Nothing Like Hearing It From a Heretic's Mouth!!

WICKEDNESS TO THE CORE

It seems that a church in Cologne is having or has had a service with the theme "Erotic Church Service." Read this and you will see what I mean.

Tozer Speaks From The Grave

The old cross slew men; the new cross entertains them. The old cross condemned; the new cross amuses. The old cross destroyed confidence in the flesh; the new cross encourages it.

--A.W. Tozer

Ridiculous- What Has Happened To The Church?

This is a series of posts that I have titled... Ridiculous-What has happened to the church?

The question that I am most often asked of late is what is wrong with the Warrens, Hybels, Schullers and Osteens of the world.

Gary Gilley says...

"The problem is that the main business of entertainment is to please the crowd, but the main purpose of authentic Christianity is to please the Lord."

My question is...
If this is the case then why is the church spending its time entertaining the world instead of pleasing the Lord?

That is where my beef with the above mentioned men (amongst others) come in. They seemed to have adopted the view that if it works, let's do it.

Now keep in mind, if our job as spiritual leaders is to populate the church then these men have excelled in great fashion. But that is not a scriptural view of the pastor or church.

We, as Christians exist for the Glory of God. We are to live holy God honoring lives. God is the one who brings increase to His church. With this in mind we have to consider how the gospel and the church are being sold out to the highest bidder. The highest bidders for the church are warm bodies (saved or not) and the highest bidder for the gospel is entertainment. Forget preaching about sin, the cross, denial of worldly pleasures, fasting, witnessing and holiness.

Enter entertainment. Rock bands that mimic secular musicians, puppet shows so that the kids want to come, senior adult trips to wherever, marriage conferences to draw the maritally challenged, pizza parties and extreme games so that the youth will come is the order of the day. "Hey, whatever it takes to get them here."

This pragmatism is hellish. We bait them with the world. Whatever the world is doing let's do it. Or better yet, let's Christianize something worldly.

In my next post I will go over that last sentence and elaborate.

The Mindset of the World?

An Old Post

Here a few things that the Roman Catholic Church has proclaimed:

1. Prayers for the dead . ………………300 A.D.

2. Making the sign of the cross ………………………… …300 A.D.

3. Veneration of angels & dead saints ……………….375 A.D.

4. Use of images in worship………………………………… . 375 A.D.

5. The Mass as a daily celebration……………………………… 394 A.D.

6. Beginning of the exaltation of Mary; the term, "Mother of God" applied a Council of Ephesus…431 A.D.

7. Extreme Unction (Last Rites)……………………………… ..526 A.D.

8. Doctrine of Purgatory-Gregory I…………………………… .593 A.D.

9. Prayers to Mary & dead saints ……………………………… .600 A.D.

10. Worship of cross, images & relics ……………………… … 786 A.D.

11. Canonization of dead saints ………………………………… ..995 A.D.

12. Celibacy of priesthood …………………………………… …1079 A.D.

13. The Rosary ……………………………………………… … 1090 A.D.

14. Indulgences ……………………………………………… …..1190 A.D.

15. Transubstantiation-Innocent III …………………………… 1215 A.D.

16. Auricular Confession of sins to a priest …………………… 1215 A.D.

17. Adoration of the wafer (Host)…………………………… .. 1220 A.D.

18. Cup forbidden to the people at communion …………………..1414 A.D.

19. Purgatory proclaimed as a dogma……………………………..1439 A.D.

20. The doctrine of the Seven Sacraments confirmed …………….1439 A.D.

21. Tradition declared of equal authority with Bible by Council of Trent..1545 A.D.

22. Apocryphal books added to Bible ……………….1546 A.D.

23. Immaculate Conception of Mary……………………………….1854 A.D.

24. Infallibility of the pope in matters of faith and morals, proclaimed by the Vatican Council …1870 A.D.

25. Assumption of the Virgin Mary (bodily ascension into heaven shortly after her death) .1950 A.D.

26. Mary proclaimed Mother of the Church……………………… 1965 A.D.

As I said in a much earlier post I am wanting to write like I speak. Typically, people tend to write much more fancy than they speak. Well, not here. So let me be perfectly clear in the next paragraph or so.

Many of the above mentioned items are wicked to the core. I don't care what council said it; if it is not supported in Scripture then it is man-made. I am tired of RCC's trying to tell me what this or that meant. I say let's just take it at face value. ie

INDULGENCES are demonic and from the pit of hell. The RCC has refused to publically repent of this past practice.

