Susan wrote, "The greatest deception of all is to believe we cannot be deceived."
As Mark of Chester Street shares in a post at his blog, even pastors and elders can, and are, being deceived today.
This fallen world that we live in is loaded with deceptive practices and techniques that could deceive "even the elect...if that were possible."
That quoted part above is a portion of the verse from Matthew 24:24.
Also, we can unequivocably say that this fallen world that we live in today is loaded with seductive practices and techniques that could seduce "if [it were] possible, even the elect."
One of my favorite Bible verses (there are hundreds, of course!) is:
See to it that no one takes you captive through hollow and deceptive philosophy, which depends on human tradition and the basic principles of this world rather than on Christ.
Colossians 2:8 (NIV)
Along with that verse, we read what the Lord would want us to be doing; as well as the reward we will receive (that is, to show Himself strong to us) when we are fully committed to Him:
The eyes of the Lord move to and fro throughout the earth to show Himself strong to those whose hearts are fully committed to Him.
2 Chronicles 16:9 (NIV)
Regarding Colossians 2:8, my Bible notes read:
Paul writes against any philosophy of life based only on human ideas and experiences. Paul himself was a gifted philosopher, so he is not condeming philosophy. He is condeming teaching that credits humanity, not Christ, with being the answer to life's problems. That approach becomes a false religion. There are many man-made approaches to life's problems that totally disregard God. To resist heresy you must use your mind, keep your eyes on Christ, and study God's Word.
Today, I was responding to a commenter in an earlier post at my blog and placed links to several former blogposts that deal with the issues of deception, seduction, manipulation, and utilizing lies to promote a humanistic philosophy that is contrary to God's will for our lives.
1. Chopra's Jesus is Liberalism's Gospel.
2. Hostility Towards Christian Faith.
3. It's About Manipulation.
These are only just a few of the dozens of blogposts that I have shared on avoiding deception.
The "It's About Manipulation" post is the entire first chapter from David Kupelian's "Marketing of Evil" book. It's long, but worth the read.
Two of the posts above deal with the deception of the "New Age" craze. The last post deals with the deception of "selling gay rights" to America.
I am including just an excerpt (below) because I wanted to demonstrate that what is currently happening in the liberal and homosexual behavior affirming churches is evident of the final "stage" as outlined in Kirk and Madsen's "After the Ball" book. The brilliant (yet evil) marketing techniques that these guys designed have worked like a charm on an unsuspecting public. Take a look at the psychology involved.
Excerpt from chapter one:
Rondeau explains Kirk and Madsen's techniques of "desensitization," "jamming," and "conversion" this way:
"Desensitization is described as inundating the public in a "continuous flood of gay-related advertising, presented in the least offensive fashion possible. If straights can't shut off the shower, they may at least eventually get used to being wet." But, the activists did not mean advertising in the usual marketing context but, rather, quite a different approach: "The main thing is to talk about gayness until the issue becomes thoroughly tiresome." They add, "[S]eek desensitization and nothing more. … If you can get [straights] to think [homosexuality] is just another thing – meriting no more than a shrug of the shoulders – then your battle for legal and social rights is virtually won."
This planned hegemony is a variant of the type that Michael Warren describes in "Seeing Through the Media" where it "is not raw overt coercion; it is one group's covert orchestration of compliance by another group through structuring the consciousness of the second group."
"Structuring the consciousness" of others? If that phraseology is uncomfortably reminiscent of various mind control and brainwashing tales you might have heard over the years, don’t be surprised. Manipulating the emotions and thereby restructuring the thoughts and beliefs of large numbers of people is what modern marketing is all about.
"Jamming," explains Rondeau, "is psychological terrorism meant to silence expression of or even support for dissenting opinion." Radio counselor and psychologist Dr. Laura Schlessinger experienced big-time jamming during the run-up to her planned television show. Outraged over a single comment critical of homosexuals she had made on her radio program, activists launched a massive intimidation campaign against the television program's advertisers. As a result, the new show was stillborn.
But perhaps the highest-profile example of jamming occurred after the 1998 murder of University of Wyoming freshman Matthew Shepard. Lured from a bar, robbed and savagely beaten by two men, Shepard died five days later of head injuries. In the frenzied, saturation media coverage that followed, the press and homosexual activists singled out conservative Christians as having created a "climate of anti-gay hate" in which such a brutal act could happen.
NBC's Today show took the lead, focusing on a Christian ad campaign running at the time that offered to help homosexuals change their orientation. Reporter David Gregory narrated: "The ads were controversial for portraying gays and lesbians as sinners who had made poor choices, despite the growing belief that homosexuality may be genetic. … Have the ads fostered a climate of anti-gay hate that leads to incidents like the killing of Matthew Shepard? Gay rights activists say the ads convey a message that gay people are defective."
And in a now-infamous interview, Today's Katie Couric asked Wyoming Governor Jim Geringer: "Some gay rights activists have said that some conservative political organizations like the Christian Coalition, the Family Research Council and Focus on the Family are contributing to this anti-homosexual atmosphere by having an ad campaign saying if you are a homosexual you can change your orientation. That prompts people to say, 'If I meet someone who's homosexual, I'm going to take action to try to convince them or try to harm them.' Do you believe that such groups are contributing to this climate?"
Consciously or not, the media were following Kirk and Madsen's playbook to the letter, discrediting anyone who disagreed with the homosexual agenda by associating them with lowlife murderers. In reality, none of the Christian groups smeared by NBC had ever condoned mistreatment of homosexuals – in fact, they had explicitly condemned it.
