#John MacArthur Denies Jesus is God

[plaintalkchristianministries]

John MacArthur, Ray Comfort, Kirk Cameron, Tim Tebow's Christianity Explained

Exploring John MacArthur, Ray Comfort, Kirk Cameron, and Tim Tebow’s Christianity. God Warns us over and over again in the Bible about False Teachers. Acts 20:29 For I know this, that after my departing shall grievous wolves enter in among you, not sparing the flock. 30 Also of your own selves shall men arise, speaking perverse things, to draw away disciples after them. 31 Therefore watch, and…

[wisdomfish]

Reason

Reason looks at creation and says, “There must be a Creator.” Reason looks at the diversity and says, “He must have an immense mind.” It looks at the design and says, “He’s a God of order.” It looks at the beauty and says, “He’s a God of beauty and harmony.” It looks at vast variety and says, “He’s a God of incredible power and complexity.”

You simply can’t look at the results of creation and doubt there’s a Creator. You’d have to commit intellectual suicide to deny there is a cause for the effect of the universe, that there is a supreme Maker.

“For since the creation of the world His invisible attributes, that is, His eternal power and divine nature, have been clearly perceived, being understood by what has been made, so that they are without excuse.”—makes this so clear that people have absolutely no excuse for being evolutionists. None. It is absolute idiocy. Any rational, thinking person, who sees anything that exists, assumes somebody made it. And the universe certainly demands a Creator.

Yet, man is so wicked, vile, and ungodly that his depravity negates the possibility of his coming all the way to God on his own natural powers. Instead, he suppresses the truth. He dishonors the Creator even though the knowledge of God as Creator is obvious around Him.

Mankind turns away from God, suppressing the truth and replacing it with empty speculation. That’s how supposedly smart people come up with stupid lies like evolution. They invent human ideas that are not reality, and their foolish hearts go dark.

They profess to be wise, give themselves Ph.D.s, put on royal and religious robes and cone hats, and march around as if they’re some great religious wise men. They are fools. They are morons.

Natural man worships creatures. His reason says there must be a God, but because of his wicked love of sin, he suppresses that truth. He can’t help but do so; and the end of all human philosophy and religion is “the wrath of God.”

First Corinthians 1:18 gives us a reinforcing image of that thought:

“For the word of the cross is foolishness to those who are perishing, but to us who are being saved it is the power of God.”

Fools think the biblical truth is foolish; those who are saved recognize its power. Isaiah 29:14b reads,

“The wisdom of the wise will pass away, and the intelligence of the intelligent will disappear.”

Take the wisest of the wise, take the wisdom of the world, take the elite religious leaders, the people at the top echelons of their religion—from the pope or the leader of Hinduism or the Muslim world to the apostles in the Mormon church, all who have reached the epitome of man’s devised schemes of religion—the wise, the great writers and theologians, the people who can argue their points on talk radio and win the day: God is going to unmask all those people as fools when it comes to spiritual truth.

The only way you’re going to be saved is by believing the message of the cross of Christ. Only the message of the cross can save! Anything else is insufficient folly. If you reject Jesus Christ, you can’t get to God.

~ John MacArthur

[writesaboutdragons]

Salvation, Pain, and Eternal Security is on my mind, thanks for asking.

It's tied around this guy, this show, and John MacArthur's message this morning on my way in to work. The question MacArthur raised was whether we could lose our salvation, and if so, how?

His message was around Romans 8, and if you've never read it, it's a great passage to read. It ends with this crescendo:

[Rom 8:38-39 NKJV] For I am persuaded that neither death nor life, nor angels nor principalities nor powers, nor things present nor things to come, nor height nor depth, nor any other created thing, shall be able to separate us from the love of God which is in Christ Jesus our Lord.

So the question was raised, well, what about US? Can we fall away? Can WE cause the loss of salvation? After all, the news is full of stories of people who were IN the faith, from what we could see, spiritual leaders, artists and authors, who walked away from the faith. Doesn't that negate their salvation? Can I sin enough, or reject God enough, to be OUT of the faith again?

And what does this have to do with the guy in the picture?

Well, the image is from The Chosen, which my wife and I have been watching. it centers around the experiences and perspectives of the apostles and disciples following Jesus around, and it's very good. For those who care, yes, it IS a work of fiction based on truth, so although the main points and plots are scriptural and I have not seen anything that contradicts the scriptural account yet, there's added stuff to flesh this out, some borrowed from tradition and the stories from early extrabiblical accounts, and some made up.

I have enjoyed it very much and expect you would too. Many episodes have had my wife and I crying. It's moving.

(spoiler alert) An episode of the Chosen recently (3rd season) centers around Peter (in the picture) and a crisis of faith. I will not say what, but he's angry at Jesus. Not because he doubts who He is, but because he KNOWS who He is. Why didn't an omnipotent God in Flesh protect him from harm? (end spoiler alert)

MacArthur pointed out this as well. We all have moments where we have a crisis of faith - where we don't necessarily doubt God's GODNESS, but His GOODNESS.

Can we fall away by sinning, or rejecting God? Well, our sin was paid for at the cross. past, present, future. For Jesus, ALL your sin was in the future. But that doesn't give us license to just go out and sin more. Read Romans 6 if you need help with that...

Those who walk away, who reject Christ? I know this is painful for anyone who has done that, so my apologies in advance, but John makes it clear:

[1Jo 2:19 NKJV] 19 They went out from us, but they were not of us; for if they had been of us, they would have continued with us; but [they went out] that they might be made manifest, that none of them were of us.

So, what is the litmus test for whether I (or Peter, or you) are in the faith?

Well, examine yourself, to see if you are in the faith. Do you love God? Does the reading of His Word make you want to hear MORE, or make you want to shut it off? Do you want to gather with other believers and share this faith, what God has done in your life, or do you hate going to church, and want to avoid it at all costs? Does trial and temptation drive you to pray, or drive you to sin?

