in the name of Christ that rises no higher than an invitation to tranquillity must be recognized as mere humanism with a few words of Jesus thrown in to make it appear Christian...

Christ calls men to carry a cross; we call them to have fun in His name. He calls them to forsake the world; we assure them that if they but accept Jesus the world is their oyster. He calls them to suffer; we call them to enjoy all the bourgeois comforts modern civilization affords. He calls them to self-abnegation and death; we call them to spread themselves like green bay trees or perchance even to become stars in a pitiful fifth-rate religious zodiac. He calls them to holiness; we call them to a cheap and tawdry happiness that would have been rejected with scorn by the least of the Stoic philosophers...

We can afford to suffer now; we'll have a long eternity to enjoy ourselves. And our enjoyment will be valid and pure, for it will come in the right way at the right time."

"Lord, may I be faithful to call people to that which is important to You, at whatever cost. Amen."
(Tozer on Christian Leadership, December 27)

The Moutain Meadow Massacre -- (Mormons)

Brian Culver from time2changechurches looks at the Mountain Meadow Massacre which occurred on September 11, 1857 where 120 Arkansas emigrants where massacred in Utah by Mormons.



A movie is being made about the event.

Intrigued About Jesus...But Why?

As Christmas is upon us, many people who may never frequent churches at all through the year are showing up at Christmas Eve services, in many cases out of tradition.

The fact that many of these people are grazing the door of a church, even if it is once or twice a year, is a good thing. No doubt the thought of Jesus is nearer to many people during the Christmas season. Even though our society is doing its best to eliminate Jesus Christ from the holidays. God will separate his elect regardless of what culture tries to do to stop Him.

I have been thinking lately about what reasons and purposes people may have for considering Jesus of Nazareth. People are interested in him but my question is "why?" Is he another philosophy or another belief system or another faith? A lot of people seem to like Jesus. Why do they like him? What is it they like about him? I believe many of us could answer these questions with some degree of accuracy right off the top of our head. He was good. He was compassionate. He fed the hungry, He healed the sick, and He spoke out against injustice. These seem to be the things many people are interested in today as well, so why not like Jesus? He did a lot of good things to help those in need around Him. Nobody would have an issue with a Jesus such of this.

The wise men as described in Matthew chapter 2 came seeking the king of the Jews by following a star. Apparently they were also aware of the prophesy from Micah 5 as mentioned in verse 6. They may have been aware of other prophesies as well. It does not say they came to seek someone who would feed the hungry, or heal the sick, or oppose social injustices. It is not recorded that they came to find a new religion or a belief system to facilitate life as it was, but rather, they came to seek Jesus in order that they may worship him. Matthew 2:2 makes this clear. When they are before King Herod they tell him of their motive. They were looking for the king of the Jews so they may worship him. Verse 11 of the same chapter says they "fell down and worshipped him" when they saw the child.

I am compelled to believe that many people in our society are truly intrigued by Jesus but not for the purpose of worshipping him. If that assessment is true, my question is "are they really seeking the true Jesus as revealed in scripture?" Are we truly seeking the real Jesus if we are seeking him for a purpose other than worship? When we are drawn to Jesus, I believe we may want Him for many reasons but as we encounter the real Jesus it will at some point, be for the purpose of obtaining mercy and grace from Him as we look to Him with remorse and brokeness over our sin against Him.

When we crawl to the cross in destitution and utter helplessness, by our actions we are leaving no other option but a magnifying of God's glory by pointing to his grace, mercy, and redemption as demonstrated in our restoration. This brings Him glory (Isaiah 60:21). When the Israelites were stricken with deadly snake bites while in the wilderness, they were instructed to look upon the serpent of brass placed on a pole and they would live (Numbers 21:7-9). This is the first step in true worship of God. Our falling down in humility before Him. This is the posture He receives. Anything else is not acceptable by Him because it does not bring Him total and complete glory. Bringing Him total and complete glory IS worshipping Him. He truly deserves it. After all, who else would come to earth incarnated as a human to save people from the justified wrath of God except God Himself? (Isaiah 43:10-13) Who else is qualified to appease God but God Himself? Who else could be the perfect sacrificial lamb(Isaiah 53:4-7)? Who else is worthy (Rev. 5:9 & 12)? He will not nor cannot share His glory with another (Isaiah 42:8), therefore He must be the savior. And He is.

Like the wise men, I hope that as people consider Jesus during this Christmas season, they will seek Him for the same reason the wise men did, to worship Him. In doing this we will be seeking the real Jesus not a a jesus of our own imaginations which desire to share some of the glory.

Merry Christmas!

What Would the Modern Preacher Have Done?