PURGATORY-if this place is real then Jesus did not have to die to cleanse us from our sins; hence, a cult.

PRAYERS TO MARY AND DEAD SAINTS- another wicked demonic practice that the RCC refuses to admit is unscriptural

ASSUMPTION OF MARY- scripture???? I could go on and on but in the end the burden of proof lay in the lap of RCC's. We are not brothers and sisters in the Lord. You must repent of your sins and quit trusting in mere man to forgive you.

Here is a little food for thought...

[He told him that He would not leave them orphans. That phrase struck me because I heard it used when Pope John Paul II passed away. One of the television news interviewers was talking with a young woman in St. Peter’s Square who responded: “With our Holy Father now dead we feel like orphans.” Then when Pope Benedict XVI’s election was announced and he appeared on the balcony of St. Peter’s, another person being interviewed declared: “We are no longer orphans.”] http://www.catholicweb.com/media_index.cfm?fuseaction=view_article&partnerid=40&article_id=2059

Rodney King Theology

Many of you might remember Rodney King. His plea was "Can't we all just get along."

I fear that many of today's Christians are crying this mantra all the while compromising what they believe.

To me this give a great foothold to Satan. He can and will do his level-headed best to get us to give some deference to those of other beliefs. I will tell you that it will not be happening in my camp. I will come against it at every point. And yes, I know this might not seem very loving but my name is not Robert Schuller.

A Little Clarification for all of My Cultic Observers

I posted this last year but I think it needs to be reposted. It follows the math symbols as a guide to distinguishing a false teaching.

Here is an excerpt...

Very simply, a cult is:
1. (+) any group that adds to the Word of God as their spiritual guidance, manual or wisdom
2. (-) any group that subtracts from the person of Jesus Christ. "He is a good teacher" or "He was only a prophet."
3. (x) any group that multiplies what you have to do to become a Christian.
It is by Grace alone though faith alone in Christ alone. If we add anything to this (like works) we are in grave error.
4. (./.) any group that divides itself as the only true church.

So, for all that think that I am "not nice, not loving, being unchristian" remember this...

I will come against any group that follows some or all of these practices.

DT

More for the Papists

From Christian Research Network: This piece concerning the apostate Church of Rome over
at Apprising Ministries begins with a quote from Dr. John MacArthur who says, "The papacy is unbiblical; it is unbiblical. There’s not one tiny shred of evidence in Scripture for the papacy,… It was all developed by evil people, satanically led to create a false religion that would be the enemy of the Truth." Here you will see from official Roman Catholic sources themselves that this "office" of the papacy has "the function of proclaiming the gospel [which] has been entrusted principally to the Roman Pontiff and the college of bishops.”

To read more click here.

"Thus saith the LORD; Cursed be the man that trusteth in man, and maketh flesh his arm..." -Jeremiah 17:5

Welcome, Catholic Observers

I hope everyone likes the picture that I have posted for all to see. Mary, our "CO-REDEMPTRIX" is gracing this post for you.

This is what the Roman Catholic Church believes. Forget praying to Jesus (1Tim. 2:5-For there is one God, and one mediator also between God and men, the man Christ Jesus). Now you just tell people to pray to Mary who was a sinner and needed a savior like everyone else and you're in.

That alone is grounds for a cult. It takes the complete focus away from Christ, the blood and the Cross.

Mind you, I do not have any disrespect for Mary herself, just the the Whore of Revelation (Roman Catholic Church) that have used her as their poster child.

Mary was blessed among women and was a special vehicle that God used to bring His Son to this earth. Forget worshiping the vehicle and start worshiping the savior.

Oh, and by the way. "Anonymous, you are a good copy-er and paste-r." It is a shame that you don't have a name.

The Beauty of Election

Look at this wonderful explanation of Election by John MacArthur.

My own struggle with the doctrine of God’s sovereign election comes from my emotion, it comes from the influences of my fallen heart, it comes from my expectation that everybody ought to have a right to make a choice. And it also comes from the early years of my Christian experience when I didn’t understand what it meant to be depraved.
As a young Christian I didn’t understand how really dead the sinner is. That is the bottom line issue here. Salvation has to be all of God if you understand the doctrine of human depravity. If you understand what it means to be utterly unable to do right; unable to know God, dead in trespasses and sins, in the most profound kind of unalterable death about which you can do nothing. And if you understand there is no human merit, there is no human effort, there is nothing we can do to alter that situation or to please God.
Out of the doctrine of what I call utter human inability comes the doctrine of election. It was when I understood the sinfulness of man and the total inability of the sinner to do anything about his condition that I was left with nothing but the doctrine of election to solve that problem.

