What Do You See?

We always know that the attacks against Jesus Christ and Christian faith will surface the closer we get to Christmas or Easter. Note the latest attempt of a group who call themselves "American Atheists."

Isn't it funny how they NEVER DARE to place a photo of Islam's Mohammad in their ads of ridicule?

 I wonder why?

 Oh yeah...that's right...they would probably be tracked down and get their heads cut off. Well...maybe not. The Islamists usually only target Christian believers for such bloody, evil, disgusting, dirty, and horrendous deeds. 

However, there must be another reason why atheists do not target Islam.  Perhaps it has something to do with their untruthful agreement on just who Jesus Christ really is?  But that's a subject for another post.

Back to the myths poster.

Doesn't it make you wonder why an image of Christ, a cross, a nativity scene, or any other Christian symbol infuriates atheists and makes them either lash out or mock the Savior of the world? 


The book of Jude tells us about the mockers:

Jud 1:17   But, beloved, remember ye the words which were spoken before of the apostles of our Lord Jesus Christ;

Jud 1:18   How that they told you there should be mockers in the last time, who should walk after their own ungodly lusts.

Jud 1:19   These be they who separate themselves, sensual, having not the Spirit.

Why the need to target Jesus Christ?

In the words of Jesus, the Bible informs us through Scripture:

Jhn 15:18   "If the world hates you, you know that it hated Me before [it hated] you.


Jhn 15:24   "If I had not done among them the works which no one else did, they would have no sin; but now they have seen and also hated both Me and My Father.


Jhn 15:25   "But [this happened] that the word might be fulfilled which is written in their law, 'They hated Me without a cause.'

Psalm 69:4  Those who hate me without reason outnumber the hairs of my head, many are my enemies without cause, those who seek to destroy me.

It is by no accident that Psalm 69 is one of the most quoted in the New Testament, and it is often applied to the ministry and suffering of Jesus.  Verse 4, like John 15:25, speaks of Jesus' many enemies.  The experience of being scorned by his brothers (69:8) is expressed in John 7:5.  Verse 9 portrays David's zeal for God; Christ showed great zeal when he threw the money changers out of the temple (John 2:14-17).  There is much more.  See Matthew Henry's commentary.

The theme of Psalm 69 shares David's cry of distress in a sea of trouble. We may have to suffer severely for our devotion to God, but that should cause us to look forward with joy to the day when evil and injustice will be gone forever.


Tts 3:10   Reject a divisive man after the first and second admonition,

Tts 3:11   knowing that such a person is warped and sinning, being self-condemned.

Those who reject salvation through Christ's cross are self-condemned because they have rejected the only way to be saved from their sins and reunited with Holy and Righteous God. It is no wonder, then that we read in the book of Revelation:

Rev 6:10 And they cried with a loud voice, saying, "How long, O Lord, holy and true, until You judge and avenge our blood on those who dwell on the earth?"

Rev 6:11 Then a white robe was given to each of them; and it was said to them that they should rest a little while longer, until both [the number of] their fellow servants and their brethren, who would be killed as they [were], was completed.

Rev 6:12 I looked when He opened the sixth seal, and behold, [fn] there was a great earthquake; and the sun became black as sackcloth of hair, and the moon [fn] became like blood.

Rev 6:13 And the stars of heaven fell to the earth, as a fig tree drops its late figs when it is shaken by a mighty wind.

Rev 6:14 Then the sky receded as a scroll when it is rolled up, and every mountain and island was moved out of its place.

Rev 6:15 And the kings of the earth, the great men, the rich men, the commanders, [fn] the mighty men, every slave and every free man, hid themselves in the caves and in the rocks of the mountains,

Rev 6:16 and said to the mountains and rocks, "Fall on us and hide us from the face of Him who sits on the throne and from the wrath of the Lamb!

Rev 6:17 "For the great day of His wrath has come, and who is able to stand?"

You see, the haters of Christ refuse to repent - even to the bitter end - and would rather have the mountains and rocks fall on them to hide them from the face of Him (God the Father) who sits on the throne and from the wrath of the Lamb (Jesus).

When Jesus began his 3 year ministry he first called for repentance of sin.

Mat 4:17

From that time Jesus began to preach, and to say, Repent: for the kingdom of heaven is at hand.

Repentance is not popular in today's world. It is the age of everyone "doing as they see fit;" and ignoring the admonitions of God's Word. However, some can be saved "out of the fire." It is for these that we continue to preach the Gospel of repentance.

