Truth or Dare

Sanctify them through thy truth: thy word is truth. (John 17:17)

I've noticed an increasing number of folks within the Christian blogosphere who frequently (and pathetically) fail to contrast the scriptural veracity and doctrinal purity of the watchman blogs - or watch doggies as they are derisively known - which are typically denounced for being variously "unloving", "arrogant" and/or "prideful" with that of the friendly emergents whom these same people typically praise and admire as "friendly", "open", and/or "loving".

If you are found among this number I caution you in the Lord to be mindful not to base your opinions on how others make you feel, but rather I exhort you instead to cling to what the Bible has to say about fidelity to scripture as opposed to adherence to a corrupt and man-centered faithlessness which is but a hollow pretence of genuineness.

There is a false humility that is much more devastating and spiritually cancerous than common boastful arrogance - both of which are forms of pride and ignorance that are frowned upon by the Lord of Glory.

Truly emotionalism and false piety are a dangerous and combustible combination for the soul. For a deep dive on these subjects I recommend Dr. John MacArthur's book "The Gospel According to Jesus".

The truth confronts error in love whereas deception welcomes all within its dark embrace.

God bless.

Is There Really a God?

God—an Eternal, Uncreated Being?
In our everyday experience, just about everything seems to have a beginning. In fact, the laws of science show that even things which look the same through our lifetime, such as the sun and other stars, are, in reality, running down. The sun is using up its fuel at millions of tons each second—since the sun cannot last forever, it had to have a beginning. The same can be shown to be true for the entire universe.

So when Christians claim that the God of the Bible created all the basic entities of life and the universe, some will ask what seems to be a logical question: “Who created God?”

The very first verse in the Bible declares: “In the beginning God ... .” There is no attempt in these words to prove the existence of God or imply in any way that God had a beginning. In fact, the Bible makes it clear in many places that God is outside time. He is eternal, with no beginning or end. He also knows all things, being infinitely intelligent.

Is it logical, though, to accept the existence of such an eternal being? Can modern science, which has produced our technology of computers, space shuttles, and medical advances, even allow for such a notion?1

What Would We Look For?
What evidence would we expect to find if there really is an infinite God who created all things as the Bible claims? How would we even recognize the hand of such an omnipotent (all-powerful) Creator?

The Bible claims that God knows all things—He is omniscient! Therefore, He is infinitely intelligent. To recognize His handiwork, one would have to know how to recognize the evidence of the works of His intelligence.

Continue reading "Is There Really a God?" here.

The Illegal Gospel

Then shall they deliver you up to be afflicted, and shall kill you: and ye shall be hated of all nations for my name's sake. (Matthew 24:9)

Norwegian street preacher Petar Keseljevic explains, in a video on the International Human Rights Group website about being fined for preaching a biblical message

The conviction and $1,500 fine for a street preacher who feels his calling is to share the gospel on the streets of Oslo, Norway, has been upheld by an intermediate court, and an appeal to the European Court of Human Rights is likely, according to the International Human Rights Group.

IHRG President Joel Thornton told WND in an e-mail from Norway that he'd been advised the court ruling, to be released soon, will affirm the discipline against Petar Keseljevic, who describes himself as the first street preacher in Norway.

He was in the city's downtown area on June 29 and 30, and on the second day was arrested for delivering a gospel message, even though he'd been told by city officials he could exercise his free speech rights on the public sidewalks without a permit, Thornton told WND.

He was released after a few hours, and fined 9,000 Kroners, about $1,500, then appealed, and the IHRG got involved.

"He is a strong Christian brother who has a very definite calling to preach the gospel on the streets of Oslo – his hometown," Thornton said. "He preaches a very sound biblical message about the sin of man and the need to repent and turn to God through His Son, Jesus Christ. I found Petar's enthusiasm to be infectious."


In a video on the IHRG website, Keseljevic describes his reason for preaching: "In these last days it is important that someone takes a stand and do what the message is meant for, share it," he said.

Continue reading here.

Inside the Abort-uary

I'm guessing the radical, rabid pro-death lobby is in full tilt spin control mode right about now since the grisly story of Christy Freeman broke. See below:


A real-life test for Roe v. Wade
Posted: August 9, 2007
1:00 a.m. Eastern
by Joseph Farah

Many Americans have come to accept the idea of unborn babies being torn limb from limb, starved to death, burned with acid and generally exterminated like pests – as long as the killing is done in the antiseptic conditions of a so-called "clinic."