(Answering the Key Questions About the Doctrine of Election, Grace To You, GTY 106)

Which Picture Describes Today's Pastor?

What is the Purpose of the Church?

Before your fingers jumped to the keyboard give this a little thought. What is the church's purpose? I am not saying what is the christian's purpose. When the called out (christians) come together on a certain day what is their purpose? What should they do or be doing?

Before you start typing please consider scripture to support your view. What is the point to them getting together.

"Christian" Pragmatism

Isn't this what the church is doing? Since the church is more interested in growing rather than seeing people saved and displaying holiness I guess we need to be more like the world. Since the church is more interested in filling the pews than loving God we had better get the Maxwells, Hybels, Schullers and Osteens and maybe they can tell us how to be worldly enough to draw the masses; since that is our goal.

A Question for Everyone...What, in your opinion has happened to the church?

Would the early church fathers and apologists be proud as to what the church is like now? Has the church become what God wants it to be? Is it honoring God now? Maybe it is in some areas and maybe not in others? What do you think?

Are You Dancing? II -The Worship of Warren

I will borrow from a previous post to start off with.



An Organ Grinder was someone who traveled around town and played a tune on a portable organ for money. Oftentimes the grinder would have a monkey with him who would dance to the music and would walk around and collect money from those observing.

I bring up Organ Grinders because the church often reminds me of the monkey who dances around when the music starts playing. The question is, “Who is playing the music?”

Yes, I think the lost world is playing loud music. I also think that there are some possibly under the guise of “Christian” that are playing it; namely Rick Warren.

As a pastor I am sickened by the throng of “Christian” literature that is on the market that is meant to be a help in the ministry that I serve. We have Bible studies that are flavored with The Beverly Hillbillies, Andy Griffith and who knows what else. And then we have the plethora of Purpose Driven drivel.

Mr. Warren has international attention at his disposal at any moment. He sells truckloads of books and is considered the guru in church growth.

As a pastor the idea of church growth will get most of us to turn our heads for a second look. We want our churches to grow. We want to see the Kingdom enlarged. We want to see God honored and His people growing. But upon closer examination, the diet that we are being fed from Mr. Warren and his ilk is so watered down that I am not sure what it is supposed to resemble. Let me share a few concerns.

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“The last thing many believers need today is to go to another Bible study. They already know far more than they are putting into practice.” (Rick Warren, The Purpose Driven Life , 2002, pg. 231) [emphasis mine]
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I have had to read and re-read this quote many times. To me this is a lowering of the value of the Sword of the Spirit which is exactly what Satan wants for the Christian.

I must admit that I am very hesitant of something that the masses are falling in love with; especially if it is about the Lord. It seems that everything that Rick Warren says is put into print and sold at a price. Why should someone who wants to “help” pastors sell their ideas that supposedly came from God?

According to Romans 3.23 “for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God”

This alone lets me know since everyone is born a sinner and separated from God that their nature will run from anything that does not glorify the flesh. It reminds me of when I was a child and I would be playing and then…there it was. The ringing bell! It was none other than the ice cream truck as he drove through the neighborhood ringing his bell. Children would scramble for change and bolt out the door to see if they could catch him.

So, ministries and bookstores tell us that our ministries are not complete or fulfilling the calling that Lord has placed on our lives until we read the latest offering of Purpose Driven nonsense.

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How to increase baptisms at your church
by Rick Warren
As pastors, we all want to see more people celebrate brand-new relationships with Christ through baptism. Nothing symbolizes life change like it. We’ve baptized more than 20,000 people in the past 26 years at Saddleback. Along the way, I’ve learned a thing or two about giving people an opportunity to make this kind of commitment. Here are some tips to help your church increase its number of baptisms.
http://www.pastors.com/RWMT/?id=267&artid=9616&expand=1 [emphasis mine]
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I suppose by the numbers stated above that I should listen to his “thing or two” about moving people to make this commitment.

I remember serving as an associate pastor in North Georgia where I served under a godly pastor who is now with the Lord. I distinctly remember him being questioned by the pastor search committee. “Can you tell us how many people you baptized in your last church?” The soon to-be pastor said, “If you will tell me how many people look like Christ in this church I will tell you how many I baptized in my last church.” They sat silent. At that moment God starting teaching me that it was His business to save and it was my business to be holy and share Him. It was not my business to bring the masses in and have membership and baptism campaigns.