Paul Washer here takes out the ambiguity in today's confusing versions of the gospel:

Are We Sacrificing Our Children To Molech?

If we neglect teaching our youth sound Biblical doctrine and allow them to be exposed to liberal theologies such as the Emergent movement I believe it is safe to say we are sacrificing our children to Molech.

The following is from Francis Schaeffer:

"…modern liberal theology is more heinous than following the Molech of old.

Do you know the facts concerning Molech? Molech, whose idol was in the valley of Hinnon, was a heathen god whom the Jews were constantly warned against following. What kind of a god was Molech? He was the god of the sacrifice of newborn babies. This was the central act of his worship: the firstborn of every woman’s body had to be sacrificed to Molech. According to one tradition, there was an opening at the back of the brazen idol, and after a fire was made within it, each parent had to come and with his own hands place his firstborn child in the white-hot, out-stretched hands of Molech. According to this tradition, the parent was not allowed to show emotion, and drums were beaten so that the baby’s cries could not be heard as the baby died in the hands of Molech. And there, I would say, stand many in our day.

Many of those who come to me, those with whom I work, are the children destroyed by a worse than Molech. Men--men who were supposedly the men of God--have stood by while their children were eaten up by modern theology. And then we are told that there is supposed to be no emotion shown.

Some of you who read this bear the marks of these things from the background from which you come. All of us are marked by this in some way, to some extent, because our Western, post-Christian world has been undercut by liberal theology. Every scar this present generation has, every tear cried, every baby aborted, every drug trip taken, cannot be separated from the fact that the church has turned away and become unfaithful. This generation are the babies in the hands of Molech. And are we supposed to stand by and hear their cries and cover them up by beating loudly the drums of a profitless discussion? No, we are to weep and to act."

--Francis Schaeffer, Adultery and Apostasy: The Bride and Bridegroom
Taken from The Works of Francis Schaeffer

'Gay' Plans To Target 2-Year-Olds

HERE is an article I posted on families-r-first.com about the insanity going on in California's public schools thanks to Arnold.

all I have to say is... UNBELIEVABLE!

Roots of the Emergent Church and "Relevance"

"Do you think the emergent church has some hip, cool, new way of thinking? The mentality of "Well, we need to change Christianity..." and "The Bible doesn't need to be the center of everything..." has been around much longer than these "cool, new, hip guru's" would like for you to believe. The root of the problem is called "humanism", and this short video by Francis Schaeffer exposes this way of thinking for the departure from Christian faith that it really is. Notice the similarities between this culture of 1,000 years ago and the culture of today..."

Rob Bell Says "God Believes in Us"

"God believes in us, in you, in me. I mean faith in Jesus is important, but what about Jesus' faith in us?" -Rob Bell



Below is a video critiquing Rob Bell's views.



Do we really need a guy like Rob Bell distorting the truth and confusing multitudes?

Maybe he is necessary, after all the Word says in 1 Corinthians 11:19:

"For there must be also heresies among you, that they which are approved may be made manifest among you."

Pope Benedict XVI Approves Indulgences

Here is an article from BBC news on the Pope condoning heresy. Strange, I hear so many people say the Catholic church has changed.

I hope this helps us to remember what the Protestant Reformation was all about.

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Pope Benedict XVI has authorised special indulgences to mark the 150th anniversary of the Virgin Mary's reputed appearance at Lourdes.

Catholics visiting the site within a year of 8 December will be able to receive an indulgence, which the Church teaches can reduce time in purgatory.

Lourdes has drawn pilgrims since Mary was said to have appeared in 1858 to shepherdess Bernadette Soubirous.

The waters of the French shrine are said to have miraculous healing powers.

The Pope is expected to visit the shrine next year.

The pontiff also said believers who prayed at places of worship dedicated to Our Lady of Lourdes from 2-11 February next year - or who were unable to make the journey - would also be able to receive indulgences.

The decree was signed by US Cardinal J Francis Stafford, who is head of the Apostolic Penitentiary, a Vatican court dealing with indulgences and matters of conscience.

Indulgences became infamous in the 16th century for being sold rather than earned, helping, historians say, trigger the Protestant reformation.

While some might consider indulgences an outdated concept, great spiritual importance have been assigned to them by Benedict XVI and his predecessor, Pope John Paul II.

Omaha Mall Shooting Occurred at "Gun-Free Zone"

I know this is not so much of a "spiritual" issue (or maybe it is), but I felt I should post this very interesting article from FoxNews on the mall shooting in Nebraska. Makes me want to go out and get a concealed weapon permit right away.

excerpt:

"...despite the massive news coverage, none of the media coverage, at least by 10 a.m. Thursday, mentioned this central fact: Yet another attack occurred in a gun-free zone.