It's a little harder to accept what happened in Ocean City, Maryland, where police have found the remains of four dead preborn children – all believed to have been aborted by the mother, Christy Freeman, 37. I guess I shouldn't call her a mother. Maybe "host" would be a more accurate term.

However, she is, technically speaking, a mother – at least biologically speaking – to four unfortunate offspring who live with her and her longtime "boyfriend," Raymond W. Godman Jr.

No one knows exactly what happened to these babies. One 26-week-old unborn baby was found wrapped in bloody towels under Freeman's bathroom sink. Two other sets of fetal remains were found wrapped in plastic in a bedroom trunk. A fourth was found in a Winnebago outside the home.

While Freeman is being held, no one is quite certain what crime, if any, she will be charged with.

After all, most laws against killing unborn babies were effectively struck down by the Supreme Court's Roe v. Wade decision in 1973.

To prosecutors, the key is timing.

They say if the infants were too young to be considered viable outside the womb, Freeman can't be charged with murder. And if they were old enough to live outside the womb but died before Maryland passed its 2005 fetal homicide law, it may not be a crime even if Freeman intentionally caused the deaths of these children.

Aren't you proud to be an American?

These four little babies are a sign of our times.

These are the little faces the pro-abortion crowd would never want you to see.

For one reason, the advocates of abortion on demand insisted this kind of thing would never happen again if only abortion were safe and legal. There would be no more "back-alley" or self-induced abortions. They would all take place in clean clinics under the direction of monsters who looked like doctors.

That was the promise.

It hasn't exactly worked out that way.

God knows what possessed Freeman to do what she did. Men and women have always done evil things and always will. It's their nature. And it is why government has a responsibility to rein in the worst of man's excesses – to keep us, at a minimum, from killing one another, to protect the innocent.

Today everything is upside-down, backwards, topsy-turvy, inverted. Black is now white. Up is down. Left is now right. Right is now wrong.

In many cases, government ensures the guilty never pay the ultimate price for their most heinous crimes, while the most innocent are permitted to suffer unspeakable fates.

The people in Ocean City, Md., are pretty upset about dead babies in their neighborhood. In fact, this case is a big story through the Washington Metro area – somewhat ironic given the fact that the U.S. Supreme Court, right in the heart of the nation's capital, made all this possible, if not probable, 34 years ago.

It will be interesting if it turns out that no crime was committed.

It's quite possible that four dead babies in your house is nothing more than, say, a health code violation, thanks to Roe v. Wade.

Is this the kind of story that can confront people about the horror that is abortion?

Is this the kind of story that can force people to confront the reality of what happens every day in abortuaries around this country?

Is this the kind of story that can make Americans think?

Sin

Either God is man’s God through the shed blood and propitiation of Christ Jesus, or else man is his own god. And when man is his own god (which is by nature but for God’s unmerited grace) bad things happen.

The common theme among all those who reject the authority of scripture and thereby the deny the absolute sovereignty of the Infinite Creator and Judge of the Universe is their cavalier, flippant attitude toward sin.

They wallow in it.

They drink it in.

They revel in it.

They treat it as though it were a light thing.

But why does God’s just and righteous wrath rest upon man? BECAUSE OF SIN!!!

Oh Lord, by your everlasting mercies may sinful men, by your grace alone, come to hate their sinful state and bewail it falling upon their faces before you in contrite repentance unto salvation!

Two Streams of Christianity

Born Again Christians
♦Contend for the God-given faith of the apostles (Jude 3)
♦Exalt Jesus Christ as the only Master, Lord and Head of the Church (Eph. 1:22)
♦Possesors of Christ, made alive by the Spirit (Rom. 8:10-11)
♦Are devoted to apostolic teaching and sound doctrine (Acts 2:42)
♦Proclaim salvation by grace alone through what God has done in Christ (Rom. 3:24-26; 11:6)
♦Receive grace and turn from ungodliness and worldly desires (Titus 2:11-12)
♦Children of God called out of the world and enrolled in heaven (2 Tim. 3:12; Heb. 12:23)
♦Know God and do good works prepared by Him (Eph. 2:9)