Jude 1:22  And of some have compassion, making a difference:

Jude 1:23  And others save with fear, pulling [them] out of the fire; hating even the garment spotted by the flesh.

Luk 17:3

Take heed to yourselves: If thy brother trespass against thee, rebuke him; and if he repent, forgive him.

Acts 26 informs us that there will be those who may be "almost convinced" (as in the case of King Agrippa in Paul's day), but will refuse the truth of the Gospel of Jesus Christ.

Paul shared his experience (from persecution of Christians to an apostle of Christ) on the Road to Damascus with King Agrippa:


Act 26:11 "And I punished them often in every synagogue and compelled [them] to blaspheme; and being exceedingly enraged against them, I persecuted [them] even to foreign cities.

Act 26:12 "While thus occupied, as I journeyed to Damascus with authority and commission from the chief priests,

Act 26:13 "at midday, O king, along the road I saw a light from heaven, brighter than the sun, shining around me and those who journeyed with me.

Act 26:14 "And when we all had fallen to the ground, I heard a voice speaking to me and saying in the Hebrew language, 'Saul, Saul, why are you persecuting Me? [It is] hard for you to kick against the goads.'

Act 26:15 "So I said, 'Who are You, Lord?' And He said, 'I am Jesus, whom you are persecuting.

Act 26:16 'But rise and stand on your feet; for I have appeared to you for this purpose, to make you a minister and a witness both of the things which you have seen and of the things which I will yet reveal to you.

Act 26:17 'I will deliver you from the [Jewish] people, as well as [from] the Gentiles, to whom I now [fn] send you,

Act 26:18 'to open their eyes, [in order] to turn [them] from darkness to light, and [from] the power of Satan to God, that they may receive forgiveness of sins and an inheritance among those who are sanctified by faith in Me.'

And what was the first thing Paul needed to share:  REPENTANCE!

Act 26:19 "Therefore, King Agrippa, I was not disobedient to the heavenly vision,

Act 26:20 "but declared first to those in Damascus and in Jerusalem, and throughout all the region of Judea, and [then] to the Gentiles, that they should repent, turn to God, and do works befitting repentance.

King Agrippa's sad choice:

Act 26:27 "King Agrippa, do you believe the prophets? I know that you do believe."

Act 26:28 Then Agrippa said to Paul, "You almost persuade me to become a Christian."

The question, dear reader, is... what do you see?


Hat tip: Blue Letter Bible

The Chick-fil-A Controversy Is A Spiritual Battle

The blogosphere is filled with posts, photos, and commentary about the support that many Americans gave to the Christian-based company, Chick-fil-A for their support of traditional marriage.  A majority of Americans  believe that God's original definition of marriage should still stand.   After all, it was His idea and invention in the first place!


Good for Chick-fil-A!!  Good for their supporters!!  Huge turnouts at Chick-fil-A restaurants today  because conservative, Christian, and TEA Party patriots wanted to stand up for the belief that freedom of speech and freedom of religion give all of us the right to proclaim (as God in the Bible has) that marriage is the union of one man and one woman!


Note to all of those who would want to call all of these people "bigots," "haters," "homophobes," "anti-gay," or any other derogatory name "_______________" (you fill in the blank) you could think of - support for traditional marriage does not  equate to "hatred" of gays.  Unfortunately, that is a misnomer being spread by those who want to spread such ridiculous propaganda.

While doing errands today, I was listening to Hannity's radio show.  A man called into the show to tell Sean that he is "a great American."  The caller went on to say that he is "gay" and "wishes that the marriage debate wasn't out there" but he understands that Christians have the right to their beliefs - even if he doesn't necessarily agree.  He also stated that Sean was instrumental in convincing him NOT to vote for Obama in 2008.  For the first time in his life, he voted for the Republican ticket.


Why?


Because he stated that, "Obama's policies scare him."


Now...does that make him "anti-Obama" (the person) or just someone who happens to be against Obama's policies??  Doesn't he have the freedom of speech right to say that?


Unfortunately, most of the radical homosexual activists believe that freedom of speech and freedom of religion should take a back seat to their particular favored ideology.  Actually, the intolerance these days is often so severe that they would do anything to hurt those with whom they disagree.  For them, tolerance is a one way street.  It is not something that they would ever consider offering towards the other side.  Therefore, that man who called into Sean Hannity's radio show is probably a rarity in this day and age.