It's pretty straightforward. We DO sin, we are TEMPTED to sin, and we CAN feed the flesh. We CAN desire to hide from God, or run from church, or stop our ears to the Word, or avoid prayer, because if you ARE a Christian, ALL of those things would convict you of the sin you are chasing. And that, too, can be a proof.

But, like Peter, I can't ultimately deny who He is, and when times are tough and trials come, I will remember the goodness of God and the marvelous loving things he has done in MY life, to carry me through the hard times that come.

[ramrodd]

COMMENTARY"

In the final analysis there isn't a dime's worth of difference between this Jesus Snake Oil Salesman and John MacArthur: they are both peddling the Total Depravity Gospel of Pro=Life Calvinism and substantially denying the Holy Spirit. John MacDonald, in this intermural apologetics arising from competing versions of Jesus

4

Here is thing: it is not apparent to me that either one of them have any real idea of the difference between the Holy Spirit and the Spirit of the Lord from the pulpit. The great wind on Pentacost was the Baptism of the Holy Spirit in the Spirit of the Lord. The Holy Spirit is the Baptizer and the Spirit of God is the river. The Spirit of God is a planetary force of supernatural qualities. It is chunk of the Power of Elohim the verb without The Mind of Elohim the verb. The Tempest and Forbidden both accurately describe the Sprit of God,

The thing is, the Holy Spirit and a rushing wind are not the same thing, Jesus and the Holy Spirit have divine agency over the Spirit of God in the Gospel of Mark. The Power referred to in Mark 5:25 - 34 is the Spirit of God Jesus cold store in His body, like the Arch of the Covenant, which was a Divine Capacitor for the raw power of the Spirit of God which hovers over the waters, as in the beginning, it now and ever shall be. The Spirit of God is the Elohim the Demi Urge introduced in Genesis 1:2. This is an actual phenomena in the atmosphere,

I've been to a number of Pastor Jack hayford's services to see what I could see. The Spirit of God was very clearly working in his congregations in every show. I could feel it and it was differenct from the congregations I had grown up with in the Army Protestant Chapel. It was far more erotically charged than in the Army chapel and the basically Anglican traditions of George Washington.

Jesus is using this power in all His miracles and much of His personal interactions in various ways. One of the things He is very careful NOT to do is to make people believe in Him though direct mind manipulation and violate Free Will. That's the point of the Book of Job. That's the point of Parables: so that God won't pull rank on our egos in the manner God lie The Satan tryy, twice, in the Book of Job. This example the woman with the hemorrhage is a fascinating glimpse into the relationship between Jesus and the Holy Spirit, Jesus had exactly the same relationship with the unterus that Moses had, except He died a virgin, But the Holy Spirit brought this woman to Jesus to introduce him to the experience of having a uterus that wan't workng right and what it was like when it was brand new. This experience informed His relationship to Mary Magdalene and is the basis for my assertion that the Pro=Life doctrine is pure heresy as a business plan, Because Jesus is the only man in history who, for an instant, had the temple of Yaweh, Queen of Battle, in His body. The connection was the Spirit of God.4The

The thing is that the Charismatic nature of Christian Nationalism is conjuring up the Spirit of God without the mediation of the Holy Spirit, which is creating the extreme weather in the Bible Belt and was instrumental in the destruction of the Key Bridge. The lesson that everyone needs to learn from the Key Bridge disaster is that the unmitigated Spirit of God is a force multiplier for Murphy's Law, whether you want to accept the mythology in action or not, the spirits of the harbor were pissed off by the heresy of Donald Trump saluting a recording of the January 6 rebels singing The Star Spangled Banner from prison and pretending they are patriots. three days or so before the shit hit the Key Bridge.

There is a correlation between whatever is being amplified by Pro-Life Christian media and FOC News and Trump's daily commentary. Trump complains about gag orders and 17 tornagoes take out the Bible Belt. Stormy Daniels irritates trump and Houston begins bailing out from Helga, part Deux.

A lot of Jesus needs to be understood by the Hebrew method of backing into wisdom, such as Hilleel's "That which is hateful to yo, do not to others" Much of what Jesus is trying to do is to turn that trajectory around and employ it proactivelfy, Hillel's Silver Rule counsels to avoid creating bad karma. Jesus says front load good karma.

What Jesus means, in my mind, by the only unforgivable sin is that not employing the Holy Spirit to at least mitigate Murphy's Law is an avoidable self-inflicted wound. If Mickey Mouse had employed the Holy Spirit to command the brooms and water, he would have not had the unintended consequences of his ambitions.

The point of all Charismatic liturgy of Calvinism is to whip the adherents into an emotional frenzy and call it being baptized by the Holy Ghost, This is what is causing the extreme weather in the Bible Belt and the Key Bridge Disaster is god's way of saying this is what the combination of Christian Nationalism and the white supremacist economics of the January 6 agenda has been doing to America since Januaryy 20, 1981 and what Trump promises to double down on if he is returned to the Oval Office and not Riker's Island.

[dailygodlymessage]

The Proliferation of False Teachers and Prophets

But there were false prophets also among the people, even as there shall be false teachers among you, who privily shall bring in damnable heresies, even denying the Lord that bought them, and bring upon themselves swift destruction. And many shall follow their pernicious ways; by reason of whom the way of truth shall be evil spoken of.

2 Peter 2: 1-2 KJV

The Proliferation of False Teachers and Prophets

So dear friend today, I decided to write to you about the false prophets and teachers, this is a short warning and an encouragement for you to always contend earnestly for the faith as the Apostle Paul under the inspiration of the Holy Spirit entreats us to do. With the exception of the book of Philemon which was a short letter (a single chapter) written from the apostle Paul to a man named Philemon, every other book in the new testament (26 out of 27) books in the new testament all have something to say about false prophets, In Matthew our Lord Jesus Christ, warns us that many false prophets will arise and will deceive many—

Then if any man shall say unto you, Lo, here is Christ, or there; believe it not. For there shall arise false Christs, and false prophets, and shall shew great signs and wonders; insomuch that, if it were possible, they shall deceive the very elect.