Surely, with all the reporters who appear at these crime scenes and seemingly interview virtually everyone there, why didn’t one simply mention the signs that ban guns from the premises?

Nebraska allows people to carry permitted concealed handguns, but it allows property owners, such as the Westroads Mall, to post signs banning permit holders from legally carrying guns on their property."

READ THE REST...

Would God Send His Son to a Violent Death? Some Say No

From an earlier Lighthousetrails newsletter comes this article on some authors' views of Christ's atonement.

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Some leading contemplative proponents say that a loving God would not send His son to a violent death on a Cross. Brennan Manning, in his book Above All states:

"The god who exacts the last drop of blood from his Son so that his just anger, evoked by sin, may be appeased, is not the God revealed by and in Jesus Christ. And if he is not the God of Jesus, he does not exist" (p. 58).

Although Manning takes credit for penning these words, they are actually the words of panentheist mystic, William Shannon, from his book Silence on Fire, who wrote them several years ago. Shannon stated:

"He is the God who exacts the last drop of blood from His Son, so that His just anger, evoked by sin, may be appeased ... This God does not exist. This is not the God whom Jesus Christ reveals to us" (p. 110).

What are the implications of Shannon's statement? Basically, making someone suffer a violent death to save others is not something a loving God would do. Shannon believes such a sacrifice is unnecessary because he believes all creation (all people) are already connected to God:

"The goal of all true spirituality is to achieve an awareness of our oneness with God and with all of God's creation ... and with all that is." (p. 160).

Shannon says that we are all "contemplatives" ("mystics") and that "God is the Hidden Ground of Love," and we are "all one in that Ground" and "contemplative prayer [is] becoming conscious of what is already there [God]" (p. 22, 154, 160). That is why Thomas Merton said if we knew what was really inside of each other, we would fall down and worship one another - Merton's biographer totally agreed with this.

Manning, Shannon and Merton are not the only ones who downplay the doctrine of the Cross. Alan Jones, in his book Reimagining Christianity, says that "Jesus' sacrifice was to appease an angry God. Penal substitution was the name of this vile doctrine" (p. 168). Brian McLaren suggests that the doctrines of the Cross and of Hell are "false advertising for God."

If it were true, that Jesus Christ suffering a violent death on the Cross was unnecessary for man to be saved, then Scripture becomes invalid for in Hebrews it says that "the Mediator [Jesus Christ] of the new covenant" had to die before the covenant could take effect (Hebrews 9). If Christ had not died a sacrificial death, the new covenant of grace would be non-existent, and there would be no means in which anyone could be saved.

Contemplative spirituality ultimately rejects the gospel message, and those who continue in its path will eventually follow after other gods and be led away from the salvation freely given to all who will believe. Henri Nouwen, one of the most prominent figures in the contemplative movement, said that Buddhism and Hinduism offered many spiritual treasures to contribute to the life of the Christian (Disciplines for Christian Living - Ryan). What do Buddhism and Hinduism offer? Panentheism (God in everything)

If Manning, Shannon, Merton, McLaren and Jones are right, then there is no need to preach the gospel to the lost, for there are no lost - they are already connected to God and they just need to be made aware of that. But if Scripture is correct, then believers are compelled to defend and preach this message that we are reconciled to God through the blood sacrifice of Jesus Christ.

Hillary Clinton Gets Standing Ovation at Rick Warren's Church.

THIS ARTICLE on the Christian Post claims:

"The former first lady reportedly won a standing ovation from the audience of over 1,500 Christian pastors, nongovernmental organizations and church members.

Here are several quotes from some of those in attendance at the Global Summit on AIDS conference where Hillary Clinton was one of the speakers:

“I saw a softer side of her that I haven’t seen before,” said Saddleback Church member Cindy Logan to WorldNetDaily. “She was very articulate. I liked her approach.

“I liked the fact that she’s been to Africa, she’s been with people who have been affected by AIDS, and she’s here because of her heart for people. I appreciated that.”

Another member of the Lake Forest, Calif.-based church, Tonie Kennedy, said inviting Clinton “was a good decision” after hearing her speech.

“It shows me she has her own faith,” Kennedy said, according to the San Francisco Chronicle, “and that she has an interest in what’s going on in the churches.”

THE ARTICLE from the Christian Post claims this will help her Democratic presidential candidacy:

"Experts have noted that Clinton has much to gain from a favorable reception at the Saddleback conference....A good reception at the influential megachurch might help Clinton make inroads among the evangelical voters."

(Thanks a lot Rick Warren!)