Apostates
♦Have deliberately departed from the apostles' faith (1 John 2:19)
♦Deny Jesus Christ as the only Master, Lord and Head of the Church (Jude 4)
♦Professors of Christ, twice dead (Mat. 7:22; Jude 12)
♦Introduce destructive heresies and do not endure sound doctrine (2 Tim. 4:3; 2 Pet. 2:1)
♦Deceive people with a "salvation" by grace plus what man must do for God (Gal. 1:6-9)
♦Turn the grace of our God into licentiousness (Jude 4)
♦Godless people blinded by the prince of the world and condemned (2 Cor. 4:4; Jude 4)
♦Profess to know God, but deny Him by their deeds (Titus1:16)

HAT TIP: Proclaiming the Gospel

The Edge of Apostasy

One of the greatest mysteries in life is how anyone could come to a knowledge of the Lord Jesus Christ and then depart from Him. Judas is the classic example of an apostate - one who abandons the faith he once held. Judas walked and lived with the Son of God for over three years, a royal privilege granted to only 11 others. Yet after witnessing the Messiah's sinless life, seeing His miracles, experiencing His divine power and hearing His profound wisdom, Judas betrayed Him. It was during the celebration of the Passover meal that Judas deliberately defected from the faith of the apostles and sealed his eternal destiny in the lake of fire (Mat. 26:24-25).

Two Streams of Christianity
Many others have departed from the faith since that fateful night. The apostle John wrote about apostates who "went out from us" because "they were not really of us; for if they had been of us, they would have remained with us" (1 John 2:18). Most apostates never reject the Christian faith completely, they fall away to a counterfeit form of Christianity. It is for this reason we have seen two streams of Christianity operating side-by-side for 2000 years.

The Apostolic Church
One stream is the apostolic church, founded by the Lord Jesus who is the Master Builder. It includes only the few who have entered through the narrow gate (Mat. 7:13). They have been sanctified by the truth and born of the Spirit. This Spirit of Promise seals and indwells each member, thus guaranteeing their eternal inheritance (Eph. 1:13-14). This church will be persecuted, hated and despised, but will continue holding to apostolic faith until Jesus returns to take it to heaven as His bride. The gates of hell shall not prevail against this church (Mat. 16:18).

The Apostate Church
The other stream is an apostate church made up of those who profess Christ but are spiritually dead. They believe a distorted Gospel, follow another spirit and reject the faith of the apostles (1 Tim. 4:1). This church is being built by men who ignore the Master Builder's blueprint and instead follow their own methods and movements. Maligning the way of truth, they seduce many with their sensuality (2 Pet. 2:2). Apostates will increase in number and grow worse and worse, deceiving and being deceived, until the Day of our Lord (2 Tim. 3:3). These "professing" Christians will not endure sound doctrine. Instead they will turn away from the truth and turn to teachers who tickle their ears with messages of self esteem (2 Tim. 4:3-4). Paul called these teachers "grievous wolves" who enter the church speaking perverse things, to draw away disciples after them (Acts 20:29-30). It is important to note that all apostates are unbelievers but not all unbelievers are apostates.

The Primary Cause of Apostasy
The major cause of apostasy can be traced to various spiritual influences that include demonic deceptions and divine judgments. The "father of lies" has been seducing the visible church into an ecumenical spirituality in an attempt to unite the religions of the world. Driven by his desire to be worshipped as god, he will continue to attack God's Word with an unrestrained determination. Postmodern philosophy is currently his most effective tool. Church leaders who are caught up in this movement are saying we cannot know absolute truth. And since we cannot know absolute truth, we cannot be dogmatic about doctrine or moral standards. They say dogmatic preaching must give way to dialogue between people of all faiths in order to seek unity for common goals. Divine judgment is also a cause for apostasy. Those who refuse to love and believe the truth for salvation will be sent a deluding influence so they might believe what is false and be judged (2 Thes. 2:9-12 ). A divine judgment in the form of moral apostasy is also given to those who suppress the truth in unrighteousness. By refusing to acknowledge God any longer, He gives them over to depraved minds and degrading passions for people of the same sex (Rom. 1:18-32).