Matthew 24 : 23-24

In 1 John, we are ordered to test the spirits to see if they are from God, the Apostle John under the inspiration of the spirit lays out a test—

Hereby know ye the Spirit of God: Every spirit that confesses that Jesus Christ is come in the flesh is of God:  And every spirit that confesses not that Jesus Christ is come in the flesh is not of God: and this is that spirit of antichrist, whereof ye have heard that it should come; and even now already is it in the world. 

I John 4 : 2-3

I think the second test is even more telling—

They are of the world: therefore speak they of the world, and the world heareth them.  We are of God: he that knows God heareth us; he that is not of God heareth not us. Hereby know we the spirit of truth, and the spirit of error.  

I John 4 : 5-6

The prosperity gospel has been extremely successful for a reason, why?

Because it is not of God, but is of the world and so the world listens to it and eats it up, let’s be honest, the world doesn’t want to hear about Christ, the world hates Christ, I bet it would rather listen to a drag queen talk about utter nonsense, sensuality and immorality than listen to John Macarthur preach for 23 minutes. Oh wait, that’s exactly what’s happening; the world loves the prosperity gospel because it promises health, wealth, an easy life (no, not a life of self-sacrifice), it promises whatever the unregenerate heart wants, and so the world loves it, and by this we know the spirit of truth and error.

I could go on and on about bible passages, warning about false teachers and false prophets but then I would not finish writing today. Instead I would entreat you to pray and to study the scriptures for yourself, just like they noble Bereans did when they searched the scriptures daily to see if these things that were being preached to them were so and thus they believed –

These were more noble than those in Thessalonica, in that they received the word with all readiness of mind, and searched the scriptures daily, whether those things were so.

Acts 17 : 11

That’s it for today, it was a quick one because for tomorrow, Lord willing I plan to start a part series on the heresies of the word and faith movement (not that I plan on releasing them consecutively, but tomorrow will be part one). Please support this by reading every day and praying for me and many other Christian bloggers (most importantly), also share this with anyone, as I try to grow the audience, leave a comment if you will, and if you disagree with anything, I will do my best to read and perhaps make any corrections.

The grace of our Lord Jesus Christ be with you.

And in their greed they will exploit you with false arguments and twisted doctrine, their sentence [of condemnation which God has decreed ] from a long time ago is not idle [ but still in force], and their destruction and deepening misery is not asleep [but is on its way]

2 Peter 2 : 3 AMP

Reach me on rdjirackor@gmail.com

[urbanchristiannews]

WATCH: VISION UNSEALED WITH RYANN VISCONTI, JOHN MACARTHUR, AND VODDIE BAUCHAM DO THE MOST THOROUGH END-TO-END REBUKE, AND EXPOSURE OF THE WOKE, HERETIC, FALSE PROPHET, HOMOSEXUAL-AFFIRMING, SCRIPTURE-DENYING ANDY STANLEY IN ONE VIDEO. Daniel Whyte III, President of Gospel Light Society International, tells Stanley's disciples and followers, such as Conway Edwards of One Community Church in Plano-McKinney, Texas, and his wife, Jada Edwards, to watch this video for their good and repent of their betrayal of God, Jesus Christ, and His Word before they hurt more young people and damn more souls to hell.

Andy Stanley WATCH: VISION UNSEALED WITH RYANN VISCONTI, JOHN MACARTHUR, AND VODDIE BAUCHAM DO THE MOST THOROUGH END-TO-END REBUKE, AND EXPOSURE OF THE WOKE, HERETIC, FALSE PROPHET, HOMOSEXUAL-AFFIRMING, SCRIPTURE-DENYING ANDY STANLEY IN ONE VIDEO. Daniel Whyte III, President of Gospel Light Society International, tells Stanley’s disciples and followers, such as Conway Edwards of One Community…

[sutrala]

Reposted from @reformeddevotionals Our message is repentance. It is a hard message. It is a harsh message. It confronts sin. It unmasks hypocrisy. It denies superficiality. You cannot preach the true gospel apart from repentance. John MacArthur #bible #bibleverse #jesuschrist #jesus #mediator #god #christianity #faith #repentance #christian #scripture #christianquotes #theologyquotes #repentance #salvation #reformedtheology #theology #puritans #calvinist #johncalvin #spurgeon #chspurgeon #charlesspurgeon #jcryle #awpink #rcsproul #stevenlawson #martynlloydjones #johnmacarthur #reformeddevotionals https://www.instagram.com/p/Cnu0Lv0S5m5/?igshid=NGJjMDIxMWI=

[awideplace]

Why is election a controversial doctrine among Christians? What is it?

Election...God has an elect. This is biblical and the word "elect" can be found many times throughout Scripture when referring to those who are his. For example:

As the elect of God, holy and beloved, clothe yourselves with hearts of compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness, and patience. Colossians 3:12

I endure everything for the sake of the elect, that they also may obtain the salvation that is in Christ Jesus with eternal glory. 2 Timothy 2:10

Will not God give justice to his elect, who cry to him day and night? Will he delay long over them? Luke 18:7

What then? What the people of Israel sought so earnestly they did not obtain. The elect among them did, but the others were hardened Romans 11:7

Think about this, when we pray for others' salvation we pray for the Holy Spirit to do that work in their heart and life. We understand it is the Holy Spirit who opens up/softens hearts. I do believe everyone chooses whom they will serve (God or Satan) and if anyone is in Hell it is due to their own choosing, "The coming of the lawless one will be accompanied by the working of Satan, with every kind of power, sign, and false wonder, and with every wicked deception directed against those who are perishing, because they refused the love of the truth that would have saved them. For this reason God will send them a powerful delusion so that they believe the lie, in order that judgment may come upon all who have disbelieved the truth and delighted in wickedness." 2 Thessalonians 2:9-12. I believe God can and does harden hearts that do not/will not choose him. "And I will harden Pharaoh’s heart, and he will pursue them, and I will get glory over Pharaoh and all his host, and the Egyptians shall know that I am the LORD.” Exodus 14:4. God will use even hardening for his glory.