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Who then is Paul, and who is Apollos, but ministers through whom you believed, as the Lord gave to each one? I planted, Apollos watered, but God gave the increase. 1Cor. 3.5-6 [emphasis mine]
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It appears that as pastors we have been led (slight of hand?) to focus solely on numbers, comforting sinners, solving the social ills of today, and getting along with each other and all the while ignoring the holiness of God, the demands of God, the sin of man and the substitute provided by God.

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“What you win people with is what you win people to.”
-The godly pastor that I mentioned earlier
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As pastors we are to hold God and His perfect Son up for everyone to see.
It is our job as pastors to teach the church to put Jesus Christ on display. We are to reflect the image of Christ to a lost world. We are not to “draw” people in with our music, youth programs and whatever else we can muster. We have to let them know of the demands of God. We have to let them know of His holiness and their sinfulness. We have to let them know that they are separated from God and without His intervention first, they are Hell bound. This is not about scaring people; it is about the facts laid out in Holy Writ.

The only way that a sinner can be changed and reflect the image of Jesus Christ is for God’s Spirit to invade that person’s heart and change them.
We are not to make a sinner comfortable in his/her sin. To do so would be to compromise His holiness and righteousness.

Pastors, I encourage you not to abandon the Word of God for a book-study or how-to methods. Mr. Warren is not the guru in church growth. He is the guru in growing a business that he calls a church.

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So continuing daily with one accord in the temple, and breaking bread from house to house, they ate their food with gladness and simplicity of heart, praising God and having favor with all the people. And the Lord added to the church daily those who were being saved. Acts 2.46-47 [emphasis mine]
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Who is playing the music that you are dancing to?

Interesting

As I have said before, people get cranked up over my posts about Catholicism being a cult.

For those of you that are Catholic, read this post.

"The greatest obstacle to the Gospel is silence. By remaining silent and hoping that our Christian life will testify for itself we fail to keep the Lord's commandment. The commandment, "go ye into all the world, and preach the Gospel to every creature." means to go and speak the Word to the Catholic! The majority of Nuns and Priests and former Catholics that I know who have" ...Read more (Here)

Offended?

It is has come to my attention that a group of folks have been in an uproar over my post about Catholicism being a cult.

It seems that I have offended some by my lack of love for those of "another denomination."

Well, here is what Webster's says about this term, denomination.

Denomination- "a religious organization whose congregations are united in their adherence to its beliefs and practices"

Can I rightly claim that Protestant churches believe this web of lies that the Catholic Church adheres to?

Please continue reading as I add some clarity to this subject.

Christ’s redemptive activity finds its apogee in the death of sacrifice on the cross. On this account it is by excellence but not exclusively the efficient cause of our redemption....No one can be just to whom the merits of Christ’s passion have not been communicated. It is a fundamental doctrine of St. Paul that salvation can be acquired only by the grace merited by Christ (Ludwig Ott, Fundamentals of Catholic Dogma (Rockford: Tan, 1974), pp. 185, 190).

Are the sacraments necessary for salvation?
According to the way God has willed that we be saved the sacraments are necessary for salvation
(John Hardon, The Question and Answer Catholic Catechism (Garden City: Image, 1981), Questions # 401, 402, 461, 462, 1119).

If any one saith that the sacraments of the New Law are not necessary unto salvation...and that without them, or without the desire thereof, men obtain from God, through faith alone, the grace of justification...let him be anathema (The Canons and Decrees of the Council of Trent. Found in Philip Schaff, The Creeds of Christendom (Grand Rapids: Baker, 1919), Canon IV, p. 119).

Penance is...necessary because we must expiate and make reparation for the punishment which is due our sins...We make satisfaction for our sins by every good act we perform in the state of grace but especially by prayer, penance and the practice of charity (John Hardon, The Question and Answer Catholic Catechism (Garden City: Image, 1981), Question #1320).

The Sacrifice of the altar... is no mere empty commemoration of the Passion and death of Jesus Christ, but a true and proper act of sacrifice. Christ, the eternal High Priest, in an unbloody way offers himself a most acceptable Victim to the eternal Father as He did upon the Cross...In the Mass, no less than on Calvary, Jesus really offers His life to His heavenly Father...The Mass, therefore, no less than the Cross, is expiatory for sins (emphasis mine) (John Hardon, The Question and Answer Catholic Catechism (Garden City: Image, 1981), Questions #1265, 1269, 1277).