There once was a time when homosexual activists claimed that they "just wanted tolerance."  Then, they demanded acceptance.  Now, they want to do harm to those with whom they disagree.  The question is...why?

I think that it is a spiritual problem.  Deep down, they know that they are willingly breaking God's laws through their sexual behavior, but they want acceptance more than anything else in this world so they are willing to do anything to get it.  But, just like any other sinner in need of the Savior, Jesus Christ, the more secular "acceptance" they get, the more they demand.  They can't be satisfied with the progress that they perceive they have reached (i.e. gay rights, gays serving openly in the military, civil unions in some states etc.).  Why?  I think that it is because they instinctively know that they will never gain God's approval of the aberrant sexual behavior that they engage in.

Look at it this way.  A heterosexual person who fornicates may want God's acceptance of such a lifestyle too.  But God's Word tells him/her that he/she must repent of such behavior.  I'm sure we all know couples involved in fornication.  Does that mean that we hate them too...just because we tell the truth of the matter??

Radical homosexual activists do NOT want to hear that.  In fact, they HATE Christian believers because they don't want to know about God's Word regarding their behavior.  Homosexual behavior happened in biblical times.  As Solomon so wisely stated, "there is nothing new under the sun."  Dozens of Bible verses state God's views on the matter.


 Jesus told us that non-believers would "hate us" because they "hated Him first."  Telling the truth about evil, sin and death isn't politically correct.  The hatred against Christians and Jews continues to grow.


However, there is even more hatred spewed at former homosexuals who become Christians.  How do I know this?  Because I have heard the stories and experiences of several men and women who have gone through it.

When a sinner (any kind - which includes all of us!) is released from the former bondage to any type of sinful behavior (through the power of the Holy Spirit when they believe on the Lord Jesus Christ) the act of confession and repentance at the foot of the cross of Christ brings them into reconciliation with God.  They receive, instead, the love, mercy and grace given at the moment of conversion!!  This is the greatest gift in the world!  It is the gift of eternal life!   Of course, sanctification is a lifelong process, but once converted, no one can "snatch the believer" out of the hands of Christ!


Non-believers reject Christ.  Therefore, they reject the need to repent and turn to the only Savior that can reconcile them back unto God!  This often infuriates them!  How do I know?  Because I used to be one of them!

In another comment thread, I had a brief discussion with blogger Susan who experienced release from the bondage of lesbian behavior and identity through the power of Jesus Christ.  I will share her comment here:

Christine shared “The Truth Gap” by Bill Muehlenberg:

“They may profess to be believers, but they live, think and act just like pagans . . . That is because they have never learned to think biblically and they have never developed a biblical worldview . . . As such, they are breaking the greatest commandment which Jesus gave: to love God with all your heart, all your strength, and all your mind.”

I lived, thought and acted like a pagan during more than 20 years acting out as a lesbian and more than 30 years acting out as a drunk trying to deal with my inner emotional pain that I did not understand.

I was hurting and did not know I was in pain for many years, because I numbed myself with sex, alcohol and other drugs. There is a better way. It is the truth that sets one free. The truth about myself set me free. It was not the truth about other people.

The Messiah said, “I am the way, the truth and the life” (John 14:6). There is a better way to live. We all have a choice to obey the voice we hear. Everyone is a slave to the voice one obeys. One can obey sin that leads to death, or obedience that leads to righteousness (Romans 6:16).

The most amazing thing about the written Word of God is that it is absolutely ONE Truth. Why? There is only ONE Word of God, the Holy ONE of ISRAEL.

Much love to you, Christine and all your readers who hunger for truth and righteousness. They shall be filled (Matthew 5:6). ~ ss

July 31, 2012 1:56:00 PM PDT

My response:

Dear Susan,

The August, 2012 Turning Points devotional focuses on the "scraps of life." Dr. Jeremiah draws an analogy between the scraps of fabric (that are often discarded) and the scraps of our lives that we often wish we could do over. But those scraps can also be used to create a gorgeous quilt! They CAN be useful!

This brief synopsis doesn't do it justice, but one section was quite encouraging.

Despite the fact that we all sin and fall short of the glory of God, we can be encouraged by Psalm 51 which recounts David's psalm of repentance and confession following his disastrous episode with Bathsheba and the killing of Uriah.