God knows those who are his/those who love the truth that saves them/those that will forsake their sin and repent, and those are the elect. Remember God is outside of time, so he knows the beginning from the end and those who will call upon him to be saved and those who love the lie rather than the truth. God is not, metaphorically speaking, biting his nails in heaven worried about who will choose him. His Word says he desires none would perish and all would come to repentance, we know that is his heart (2 Peter 3:9).

We are not robots, God's Word is filled with admonition to turn from sin and abide in him! "Wash the evil from your heart, O Jerusalem, so that you may be saved. How long will you harbor wicked thoughts within you?" Jeremiah 4:14. "And he said to all, 'If anyone would come after me, let him deny himself and take up his cross daily and follow me.'" Luke 9:23, etc. There is SO much in his Word about responding to him. "But if you refuse to serve the LORD, then choose today whom you will serve. Would you prefer the gods your ancestors served beyond the Euphrates? Or will it be the gods of the Amorites in whose land you now live? But as for me and my family, we will serve the LORD.” Joshua 24:15.

This is a hard question to answer for many and many people are divided about it. I am not a Calvinist nor an Armenian, I follow Christ and the Bible alone - no man, no man's doctrine or creeds. I follow Christ and his Word. A Christian. I prayed for God to give me mercy and grace in answering this and to answer with, "What does your Word say, Lord?" That's my heart's desire - Lord, what does your Word say about your heart in this? I want to get it right, nevertheless I understand my mere humanity/human understanding in this area that can be hard to wrap our minds around (just like the thought of Eternity can be hard to wrap our head around). Where I am wrong, may he correct. I knows he loves me and will correct where I am wrong, and I am saved and kept by grace. I answer this question with reverence, but wanting to get what is in the Word right. I side with Charles Spurgeon and John MacArthur on this issue, both men who are Reformers as I am and understand that this can be a bit of an issue on Earth where there are two tracks that seem to be running parallel to each other, yet they will convene in Eternity. "Someday we will know just as we are known." 1 Corinthians 13:12. I trust the Lord, he knows those who are his, those who are not, I trust how he opens hearts, how he hardens hearts, that he desires all to come to repentance and he takes no delight in the death of the wicked, and how he works ALL of this together for his glory.

[banana-with-a-bow-tie]

Those who say they worship God, and affirm that God is the eternal living Spirit everywhere present, and cal Him Father, but deny that Jesus Christ is essentially the same as God are offering unacceptable worship.

John MacArthur, Worship: The Ultimate Priority, p. 149

[uzochukwugiftmadu]

: : : DAILY ESSENTIAL FOOD : : :

Saturday 10th April, 2021

Topic:

JEREMIAH NEITZ

Verse of the Day:

"We are often troubled, but not crushed; sometimes in doubt, but never in despair; there are many enemies, but we are never without a friend; and though badly hurt at times, we are not destroyed." – 2 Corinthians 4:8‭-‬9 GNTD

Thoughts on Today's Verse:

John MacArthur, author of 'The Murder of Jesus' scripted the following in his book; "while writing this book I was teaching in a pastors’ conference in Fort Worth, Texas, on a Wednesday night. Just a few miles from the church hosting our conference was Wedgwood Baptist Church. On that same evening Wedgwood was sponsoring a student prayer meeting with hundreds of students in attendance. A fanatically anti-Christian man bent on violence walked into that prayer meeting with automatic weapons and began spraying bullets around the auditorium, killing eight people and injuring many more. In the midst of the shooting one young man, Jeremiah Neitz (who himself had been recently converted to Christ from a life of crime and street gangs), stood and challenged the gunman, telling him of his need for Christ. The gunman, apparently baffled by the youth’s boldness and refusal to cower in the face of death, put his gun to his own head and committed suicide."

Most of us think from time to time about what we might do in such a situation. Few of us really expect to encounter such a severe trial, but we want to believe that we have the courage to die for Christ. And we pray that if we’re ever put in such a situation, God will give us grace to be faithful. But the sad truth is that most of us have too often denied the Lord in less-than life-threatening situations. We know from experience that we are woefully weak. We often remain silent when we have opportunities to speak for Christ. We tolerate unrighteousness when we ought to stand against it. We are timid when we ought to be bold. We do nothing when we ought to act. We are silent when we ought to speak out. Left to ourselves, apart from divine grace, we all lack the strength and fortitude to stand up for Christ in the face of hostility. [Culled from; 'The Murder of Jesus' by John MacArthur (Chapter 3: A Warning against OverConfidence, Pp. 44-54)]

Bible Text: Acts 7:56-60; Acts 12:1-4; Acts 16:19-26.

My Prayer:

Abba Father, thank you for today's study; I pray that please help me to always defend my love for you even in the face of opposition. Strengthen and embolden me always to loud the gospel of Christ in every circumstance, Amen.

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[worshipmoment]

False Teacher: Rick Warren & The Purpose Driven Life

Rick Warren is an American pastor and author. He is the founder and senior pastor of Saddleback Church, that is the eighth-largest church in the United States. He is also a bestselling author of many Christian books, like The Purpose Driven Life which has sold more than 30 million copies, making Warren a New York Times bestselling author. Rick Warren is a false teacher and there are many things wrong with his ministry.

Muslims and Catholics: It is apparent Warren has no problem with those who are not in the true faith and are worshiping a false god. Rick Warren along with many others, has signed a document titled, Loving God and Neighbor Together: A Christian Response to A Common Word Between Us and You. It is a response to the Muslim document, A Common Word Between Us and You. In the document, Warren signed it says in the introduction:

Before we "shake your hand" in responding to your letter, we ask forgiveness of the All-Merciful One and of the Muslim community around the world.

