Quote of the Moment

"A baptism of holiness, a demonstration of godly living is the crying need of our day."
--Duncan Campbell

What is Man's Greated Need?

What is man's greatest need? When I say man I mean all of humanity. What is it that he needs most? Some say it is hope. Others say it is love, food or purpose. What do you think?

A Total Waste of Time

After reading this story about "The Relevant Church" it is no wonder why the church has no integrity or respect in the community.

Is this what church is all about? I would encourage Christians that may happen to belong to this church to stop going, to look for another church, and to go to the pastor, elders or leaders of this church and share your concern about this foolishness.

Lastly, when I noticed this last part of the original article along with the name of the church, it all makes sense now.

"Wirth is a former Baptist. He founded his non-denominational ministry three years ago. And he markets his church by tackling unusual or controversial topics."

Why not try something new like preaching the gospel?

UPDATE
I want to make myself clear. I understand that sex needs to be addressed. I understand that it will come from the pulpit. This does not condone churches that use the pulpit to issue worldly challenges. This is another ploy of the Emergent Church to avoid preaching the gospel. I suppose the phrase "Sex Sells" can be used within the church also.

Your Opinion Please

An owner of a blog that I frequently visit recently emailed me and asked about something that I think really needs to be addressed. Here is what she said (with her permission.) My comments will be under the asterisks.

Is it biblical for "ministries" to sell tapes/CDs of messages that they could probably give freely over the Internet? I understand that for a long time, messages could only be mass-produced through hard copies. Now, however, we have a way to upload things so that they can get to more people with little to no cost. Of course, there is always a need for hard copies for people who do not have Internet access frequently, but is it unreasonable to ask that the gospel and other messages that are helpful for Christian living be given freely?

I think of how Jesus told the disciples, "freely you have received, freely give" (Matthew 10:8). Is this just for the gospel or is it also for message of the whole counsel of God? I know that some people will have the argument that there are costs to reproduce messages and there are costs for packaging, etc. But are we not to live by faith? If we cannot get something to someone because of cost, then should we not ask the Lord for the means to do so? Do we believe that the Lord is able to tell His people to give where there is need and when there is need? Can we (or should we) get into the mindset that if it cannot be given freely (if God has not provided the means to give freely) then it should not be given?

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I think the issue is a bigger one than you have brought up. I think the issue centers on the ministry instead of the message. Let's face it; ministries do not pay the power bill with our purchasing of their messages. The bills are paid with donations and support from other sources. I think most of the time the messages that are for sale only cover the cost if we purchased hard copies. I do think that a small charge to cover server costs would suffice if we were to download the material.

People want to have a small kingdom here so they work, work, and work to have a miniature heaven here. We work to have a larger ministry instead of our ministries reaching more people. I am not opposed to ministries prospering and growing but a lot of this is business and not ministry.

Also, if these are messages from God should they be copyrighted?

I am not opposed to ministries charging for things. But ministries that charge for sermons or tell you its free when in reality they have a "suggested donation" is not right.

What do you think?

COMMITMENT...WHAT IS THAT?

What is commitment? The generations that are alive today, I believe, are one generation away from seeing the age of commitment die.

Let me explain. I was born in the 60's. The only commitment that I have really seen is in my grandparents generation. My parent's generation, who were born in the 40's, have periodically forgotten what commitment really is. I know there are always exceptions, but, as a whole, the death of commitment is upon us. I am not a doomsday prophet just a realist.

Longetivity in a job is foreign; in a marriage, it is rare; in the church, it is unheard of. This lack of commitment is destroying the family which destroys the church. This then branches out and destroys the workplace.

We look for reasons to leave our jobs, spouse and church. In the church, we don't care about scriptural truth anymore. When this happens, false beliefs run rampant and destroys our homes and churches.

Where is this leading us?

Neither Can Save Us

Make not mistake about it, I am very conservative. But, every Christian has to acknowledge that neither Democrat nor Republican can save this country of ours.

Many years ago we had Christians who really loved the Lord and lost people while not loving the Lord they respected those who did.
Now, we have many claiming to be Christian who show no love for the Lord or His ways. The rank and file lost person cares nothing for the Lord (nothing new) and also hates those that do love the Lord.

Sin is excused, loved and embraced by the church and the lost sit back and feel confirmed in their rejection of the savior.

The political system is not going to save this country from impending doom. It has to start with the church. The church has to quit committing spiritual adultery and join itself back to her real love, the Lord Jesus Christ.

Holiness and virtue need to be descriptions of His body, the church. I'm afraid adultery and compromise are its descriptions now. Is it any wonder why the Lord feels so far away now? He has not left us we have walked away from Him. We have no discernment, no power, no convictions, and no integrity. How do I know? I am one of the church.