THESE COMMENTS OFFEND ME. THEY ARE TOTALLY DEMONIC!!!!!!

I guess that I am "cursed" since I belive in Grace alone by faith alone in Christ alone.

If this is not enough to convince someone that Catholicism is a cult then I seriously question their understanding of the gospel message and salvation.

In the end. I am not worried if the truth offends you. SIN OFFENDS GOD EVERY MINUTE OF EVERY DAY.

No, this is not self-righteousness on my part. This is me bringing to the surface what another RELIGION, not demination believes.

How To Raise a Crook

I came across this several years ago.

HOW TO RAISE A CROOK

1. Give him/her everything they want. This way they will grow up to believe that the world owes them a living.
2. Never give him spiritual training. Wait until he is twenty-one and then let him decide for himself.
3. Avoid using the word “wrong.” It might make him feel guilty and his school-work may suffer.
4. Do not make him work at home. Do his work for him, so he will learn at an early age to leave responsibility to others.
5. Let him watch anything he wants, so he can learn from television how to get along in the world.
6. Give him spending money so he won’t be frustrated by having to earn his own.
7. Do not make rules for him-you might make him angry at you.
8. When he gets bad grades, blame the teachers.
9. When he gets in trouble at school, blame the principal.
10. When he loses his job, blame the boss.
11. When he gets caught drunk driving, blame his friends.
12. Let him experiment with sex, alcohol, and drugs so he will be able to make an educated decision.
13. Buy him a car as soon as he can drive so he will have the freedom to go wherever he wants.

--from The Presbyterian Journal

Are You Dancing?

An Organ Grinder was someone who traveled around town and played a tune on a portable organ for money. Oftentimes the grinder would have a monkey with him who would dance to the music and would walk around and collect money from those observing.

I bring up Organ Grinders because the church often reminds me of the monkey who dances around when the music starts playing. The question is, “Who is playing the music?”

I think the music makers are those that are not Christians or those that leave you wondering if they are.

For some reason the church (Christians) think that they have to dance (keep in step, imitate, copy) those that are not Christians. We act like them, dress like them, talk like them, and have many, if not most, of the habits and ways of those who are not going to Heaven.

There is no holiness in the church just conformity. If it feels good, looks good or sounds good, do it.

“God loves all kinds of music because he invented it all – fast and slow, loud and soft, old and new. You probably don’t like it all, but God does” Purpose Driven Life, page 65

What if the music glorifies self, sex, or sin? God approves?

Some would say that the church just wants to be relevant and culturally in-touch. That seems to be what Rick Warren wants for the church. The social gospel is more important than preaching Christ and Him crucified. It seems that if your church is not drawing lost people to it then you are dead in the water. That's why you need to buy this product or that subscription to boost your numbers and get'em comin'.

But how are you going to draw lost people to church without entertaining them? If church is not entertaining then they do not want to come. But when was the church supposed to be about fun and entertainment? I thought it was about lifting up the holiness of God, the sinfulness of men and teaching His people to do the work of the ministry.

What I see going on is a major down-playing of beliefs and more of a "feeling" type of salvation.

On page 34 of Purpose Driven Life Warren says: “God won’t ask about your religious background or doctrinal views. The only thing that will matter is, did you accept what Jesus did for you and did you learn to love and trust him?”

What Jesus are we talking about here? The Jehovah Witnesses version, the Emergent version, the Catholic version, or the Jesus in the Bible?

Doctrinal views are your belief system. They are inseparable.

I think one of the big problems here is one word-Compromise.

You see, our goal in church should not be to fill it up. Our goal should be to point people to Christ and to encourage them to imitate Him. We should learn more about denying self instead of pleasing self. We need to hear that we are sinners hopeless without Christ and that we need to be abandoned to Christ. But...that does not make people come back. Little Johnny did not like the preacher talking about Hell being a real place. Dad did not like the preacher preaching against self-help techniques. Mom did not like when the preacher preached on submission.

So, where does that leave us? Rick Warren wants to make the lost man comfortable. And then we wonder why the church has lost its flavor (salt) and why world looks at us and laughs. We act no different than the cussing, drinking, staring at women, cheating on taxes, griping, lazy man who cares nothing about going to Heaven.

Why should the world take notice of us? Why should they be impressed with Christianity? When the people (Christians) who represent Christianity do their best to look like the world they are bringing reproach on themselves, the church and ultimately, Jesus.

We are called to be in this world, not of it. The world around us should see a striking difference between ourselves and those who care nothing about the cross of Christ.

What tune are you dancing to?