They ask for forgiveness from "the All-Merciful One." This is a reference to the God of Islam.  The Muslims call their God "the All-Merciful," and in this "Christian Response" they admit they are talking about the God of Islam. The Document also says:

We applaud that A Common Word Between Us and You stresses so insistently the unique devotion to one God, . . . . (under Love of God, first sentence).

we must engage in interfaith dialogue as those who seek each other's good, for the one God unceasingly seeks our good. (under The Task Before Us, 1st paragraph, bold added)

Christians and Muslims do not seek the same God, but according to Rick Warren, they do.  Warren also does not believe Catholics have departed from the faith, In The Purpose Driven Life he quotes Catholics as if they were in the faith.  Warren quotes "St. John of the Cross" (a Catholic, p. 108), Madame Guyon (a Catholic mystic, p. 193), and Mother Teresa (p. 125, 231). It is apparent Warren has no problem with those who are not in the faith. The Catholic Church leads many people away from a genuine faith relationship with Christ. The Roman Catholic Church is not the church that Jesus Christ established. It is not a church that is based on the teachings of the Apostles. Christians should not be OK with the Catholic church like Rick Warren is. (If anyone comes to you and does not bring this teaching, do not take them into your house or welcome them. 2 John 1:10)      Warren has also said:

“I happen to know people who are Followers of Christ in other Religions” (David Gergen & Rick Warren: Discussion- Religion & Leadership 7/6/05)

“I have known many people who believe in the Messiah of Jesus, regardless of what religion they are, because they believe in him. It’s about a relationship, not a religion. You’ve heard this many times.”

Twisting Scripture: Rick Warren twists scripture all the time, so many times it hard to keep track. In a normal sermon, he will use 4 different translations of the Bible to get his message across. In The Purpose Driven Life, he uses fifteen different translations. Why does He use so many translations, because he wants a translation that gets his message across better. That is wrong and should not be done. We need to preach the word as it is not for what we want it to be. Warren also ignores context, claiming promises the Scriptures do not support and ignoring parts of the passage that contradict what he would like it to say.  An example would be on May 17, 2015, Rick Warren took the opportunity during Sunday Morning worship service to make a plea for more money. He twists several Scriptures in order to guilt members of his church into believing that if they aren’t giving 10 percent of their income on a weekly basis, they will not receive the blessings of God. Which is totally unbiblical. As believers, we are to be true to the original words of Scripture and not put our desired meanings into the text. It is clear that Rick Warren continually crosses this line and does so through all areas of his ministry. The Bible is not ours to manipulate as we please. We need to treat it with respect, acknowledging that it belongs to God and is given to us to guide us in our worship of Him.

Gospel: Warren does not appear to have a biblical understanding of the Gospel, the Good News of Jesus Christ.  In The Purpose Driven Life, he leads unbelievers in a short prayer which he says will usher them into God's family. But throughout the whole book, he has made no clear presentation of the Gospel. He has not spoken about how our sin has separated us from God and condemned us apart from God. He has not spoken about the necessity of Christ's sacrifice and His substitutionary death for us. Yet he leads people to say "Jesus, I believe in you and I receive you" (page 58) and then follows with the astonishing words "Welcome to the family of God" How can people believe in One they do not know? Warren's confusion about the Gospel is shown also in that he extends his Purpose Driven seminars to include Catholics and even Mormons. which both of them deny the very heart of the Gospel. Warrens gospel is a different gospel.

Rick Warren appears to be more of a People Pleaser, than a God Pleaser. He finds common ground with other religions despite their view of Jesus Christ and the Gospel. He twists scripture and uses it inappropriately. He rarely ever preaches the gospel of Jesus Christ and if he does its a very water down version or a different gospel.  Therefore Rick Warren is a false teacher. We pray that he repents of his ways and comes to know the true living God.

Rick Warren - Twisting Scripture to teach tithing and Word of Faith

MacArthur on the Purpose Driven Life

Evangelicals and Catholics are NOT together. Someone tell Rick Warren  Starts at 16:20

[urbanchristiannews]

WATCH: VISION UNSEALED WITH RYANN VISCONTI, JOHN MACARTHUR, AND VODDIE BAUCHAM DO THE MOST THOROUGH END-TO-END REBUKE, AND EXPOSURE OF THE WOKE, HERETIC, FALSE PROPHET, HOMOSEXUAL-AFFIRMING, SCRIPTURE-DENYING ANDY STANLEY IN ONE VIDEO. Daniel Whyte III, President of Gospel Light Society International, tells Stanley's disciples and followers, such as Conway Edwards of One Community Church in Plano-McKinney, Texas, and his wife, Jada Edwards, to watch this video for their good and repent of their betrayal of God, Jesus Christ, and His Word before they hurt more young people and damn more souls to hell.

Andy Stanley WATCH: VISION UNSEALED WITH RYANN VISCONTI, JOHN MACARTHUR, AND VODDIE BAUCHAM DO THE MOST THOROUGH END-TO-END REBUKE, AND EXPOSURE OF THE WOKE, HERETIC, FALSE PROPHET, HOMOSEXUAL-AFFIRMING, SCRIPTURE-DENYING ANDY STANLEY IN ONE VIDEO. Daniel Whyte III, President of Gospel Light Society International, tells Stanley’s disciples and followers, such as Conway Edwards of One Community…

[giftofshewbread]

Apocalyptic Overtones

By Daymond Duck   Published on: December 20, 2020

The word “revelation” comes from the Greek word “apokalupsis,” and it means the unveiling or disclosing.

The Book of Revelation begins with these words: “The Revelation of Jesus Christ, which God gave unto him, to show unto his servants things which must shortly come to pass; and he sent and signified it by his angel unto his servant John” (Rev. 1:1).

This can be taken two ways: 1) As the disclosure of information about Jesus, and 2) As the disclosure of what God intends to do, starting with the Church Age and running through the beginning of the New Heaven and New Earth.

It is my opinion that current events are pointing the world to what the Book of Revelation says, and the Book of Revelation tells us what God said must shortly come to pass.

Put another way, we are no longer in a normal world; we are in a world that is in transition.

We are receiving apocalyptic overtones (or warnings) from God, and as disturbing as this transition and these warnings are, they are child’s play compared to what is coming.