Republican or democrat is not what we need. We need a hunger for righteousness.

SCHOOLING OUR CHILDREN- PART 2

I want to continue my rant on schooling our children but first; a side rant.

Recently, I came across a lady in our community who took her child out of public school because he has been in trouble lately and was recently suspended from elementary school. She is not a Christian and feels the best thing is for her to do is to homeschool him. BIG MISTAKE. I have never seen these types of situations have a happy ending. What happens when he acts up at home and she gets totally exasperated? He will start begging to go back to public school and promises her he will be a picture of perfection if she gives in.

Now, the continuation...

"We want our Christian children to go to public school to be a witness." STOP, STOP, STOP!! This is a farce. Who is going to be a Christ-like example to your children at school? Remember the math.

Lastly, who has more influence on our children? Our children are at public schools for 7-10 hours a day. We see them maybe an hour before school and a few hours after school. Do the math.

Have you visited a child in public school lately? In our county the doors are locked like a fortress. The homosexual friendly or politically correct speakers/teachers (in some cases) are on the inside and the parents/visitors have to ask permission on a speaker to gain entrance into the building. I know why they say they have the locks; to keep out the bad guys. Then I hear of schools not allowing a parent to come and see/pick up their child because the other parent calls and tells the faculty that they have just had an argument with their spouse and they are concerned for the health of the child. Who is the government school to become the domestic police???

I could keep going but I have two observations and two questions.

Observation #1...

I think most Christians are scared to pray about homeschooling because they are afraid of what God might say because they already have an idea as to how He feels about it.

Observation #2...

I think that public schools have become the 20th and 21st century babysitter for our kids. "We need someone to watch my kids till 6pm Monday-Friday so I can have some time for myself." This is wicked and selfish.

Question #1...

How long do you think it will take you to "un-teach" or reverse the damage done to your child from the anti-God teaching?

Question #2...

Why is it that when a woman teaches in a public school she is applauded for doing a good service but if that same woman homeschools her own children in her home she is ridiculed?

A CHALLENGE

My wife came across and sent me this link to which I was very thankful for. I think to have a new found awareness of the Puritans and their love for God is a good thing. I urge you to go to this site and accept the challenge that has been put forth.

SCHOOLING OUR CHILDREN

I have never let my schooling interfere with my education. --Mark Twain

What is right? For me, I would never consider having the government indoctrinate teach my children.
No, I am not one of these who think that there is a conspiracy behind everything the government does. I just don't think it is right for them (using my tax dollars) to teach my children that their ancestors used to walk on all fours or that homosexuality is fine.

For me and my family homeschooling is the only choice. We homeschool not only because of the obvious reasons but out of strong conviction that this is what is right. By doing this we can monitor what our children are taught in their formative years. Those "formative" years are going to be what molds their minds and values. How do I justify a pagan (not in all cases) teaching my children the above mentioned garbage? How do I justify a teacher/principal sending a note home to me telling me that my child is hyper?
Or should I be upset that school nurses are sending home notes telling parents to have their child test for ADD or ADHD? Should I be concerned that an explosive amount of parents have their children on Ritalin at the advice/request of these governmental institutions called schools?
I thought little ones are supposed to have energy.

On a side note...what is Ritalin doing to our children? Here is an interesting article about the favored dope for children.
The military still will not give a clear answer to whether they will or will not accept people into the military who have a history of taking Ritalin.
"But my child needs it. He could not cope with school if it were not for his medicine." What a total rubbish!! What did our parents and grandparents do about it when they were young? Discipline and love.

What about Christian or private schools? Christian schools (and many private schools) have become reform schools or holding tanks for those that the public school cannot handle and have expelled.

Who better to handle, teach, and love our children but us. It is not right to DUMP our children out so that someone else can do what we are supposed to do. It is not right to be mad when the teachers have a work day and the kids are out because you don't have a babysitter so you have to stay home with them.

Lastly, who has more influence on our children? Our children are at public schools for 7-10 hours a day. We see them maybe an hour before school and a few hours after school. Do the math.

"School is the advertising agency which makes you believe that you need the society as it is." -Ivan Illich in Deschooling Society

I will continue this topic in a few days.

To Santa or Not To Santa

In our home we do not acknowledge Santa. On a practical level I have a hard time giving credit to a fat guy in a red suit who really does not exists. I also have a hard time lying, yes lying, to our children about a fictional character on a yearly basis.

I know some of you think that I am hindering the children's joy of Christmas, killing their precious little imaginations and overall just taking the fun out of the holidays. I disagree. I think that Santa, just like the "Easter Bunny," really takes the focus off of the original intent (Christ's birth or Christ's resurrection) and shifts it to something that is not real. I did not say that Santa is really Satan spelled differently or that the Bunny is wicked. I just think that we need to shoot straight with our children in a day where diversions are the order of the day.