Dr. Jeremiah writes:

"Have you ever prayed, "Create in me a clean heart, O God, and renew a steadfast spirit within me" (verse 10)? If so, you are praying words that were forged on the anvil of David's guilt and remorse over his choices. We wish he had never made those bad choices, but that time in his life produced words of instruction and encouragement for us.

Psalm 32, another of David's psalms, may have been written in the wake of the same affair. If not the Bathsheba episode, it is David's recounting of how miserable his life became when he concealed some sin from God. And how blessed it became when he made things right."

Dr. Jeremiah goes on to explain that Psalm 139 discusses God's omnipresence and how he sees and knows everything. David realized that God knew about his sin because there is no escaping God's presence!

Dr. J: "In any case, the scraps from David's life have become a comfort and inspiration to millions of people as they look for value in their own wrong turns in life."

Isn't that awesome?? Dr. J goes on to write, "save your scraps for the Master Tailor!" We are to regret and render them useless! There is a "godly sorrow [that] produces repentance" (2 Corinthians 7:10) --which is what we should do: repent or revive and be useful!"

Dr. J: "If we have sinned, we need to repent. If we are discouraged over a foolish mistake or a broken dream, we need to revive. In either case, the scrap we thought represented a wasted moment in our life will become something God can use to make us wiser, more disciplined, and more appreciative of His grace, mercy, and forgiveness--and make us more willing to extend the same to others (Ephesians 4:32).

God the Master Tailor, wants to use every moment in our life for His glory. If you will pick up the pieces and save our scraps for Him, the garment He fashions will be more beautiful than you can imagine."

See Susan? God thinks you are beautiful!! It is a spiritual beauty that can NEVER be taken away from you! And why are you spiritually beautiful? Because you said YES! to Jesus Christ! You chose to shed the sin that leads to death and obey God's Truth that leads to righteousness!!

Why anyone would not want to accept Jesus' gift of salvation is truly a mystery! Like you wrote, Susan, "it is for those who hunger for truth and righteousness. They shall be filled (Matthew 5:6)."

All we can do is continue to spread the seeds of the Gospel. God does the saving! And sharing those "scraps of life" may jolt a person away from the clutches of sin, evil and death so that they are no longer a slave (like you stated) to it!

God bless you today and always Susan! Love you!

In Jesus,
Christine

July 31, 2012 2:27:00 PM PDT

1Jo 4:9

In this the love of God was manifested toward us, that God has sent His only begotten Son into the world, that we might live through Him.

*******

Before closing my browser for the night, I ran across a blog post with some really funny cartoons!

Patriot Post: Who Knew Chicken Sandwiches Could Be So Funny?


*******

Good Night and God Bless!!

~ Christine

*******

Owning It... I Am Responsible

Many of the stories in the news of late have something in common.  Whether it be a politician, an accused criminal, a group of kids on a bus mercilessly disparaging an elderly bus monitor; or even our current Attorney General and pResident in the White House - they all refuse to admit that they are responsible for the trouble they have caused and the sins that they have committed.

There is a right way to own our sins, misdeeds, and failures.  Only sin that is owned can be overcome.

Dr. David Jeremiah shares the story of a well-known attorney in Pennsylvania who pleaded guilty to corruption charges back in 2009.  All of the details of his case, trial, and eventual sentencing were covered extensively in the media.  Dr. Jeremiah chose not to name the individual because it wasn't his goal to focus on the person's failure.  However, he recently highlighted a letter that the man submitted to the judge just prior to his sentencing:

"Your Honor, I take full responsibility  for my actions and in actions.  When I [got involved with the other guilty parties] I knew instantly that was wrong.  I had the responsibility to say no and not to assist them in any way...I knew better and I lacked the courage to say no...  I had the responsibility to refuse them...  I had the ability to do the right thing and say no.  I was wrong for giving in...  I was also wrong not to report this to the authorities...  I was both scared and selfish and I will forever regret that decision.

"...I apologize to my family for the hell I have put them through...

"Second, I apologize to my partners, my employees and my friends.  I am truly sorry...

"Third, my sincere apologies to [my] clients...

"To the Court, I apologize for the damage I caused...

"Last but not least, I apologize to the people of [our] County and ask for their forgiveness...The people of [our] County did not deserve this long nightmare.  For that I am truly sorry...

"I completely respect this Court and I am prepared to accept your decision.  I am confident your decision will be just.  Thank you.  Respectfully submitted, [Name]."