The Step-by-Step Drift into Apostasy
Step One: God's word is rejected as the supreme authority for faith and practice. This creates uncertainty over whether to follow Jesus and His Word or the traditions and movements of men. Double mindedness causes confusion and divided loyalties. The power of the Gospel is diluted by compromise. Biblical evangelism is replaced by "easy believism" or sacramental salvation. Scripture is cited only for selfish ambition, resulting in little or no discernment. People are given what they want instead of what they need. Their spurious faith is exposed when trials and temptations arise. Biblical warnings about false teachers are ignored.

Step Two: Scripture is twisted and distorted for power, control and riches. Truth is determined by subjective personal experiences rather than the objective Word of God. Biblical ignorance provides fertile ground for false teachers. "Infallible" men claim to be successors of the apostles. Doctrinal error and sin are tolerated. Worldliness and ungodly influences are present. Hearts are unresponsive to the Holy Spirit. God is honored with lips but hearts are far from Him. Love for God grows cold. Those who contend for the faith are asked to leave. Satan sows his tares in the church with little or no resistance.

Step Three: Bible teaching is replaced by stories and myths. Doctrinal error is embraced. Programs and entertainment have forced Jesus out of the church. A form of godliness exists but it is void of power. Deception abounds because there is a failure to love the truth. A stubborn refusal to accept correction is present. Hearts have become hardened. The devil is no longer resisted. Blatantly immoral lifestyles are present and accepted.

Step Four: Jesus Christ and His Gospel are totally rejected. Those who embrace truth are an anathema and asked to leave. Grace is turned into a license to sin. The holy things of God are mocked. Deception is full-blown. Lying signs and wonders are promoted as messages from God. Doctrines of demons are followed. Idolatry and prayers to the dead are encouraged. The church's lampstand has been removed and a certain terrifying judgment is now unavoidable.

Past and Future Apostasy
Biblical history confirms there have always been apostate churches like the one at Laodicea (Rev. 3:14-22) as well as individual apostates (Heb. 10:26-31). However, "the apostasy" will reach its prophetic peak just prior to the Day of our Lord (2 Thes. 2:3). Paul's use of the definite article suggests that the downward spiral into apostasy will be culminated by one identifiable act. It will occur when the "man of lawlessness is revealed." This "son of destruction, who opposes and exalts himself above every so called god or object of worship...takes his seat in the temple of God, displaying himself as being God (2 Thes. 3:3-4). This apostasy will be a blasphemous act of unprecedented magnitude by a demonically influenced world leader. This "second Judas" will desecrate the temple by declaring himself to be God thus committing the abomination of desolation. The "first Judas" desecrated the temple with the money he received by betraying the Son of God (Mat. 27:5). The Lord Jesus warned us the end times would be marked by great deception, such that the world has never known (Mat. 24). The spiritual deception which covers the earth will be so prevalent that Jesus asked the question: "When the Son of Man comes, will He find faith on the earth?" (Luke 18:8). This fatal deception will cause more churches, denominations, seminaries and individuals to drift into apostasy unless biblical warnings are heeded. Each professing Christian's faith will be constantly tested as more seducing spirits invade the church.

What Are Believers To Do?
1) Pray that we will be strong in the Lord as we put on the full armor of God. Recognize we are in an intense battle for truth against the schemes of the devil and the wicked forces of darkness (Eph. 6:10-12).
2) Earnestly contend for the faith. When anyone in our circle of influence is deceiving or being deceived, we must lovingly confront and correct them using Scripture (2 Tim. 3:16).
3) We must abide in God's word to discern truth from error (John 8:31-32). Do not be swept away by every wind of doctrine. Every few years a new fad hits the church. These movements divert people away from the sure word of God. We must guard against the craftiness and trickery of men (Eph. 4:14).
4) Pray for your church leaders and hold them accountable to the Word of God. We must be like the Bereans who examined the Scriptures daily to test the veracity of the Apostle Paul's teaching (Acts 17:11).
5) Identify and avoid false teachers so others will not be deceived (Rom. 16:17-18).

May our love for Jesus Christ compel us to be His light in an ever darkening world. Be encouraged! Jesus said these things must take place before He comes for His church. Keep looking up, our redemption is near!

HAT TIP: Proclaiming the Gospel