What do you think? Do you home acknowledge these characters in your home and if so, why?

YET ANOTHER "OUCH"ER

"I grant freely that it costs little to be a mere outward Christian. A man has only got to attend a place of worship twice on sunday, and to be tolerably moral during the week, and he has gone as far as thousands around him ever go in religion. All this is cheap and easy work: it entails no self-denial or self-sacrifice. If this is saving Christianity, and will take us to heaven when we die, we must alter the description of the way of life, and write, “Wide is the gate and broad is the way that leads to heaven!"
-J. C. Ryle

ANOTHER "OUCH"ER

"Everywhere there is apathy. Nobody cares whether that which is preached is true or false. A sermon is a sermon whatever the subject; only, the shorter it is the better."
-Charles Haddon Spurgeon

THIS IS WHAT IT'S ALL ABOUT

Recently our pianist gave me a picture of this outfit out of a flyer that came in the newspaper. I told the church that this is what Christmas is all about now. I, me, my, mine, etc. Worship of self runs rampant and we feed it with trash like this. If you have not already noticed, please read the message on the onesie. All the while we are so troubled at the hedonistic, self-centered, selfish, non-disciplined lives of our offspring. As I said earlier it is our fault, plain and simple.

Ouch!!

“If the gospel were more faithfully preached, there would be fewer people professing to believe it.”
--A. W. Pink

I came across this quote on christianresearchnetwork.com recently and it hurt. I mean it hurt because as a pastor I am responsible for preaching the whole counsel of God and sometimes we don't lay it out as strong and straight as we should. It makes me wonder if one of the reasons that many think they are saved (besides their spiritual blindness) is because we as pastors and preachers give them such a watered down version of the gospel that it is no longer the gospel but a freakish substitute.
What do you think?

IT IS OUR FAULT!!

Romans 3.23 says "for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God..." It is a verse that we as believers understand well. We also can look at our children and see that the sinful nature is quite active in them as well.

It humors me when I hear some comment as they look around at kids and their behavior and think how kids are "different" today than when they were growing up. "Things are different for them" is what we hear. "They have a lot more things to distract them" is another one that we hear.

I submit to you and everyone else that kids are no different than they used to be. Think about it. Is there really a degree of lostness? I have not noticed any scriptures that would lead me to believe that some have a greater proclivity to sin than others. I think we all would agree that there are some that are more wicked in their behavior than others but that does not mean that they have a stronger willingness to sin whereas others may not. If that be the case then we might as well say that some are born with no sin and others are born with loads of sin.

The problem comes from us as parents. Proverbs 13.24 says "He who withholds his rod hates his son, But he who loves him disciplines him diligently."

As a pastor, parent and a simple observer the problem is obvious. We want to be our child's buddy rather than his/her parent. We don't want them to be mad at us or to be hurt. So, we withhold punishment (specifically the "rod" but not exclusively) thinking that he/she will straighten up and "walk the line." This is foolish thinking. What motivation does a child have to straighten up if you condone (and that is what we are doing) their behavior? In actuality we are giving them mixed signals. We are showing them that there is no right and no wrong or in a word, relativism.

Writing this post made me think of a previous post. We are doing our children a colossal disservice by not disciplining our children. We have to face the facts.

IT IS OUR FAULT!!

THE EARLY CHURCH WOULD HAVE THROWN THEM OUT!

Why is it that we do our best to just get along with everyone? Now don't get me wrong. I am not saying that we need to create enemies at every turn. I am not saying that we should try to find the wrong in others in hopes that we can create divisions. What I am saying is that we, as believers, need to really be careful who we support and and give our attention to.

We have to decide what our boundaries are within doctrine when it comes to who we keep company with and who we part company with. I bring "to the table" Oneness Pentecostalism and two of its adherents; T.D. Jakes and the popular contemporary "Christian" group Phillips, Craig and Dean.

Oneness Pentecostalism espouses the antitrinitarian viewpoint which rejects the Trinity (the doctrine that God is three distinct persons in one being.) I bring this up because both Mr. Jakes and PCD (Phillips, Craig and Dean) are all pastors and supporters of this belief. Here are a few more of their beliefs...

1. Denies justification by faith alone by stating that baptism is also required for salvation.
2. Jesus is God the Father.
3. Jesus is the Holy Spirit.
4. The name of God is "Jesus."
5. Baptism is necessary for salvation.
6. Denies pre-existence of the Word as the Son. Teaches that the He existed as the Father.
7. Being born again means repentance, baptism, and speaking in tongues.
8. Baptism must be administered by an ordained Oneness minister to be valid.
9. Baptism must be administered with the phrase, "In the name of Jesus" instead of the phrase, "In the name of the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit" (Matt. 28:19).
10. Speaking in tongues is a necessary requirement to demonstrate that a person has been baptized in the Holy Spirit, and is, therefore, saved. It is claimed to be the initial sign of the infilling of the Holy Ghost.
11. Women may be pastors.
12. Only Oneness people will go to heaven.