Here are some of the most recent events that caught my attention:

One, on Dec. 11, 2020, the U.S. Supreme Court refused to hear Texas’ lawsuit against Pennsylvania, Michigan, Wisconsin, and Georgia.

The court did not deny that Texas has evidence of widespread voter fraud (Texas had an abundance of evidence, and other groups do too); the Supreme Court just refused to hear the evidence (this is what most courts have done).

The battle is not over, but it will take a miracle for Trump to win, and that is in God’s hands (Sydney Powell still has cases pending in Michigan, Arizona, Wisconsin, and Georgia; Republicans seated delegates in Pennsylvania, Nevada, Georgia and Arizona that voted for Trump in opposition to the Democrat delegates; an evaluation of the Dominion voting system used in Antrim County, Michigan, found an error rate that exceeded 68% by shifting thousands of Trump votes to Biden, and a judge has issued an order for the evaluation data to be released).

As I see it, Trump has been standing in the way of the shadow government’s plan to establish a world government.

There are people (called globalists) that want all the power, all the money, and to tell everyone what to believe and how to live.

This is not a conspiracy theory.

Politicians issuing unscientific job-destroying lockdown orders and social-distancing orders (that they themselves do not obey) to enrich their rich friends and doners, and impoverish the middle class, are evidence, and it will get much worse.

It is a forerunner of the Apocalypse with its Satanic world government and religion.

It is an effort to fundamentally change this world (legalize abortions, LGBTQ rights, drugs, rebellion against the God of the Bible, divide Israel, etc.).

The world’s most powerful people are trying to establish a government that owns everything and leaves ordinary citizens with owning nothing.

Sydney Powell recently said powerful elites have been using the Dominion voting systems to stay in power around the world for 15-20 years to control elections and elect and re-elect themselves and their friends.

Globalists intend to number people, mark people, subdue people, control people, change people’s DNA, control people’s healthcare, replace cash with a digital currency, decide who can buy and sell, lockdown and silence the Church, tell people who to worship, etc.

Trump was a major impediment to their plan from Hell (Biden supports most of it), and it now looks like America’s corrupt election has put the globalists’ “Great Reset” on a fast track.

Many Americans will never accept Biden’s presidency as legitimate; his health and corruption will not let him be president very long. He will be replaced, and America’s leading role in the world will likely be replaced by several leaders (perhaps 10) from a handful of nations.

Here is the good news: This world is not the Christian’s home, and the success of the voter fraud seems to indicate that true Christians will soon be going home.

Dislike their sin if you want, but pray for them because the kings of the earth, and the great men, and the rich men, and the chief captains, and the mighty men, and every bondman, and every free man, will soon hide themselves in the dens and in the rocks of the mountains; And they will say to the mountains and rocks, Fall on us, and hide us from the face of him that sitteth on the throne, and from the wrath of the Lamb: For the great day of his wrath is come; and who shall be able to stand? (Rev. 6:15-16).

Two, it has been reported that Gen. Michael Flynn, former National Security Advisor to Pres. Trump, said in an Op-ed that was published on Dec. 10, 2020, “We do not want a world governed by tyrants whom no one has elected and who want to have power to destroy us. We understand what their plan is: to eliminate dissent, subdue any criticism and outlaw those who do not submit unconditionally to the dictatorship of the ‘new world order.’”

These are apocalyptic overtones from a former advisor to the Pres. of the U.S., or I don’t know what the words mean.

Three, on Dec. 6, 2020, Israel’s Prime Min. Netanyahu displayed a proclamation that will be prominently displayed on the wall of Israel’s Cabinet room to honor Pres. Trump for recognizing Jerusalem as the capital of Israel.

The proclamation will be displayed next to a proclamation recognizing Pres. Truman’s May 14, 1948, recognition of Israel as a nation.

What these two presidents have done is considered two of the greatest events in the history of Israel.

Pres. Trump has also recognized Israel’s sovereignty over the Golan Heights, Israel’s right to large areas of Judea and Samaria, withdrawn from the Iranian Nuclear Deal, and obtained normalization agreements between Israel, Bahrain, and the UAE.

Sudan and Morocco have agreed to sign a normalization agreement.

On Dec. 12, 2020, the Kingdom of Bhutan signed a normalization agreement.

If Jordan and Egypt are included, Israel will soon have agreements with 7 nations (Two more appear to be waiting in the wings: Oman and Indonesia, making it 9).

We are not seeing the covenant with many, but we are seeing many nations moving toward peace with Israel and agreeing to a covenant of peace that will allow all faiths to worship on the Temple Mount (this is opening the door for a rebuilt Temple, and I believe it will be hurriedly rebuilt during the Apocalypse).

Four, I do not know what to think about this next item, but it is so serious, I have decided to pass it on just to make people aware in case something happens.

On Dec. 8, 2020, it was reported that the U.S. has been positioning large numbers of troops, equipment and supplies in the continental U.S. and Aircraft carriers off the east and west coasts of the U.S. in case the U.S. Supreme Court voids the election (see raptureready.com End Times News, Dec. 11, 2020).

According to the report, rumors are circulating that some Democrats are planning to ask the UN to remove Trump from office, if the U.S. Supreme Court voids the election.

This sounds absurd, but absurdity is becoming common in the U.S., and considering everything the Democrats have done to remove Trump in the last 4 years, why would they stop just because the U.S. Supreme Court voids the election?

Five, on Dec. 6, 2020, Pastor John MacArthur told his congregation, the world’s governments “have done something that’s never been done in human history. That is, they have made the issue (of Covid) and the response global. Now we are a global world. And that is a setup that we’ve been waiting for through redemptive history since the Lord promised that there would come, in the future, an Antichrist who would have a global government.”

Six, on Dec. 9, 2020, it was reported that former VP Biden said he will sign an order on day one of his administration (if he has one) to require people in federal buildings, on planes, trains, buses, and wherever possible to wear masks for the next 100 days as a patriotic act, and this is just part of what he intends to do.

The big question here is will citizens be required to be vaccinated as a patriotic act.