As if to add even more shame to the whole-hog jamming of Christians after the Shepard murder, in 2004 a comprehensive new investigation by ABC News 20/20 concluded that homosexuality very likely wasn't a factor in Shepard's murder, but rather Shepard had been targeted for his money.
So much for desensitization and jamming. But what about "conversion"? Here, Kirk and Madsen announce defiantly:
"We mean conversion of the average American’s emotions, mind, and will, through a planned psychological attack, in the form of propaganda fed to the nation via the media. We mean "subverting" the mechanism of prejudice to our own ends – using the very processes that made America hate us to turn their hatred into warm regard – whether they like it or not."
Transforming another person’s hatred into love ("warm regard") is the object of classic brainwashing. As Kirk and Madsen explain:
"In Conversion, we mimic the natural process of stereotype-learning, with the following effect: we take the bigot's good feelings about all-right guys, and attach them to the label "gay," either weakening or, eventually, replacing his bad feelings toward the label and the prior stereotype. … Whereas in Jamming the target is shown a bigot being rejected by his crowd for his prejudice against gays, in Conversion the target is shown his crowd actually associating with gays in good fellowship. Once again, it's very difficult for the average person, who, by nature and training, almost invariably feels what he sees his fellows feeling, not to respond in this knee-jerk fashion to a sufficiently calculated advertisement."
We're talking about some serious messing around with Americans' minds here. Do the homosexual activists thus engaged really know they're deceiving the public, or are they convinced they're just telling the truth?
"It makes no difference that the ads are lies," write Kirk and Madsen, "not to us, because we're using them to ethically good effect, to counter negative stereotypes that are every bit as much lies, and far more wicked ones."
Far more wicked?
I think not!!
Let's research what the Bible has to say about the gay activists psychological "techniques" and how there will always be a remnant of Christian believers who will not be seduced, deceived, manipulated, confounded, or led to disobedience:
Mar 13:22 For false Christs and false prophets shall rise, and shall shew signs and wonders, to seduce, if [it were] possible, even the elect.
Mat 24:24 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.
Here is a verse that instructs us as to why, despite the pressure to succomb to fleshly desires, the elect will still follow after godliness:
Tts 1:1 Paul, a servant of God, and an apostle of Jesus Christ, according to the faith of God's elect, and the acknowledging of the truth which is after godliness;
1Pe 1:2 Elect according to the foreknowledge of God the Father, through sanctification of the Spirit, unto obedience and sprinkling of the blood of Jesus Christ: Grace unto you, and peace, be multiplied.
Why being born again in Jesus allows us not to be deceived:
1Pe 2:6 Wherefore also it is contained in the scripture, Behold, I lay in Sion a chief corner stone, elect, precious: and he that believeth on him shall not be confounded.
Jesus told us that we would, "know the truth and the truth shall set you (us) free."
Jhn 8:32 And ye shall know the truth, and the truth shall make you free.
2Jo 1:1 The elder unto the elect lady and her children, whom I love in the truth; and not I only, but also all they that have known the truth;
As Susan had shared, we are to utilize the gifts of the Holy Spirit in bringing people to the knowledge and truth of God's written Word, the Bible, and follow after His Living Word, the Person of Jesus Christ:
Col 3:12 Put on therefore, as the elect of God, holy and beloved, bowels of mercies, kindness, humbleness of mind, meekness, longsuffering;
Col 3:13 Forbearing one another, and forgiving one another, if any man have a quarrel against any: even as Christ forgave you, so also [do] ye.
Col 3:14 And above all these things [put on] charity, which is the bond of perfectness.
Col 3:15 And let the peace of God rule in your hearts, to the which also ye are called in one body; and be ye thankful.
Col 3:16 Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly in all wisdom; teaching and admonishing one another in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing with grace in your hearts to the Lord.
Col 3:17 And whatsoever ye do in word or deed, [do] all in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God and the Father by him.
Yes. It's a tall order to fight against the deceptions raging today. There will always be people who will not believe our warnings and reject the truth.
Yet, when even one person turns to Christ for salvation through the seeds planted by Christians here on this earth via "The Great Commission," then it's all worth it!!
When Jesus returns for His own, those who confessed, repented, and believed on the sacrificial death of Jesus Christ on the cross for their sins; will be united with the One who overcame the effects of sin, evil, and death. We will be united in eternal life with Jesus in heaven.
Mat 24:31 And he shall send his angels with a great sound of a trumpet, and they shall gather together his elect from the four winds, from one end of heaven to the other.
Mar 13:27 And then shall he send his angels, and shall gather together his elect from the four winds, from the uttermost part of the earth to the uttermost part of heaven.
HT: Chester Street
HT: gcmWatch
*******
Update at 10:06 a.m. PT:
Just visited gcmWatch and wanted to share a post that all who have read this blogpost should read. It is the perfect example why the gay christian movement must be challenged and exposed by Bible teaching Christians everywhere!
Bishop Threatened by Church for Refusal to Accept Homosexuality
Another example of what direction deception leads.
In this case, those who were formerly perceived as being oppressed, have now become the oppressors.
Which stage in Kirk and Madsen's playbook are we in now? I'll let readers decide.
Excerpts:
When the righteous are in authority, the people rejoice: but when the wicked beareth rule, the people mourn. Proverbs 29:2
Take for example, the Bishop of the Pittsburgh diocese who is under threat of “discipline” for his refusal to accept the religious monarchy’s edit to accept homosexuality as a “gift from God”.
Conclusion?
Although some falsely claim homosexuals are being persecuted by the church, stories such as these reveal the face of the real persecutors of God’s people.
gcmWatch Trackback:
http://gcmwatch.wordpress.com/2007/11/05/
episcopal-bishop-threatned-by-church-for-refusal-
to-accept-homosexuality/
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