Antitrinitarianism is nothing more than Modalism. Modalism made popular in the third century by Sabellius taught that the monotheistic God progressively revealed Himself through the offices of the Trinity. Interestingly, Sabellius was excommunicated from the Church for his false teachings.

The Oneness Pentecostal teaching that God "manifested" Himself through the offices of Father, Son, and Holy Spirit comes directly from Sabellius, who even used the term "manifesting" to define his doctrine.

"But, have you heard how good PCD sings?" "Have you seen how many people go to the Potter's House where Bishop Jakes pastors?"

My response is WHO CARES? They deny a foundational doctrine of the church and we are supposed to just "not worry about it" and just get along??

I think we should come against this cultic teaching and separate ourselves from it and from them.

THE EARLY CHURCH WOULD HAVE THROWN THEM OUT.

PAPAL SIGHTING

This just in...

It appears that Pope John Paul II has been spotted. According to the Vatican Television Director and close friend of the late leader of the Roman Catholic Church.

Hundreds had attended the ceremony. Gregorz Lukasik, the Polish man who took the photographs, said: "It was only afterwards when I got home and looked at the
pictures that I realised I had something.
"I showed them to my brother and sister and they, like me, were convinced the flames had formed the image of Pope John Paul II.
"I was so happy with the picture that I showed it to our local bishop who said that Pope John Paul had made many pilgrimages during his life and he was still making them in death."

If he is still making them then why does the RCC have Joe Ratzinger in the pontiff's seat?

And even more importantly...

Why is the late pope appearing in the fire? Shouldn't he be waving to us from the wings of glory?

YELLA

In old movies the coward of the movie was often called "Yellow" or "Yella" (for those of us in the south). We often understood it to be someone who would not stand up for they believed in.

Well, this story is about a group of "Yella" people.

A Christian organization that provides motivational speakers to high schools
has apologized to a school after one speaker made comments that could have been
interpreted as opposing abortion and support heterosexual relationships....

"The issue … was that the speaker indicated a pro-life stance when it came to
the abortion issue, and when it came to homosexuality and/or the gay issue, she
could have been interpreted as an anti-gay stance," Bob Poe......

"We have never taken speakers into the school system to deal with those
issues," he told WND. "I think we would rather that the speakers we bring to
schools not deal with topics that are controversial, that the school desires to
remain neutral about, although as YFC, an organization, we are pro-life and
pro-heterosexual."

Well, this group's name is Youth for Christ. I think they had better change their name because the name of Christ can be very controversial.

My question is "Must we always cower in fear if we offend them with our convictions or salvation?"

Are there any Christians out there that are not scared to stand up for what they believe in and will not cave in to public pressure?

Are you Yella?

BIRTH CONTROLLING

What do you think? Should Christians use birth control? Is avoiding certain days OK or is it wrong? We see in Scripture that it says to be fruitful and mulitply.
How many is a quiver full family?
I also know that some say "that God does not want us to have anymore." I also know that it is easy for all of us to say that God is leading us to do something or not to do something if we don't want it because we know you can't argue with God.

**I do not want to debate types of birth control and such. I simply want to discuss if birth control is a good thing in general.

YEAH...RIGHT!

It has come to my attention that Rudy (I want your conservative vote) Giuliani prays to Jesus for guidance.

One question. Does Jesus give Mr. Giuliani wisdom and advice when he advocates the killing of unborn babies? NOT POSSIBLE!!

He goes on to say...

"I'm guided very, very often about, `Don't judge others, lest you be judged,'" Giuliani said in the CBN interview. "I'm guided a lot by the story of the woman that was going to be stoned, and Jesus put the stones down and said, 'He that hasn't sinned, cast the first stone,' and everybody disappeared. It seems like nowadays in America, we have people that think they could've passed that test.

People love that verse when they want to silence their critics.

My problem is not with casting stones or assuming that I have never sinned. My problem comes with the fact that in a time when he needs to be religious he turns on the Jesus talk.

To me this is what the chameleon does. He is able to blend with whatever company he's in.

I know that this brings up a huge point but it has to be mentioned. I know that most of us have a personal litmus test a candidate must pass before they can garner our vote. The first test for me is abortion. Abortion is murder any way you look at it, even in rape or incest. It is wrong and it is murder.

For a candidate to tell me that he prays for wisdom and guidance from the Lord and supports killing unborn babies there is simply a conflict of interests. To me, this is not workable, credible or even negotiable. I cannot, with a good conscience, vote for Rudy Giuliani.