Seven, here is a link to Dr. Pierre Kory’s interesting testimony (10 min.; hundreds of thousands of views) before the U.S. Senate Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee about a cure (Ivermectin) for Covid.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Tq8SXOBy-4w

It is obvious from the comments that many citizens believe that some government officials are not interested in a cure for Covid because they view Covid as part of a globalist scheme to bring in a world government.

Finally, God loves you, and if you have not done so, sincerely admit that you are a sinner; believe that Jesus is the virgin born, sinless Son of God who died for the sins of the world, was buried, and raised from the dead; ask Him to forgive your sins, cleanse you, come into your heart and be your Saviour; then tell someone that you have done this.

[bldgrelationshipwgod]

RE: Playing Religion

1 Kings 14:1-3 | At that time Abijah son of Jeroboam became ill, & Jeroboam said to your wife, “Please arise, disguise yourself so they will not recognize you as my wife, & go to Shiloh. For Ahijah the prophet is there; it was he who spoke about my kingship over this people. Take with you ten loaves of bread, some cakes, & a jar of honey, & go to him. He will tell you what will become of the boy.”

Jeroboam is not a good king.

He has already disobeyed God’s voice in erecting idols for Israel to worship, & he has refused to repent after hearing the prophetic warning in Kings 13.

But something happens here that shakes him to his core. His child & rightful heir to the throne is sick.

Disobedience: Human Effort & Denying Divine Intervention

So Jeroboam comes up with a plan. He has his wife disguise herself to go to the prophet Ahijah [who anointed Jeroboam king] & plead for help for her son.

Why not go as she was? Because Jeroboam knows he has dismissed obedience to the Lord who gave him the throne. So he has to hide & play religious games, trying to rig the system through deception & offerings.

He does not want to repent, he simply wants God to bless his life in spite of his clear disobedience.

This is a sad revelation of many who play religion.

They actually think they can fool God with pretense, denying His omniscience. It is a warning to those who think their high position in life is some kind of sign that their piety in the eyes of others is enough to garner favor with the Lord.

This is not so & the prophet Ahijah is NOT fooled:

1 Kings 14:6 [ESV] But when Ahijah heard the sound of her feet, as she came in at the door, He said, “Come in, wife of Jeroboam. Why do you pretend to be another? For I am charged with unbearable news for you.

Ahijah announces tremendous judgment upon Jeroboam’s dynasty:

1 Kings 14:9-10 | You have done more evil than all who came before you. You have proceeded to make for yourself other gods & molten images to provoke Me, & you have flung Me behind your back. Because of all this, behold, I am bringing disaster on the house of Jeroboam: I will cut off from Jeroboam every male in Israel, both slave & free; I will burn up the house of Jeroboam as one burns up dung until it is gone!

Ahijah continues speaking judgment but note what he says about the boy:

1 Kings 14:12-15 | As for you, get up & go home. When your feet enter the city, the boy will die. All Israel will mourn for them & bury him, for this is the only one belonging to Jeroboam who shall come to the grave, because only in him has the LORD, the God of Israel, found any good in the house of Jeroboam. ...

It is interesting that the only thing pleasing to the Lord was the son about to die as a judgment from the Lord.

From that point on those two religions have never changed. There is the true religion that requires death, the death of the substitute. There were many animal deaths through all of Israel’s history.

None of them could atone for sin; but they all pictured the one who would die as the Lamb of God & take away the sins of the world.

They communicated the message that the bridge to God - true religion, the way to God - is through the death of a perfect sacrifice.

Turned out that that perfect sacrifice was Jesus Christ. True religion has always realized that the sinner deserves death, that God will provide a substitute, that God will forgive & mete out His punishment on someone else who is innocent. That’s what the sacrificial system communicated.

RE: The Dangers of Adding to the Gospel by John MacArthur

But it speaks to a Biblical truth that troubles Americans: Sometimes the death of the innocent is sparing them from judgment for their wickedness.

The prophecy of judgment continues & extends past Jeroboam & into the future of the entire nation:

1 Kings 14:15 | Moreover, the LORD will raise up for Himself a king over Israel who will cut off the house of Jeroboam. This is the day—yes, even today! For the LORD will strike Israel as a reed is shaken in the water. He will uproot Israel from this good land that He gave their fathers, & He will scatter them beyond the Euphrates, because they have made their Asherah poles, provoking the LORD to anger. 

Here we have the first mention of the exile that is still decades away but the Lord knows exactly what is going to happen even here.

It reveals the sad reality of national spiritual deterioration - humans are incapable of reversing course. The sin of Jeroboam would be replicated & compounded in successive kings until the demise of the Northern Kingdom.

The reality is a nation [or a person] in decline is only saved by spiritual awakening in their heart(s) by the grace of God.

America needs this now. May it come soon, in Jesus’ Name, Amen.

This article is by @thebible365 

[banana-with-a-bow-tie]

"His church is currently the center of a lot of scrutiny here because they are suing the state of California for infringing on their religious liberty by forbidding them to assemble for worship. You should check out the statement they made here." - Okay I think I understand it now. I think the big difference between where you live and where I live is that the government in my country is *nowhere* near as hostile towards/restrictive of Christians/the church's freedom as the US government. *

* When my government enforces the restrictions and lockdowns of certain places they're not trying to stifle the ability/freedom of our churches to spread the gospel, but it is to genuinely try to flatten the curve, to protect citizens, and it is supposed to be temporary. **

** But with the American government and the rivalry they seem to have with the church, it is possible that they could be using this pandemic as an opportunity to try and shut them down, so maybe John MacArthur was reacting appropriately if that is true. **

It’s funny because I remember thinking the exact same thing when I heard stories of persecution from places like China. I knew China was an atheistic and totalitarian government. I knew they hated any thing that rivaled the authority of their dictatorship so it made sense to me when they imprisoned, tortured, and murdered my brothers and sisters in Christ. But the thought of that happening in America? The land of the free and the home of the brave? The country created predominantly by Christians who enshrined the right to practice religion freely without government interference in the constitution? Caesar would never try to control the Church here would he? 

Then 2020 happened. It was supposed to be temporary here too, but five months in and we are still being told we aren’t allowed to assemble. The spread of the plague is the fault of us Christians, not those peaceful protesters burning down our cities. It’s like Nero saying, “I don’t know who burned down Rome, but those Christians are awfully suspicious.”

Though in reality, the war against the Church has been raging long before now. Christians have been taken to court numerous times in the last five years alone, for not baking cakes for gay weddings, for not taking pictures for gay weddings, for refusing to entrust children into the care of gay and trans couples. Some have been openly assaulted for championing the cause of life in the womb. There was a candidate for a political position that was grilled by Bernie Sanders and denied the position because he wrote a blog post claiming Muslims stand condemned before God. 

We may not have Christians being slaughtered in the streets by some countries, but we are hated just as much here as anywhere else, and the same is true for you. By God’s grace some countries experience less persecution than others, but rest assured the world despises you because it despises everyone who desires to live godly in Christ Jesus (2 Tim 3:12). The world wants to trust in man’s power. Man’s governmental authority, man’s scientific expertise will get us out of this, and if you submit to God’s authority above man’s you represent a threat to man’s kingdom. 

Maybe persecution doesn’t seem overt in your area, but that can and will change at any time. There is still the crucial matter that God has commanded you to assemble and your government is ordering you to defy that command. It doesn’t matter if their reasons seem noble (which are suspect any way because the evidence that this pandemic is actually dangerous isn’t all that compelling) Noble sounding ends don’t justify disobeying God and forsaking your spiritual health.

[musicgoon]

Four Confirmations from the Getty Sing Conference

Our trip to Nashville for the Getty Sing Conference was not only filled with great music but also insightful learning. My prayer was that God would give me a vision for the music ministry at our church, and I believe that he answered my prayer. 

Here are four confirmations from the conference that I believe will help me anchor my convictions as I seek to serve with the gifts and talents that God has given me. While I framed them in the context of how singing affects us as individuals, families, churches, and witnesses, these are just four examples of application. 

Not only did God give me a vision for church music ministry, but he gave me a vision for my own music ministry at home. My prayer after coming back from the conference is that I will be a faithful servant, and continue to fulfill my calling in the roles that I steward.

1. Singing affects us as individuals: Music is for God.

Many parents give their children a musical education to be well-rounded individuals. But what if a child’s music education was explicitly declared to be for the glory of God? Music lessons, orchestra, and marching band would not be for an academic resume, but it would be to give a student skills to serve. Bob Kauflin said: “We have to inform people that music is not the great thing about me. It's Jesus! Our songs can never be better than Jesus.” My music is not for me. My singing is not to show-off myself. Our songs are meant to serve Jesus.

Therefore, train children to use their gifts for the church as a whole. They are part of the big church. Music for ministry must be the priority. Musicians must have sound theology on why they serve and what their role is in the life of the church. Music is a serious matter because we are serving God with our songs.

On a personal note, I am thankful to my parents for showing me their love of music in their lives. I am thankful for the music lessons they provided, and how they let me pursue my passion. I am thankful for the church for opportunities to serve when I was young. I will continue to share my love for music and admonish others to do the same.

2. Singing affects us as families: Singing starts in the home.

While the church gathers to sing every Sunday, our lives are lived all seven days a week. Singing in the home has the ability to shape the minds and hearts of children, as Biblical truths are internalized and cherished. Ligon Duncan said: “Regular family worship communicates that our life revolves around God.” Reading, singing, and praying are the three pillars of family worship, and it is often the songs that the children will take with them throughout their entire life.

Therefore, churches need to push for family worship in the home. Children can benefit from seeing their parents model singing in the church on Sundays. The older generation is to model the importance of singing and use songs as a means to deliver doctrine and teach theology.

On a personal note, I will seek to prioritize family worship in my home. Jess and I will be parents who sing. And I will encourage and exhort other parents to do the same.

3. Singing affects us as churches: The teaching pastor is the worship leader. 

Although this was a conference for worship leaders, there was noticeably a good amount of pastors. Many churches cannot afford a dedicated music pastor, and this leaves the primary responsibility of musical worship to the pastor. However, if worship truly is a response to God’s Word, the teaching pastor should view himself as the worship leader. John MacArthur said: “The heart can only go as high in worship as it can go deep in theology.” Because worship is not just music, the teaching pastor should seek to shepherd the flock and lead them to worship as they seek to apply God’s revealed word to their lives.

Therefore, pastors and music leaders need to be on the same page. They must work together in planning the worship services. The teaching pastor should be in the pews with the congregation during the music, and the musicians should sit in the pews under the teaching of the word. 

On a personal note, I am thankful to have a healthy relationship with my pastors. I am blessed to call them my friends. I will exploit these relationships and do my best to support the ministry of the word with the ministry of music.

4. Singing affects us as witnesses: The Psalms show us how to submit our music and emotions to God.

The conference centered around the Psalms, seeking to bring them back into the personal life of the Christian and in the corporate worship of the church. The Psalms cover a wide range of human emotions, and when we study, sing, and proclaim the Psalms we testify God’s sovereignty over our circumstances. JD Greear said: “The Psalms reveal to us the right posture in bringing our questions and doubts before God.” The Psalms serve as our Biblical basis and model for our own songs and Sunday repertoire.

Therefore, we must not deny expressing the spectrum of human emotions through song. However, on this side of the cross, we know the revelation of Jesus Christ and the hope that is still to come. This is a witness to the world of the reality of our current predicament, and insightful to the honest, sorrowful yet always rejoicing life of the Christian.

On a personal note, I will continue to study the Psalms in my personal devotions and seek to incorporate them more into my worship sets. I will seek to incorporate them in family worship. Since worship is a response to the word of God, I will use the Psalms as a springboard for the call to worship. And as I witness, I will submit my music and emotions to God, sharing about the depths of my sin and the heights of his grace.