Dr. Jeremiah goes on to say that he can't make a judgment as to whether or not the accused meant what he said. That's between him and God. Only God truly knows the content of any one's heart, of course. Words can be cheap and often are in court cases when a person suddenly has a "courtroom conversion" experience in order to escape the judgment about to be rendered. In this man's case, he didn't mention God at all.

It is important to recognize that the man did not ask for letters from others who could have spoken on his behalf. His own admission of guilt and subsequent apology (it was a 1,400 letter of penance) was the only one submitted to the judge.

 The man ended up getting the maximum sentence in prison. The judge cited that he could have said "no" and walked away without becoming involved.

"Only sin that is owned can be overcome."

That is an important concept in Christianity. However, there are some Christian writers who (unfortunately) skip over the need for confession and repentance before asking God's forgiveness at the foot of the cross of Christ. Let me explain.

Two days ago, I was in a Christian book store looking for extra copies of the famous "Bible Promise" book. The two store clerks were busy with other customers when I arrived, so I started looking for the book on my own. I came across one book that intrigued me. The cover mention Jesus and the words he shared in the gospels. It was categorized by subject, ( e.g. "faith," "love," "giving," "mercy," "grace," etc.).   I was hopeful that I had found a good substitute in case I could not find the Bible Promise book. As I read the table of contents, I noticed that there was nothing in there that called for confession of sin, repentance, or ASKING for forgiveness. There was mention of God's forgiveness, but the act of man's part in all of this was missing! I was saddened. I thought that I had found a book that would share the gospel message accurately, but I was wrong! I often refer to such "Christianity" as the cross less gospel.

When Jesus came to John for water baptism at the time he was about to start his ministry, John the Baptist stated emphatically what the people needed to do:

Mar 1:3 "The voice of one crying in the wilderness: 'Prepare the way of the LORD; Make His paths straight.' " [fn] Mar 1:4 John came baptizing in the wilderness and preaching a baptism of repentance for the remission of sins.

Jesus himself stated the need for individuals to repent:

Mar 1:14 Now after John was put in prison, Jesus came to Galilee, preaching the gospel of the kingdom [fn] of God,

Mar 1:15 and saying, "The time is fulfilled, and the kingdom of God is at hand. Repent, and believe in the gospel."

Every sin by an individual is FIRST a sin against God.  Therefore, every person needs to own his/her sin before God.

We can learn a hard lesson from King David.  In his psalm of confession for the sins of murder, deceit, and adultery, he said to God, "Against You, You only, have I sinned, and done this evil in Your sight."  (Psalm 51:4)

David could not make things right with the dead man, and he did sin against other people.  But what was meant by the term "only" was "ultimately."  Ultimately, every sin ever done by all people across time unto eternity, is done against God.

David Jeremiah explains:

Eugene Peterson captures the sense of David's words to God in The Message:    "You're the One I've violated, and you've seen it all, seen the full extent of my evil."

How "politically incorrect" is THAT statement translation in today's world!  Oooohhh!  You can't call anyone "evil" or accuse them of doing "evil" these days.  That's a BIG NO-NO! But Jesus called people and their deeds evil:


Mat 12:34 You brood of vipers, how can you who are evil say anything good? For out of the overflow of the heart the mouth speaks.

Mat 7:11 If you, then, though you are evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your Father in heaven give good gifts to those who ask him!

  Luke 11:13 If you then, though you are evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your Father in heaven give the Holy Spirit to those who ask him!"


Dr. Jeremiah emphasized that we all must admit, "I have sinned." He writes:

We can't say, "I was forced to sin," "I was influenced to sin," "I was taught to sin," or " accidentally sinned." Those kinds of blame-shifting words are used when we have not yet arrived at the point of accepting full responsibility for our actions. There is no more contrite record of confession in the bible than that of King David following the revelation of his sins in Psalm 51. The only thing he didn't ask God to forgive him for was not coming forward on his own to confess his sins. It was only after Nathan the prophet confronted David, nearly a year after his sins, that David confessed (2 Samuel 12:1-14). The Anglican/Episcopal Church's Book of Common Prayer contains a General Confession that beautifully highlights both kinds of sin--commission and omission: "We have left undone those things which we ought to have done [omission]; and we have done those things which we ought not to have done [commission]; and there is no health in us." David confessed his sins of commission (murder, adultery), but should also have confessed his failure to come forward on his own (deceit) without having to be called out by God's prophet. But we get the sense from the depth of his anguish in Psalm 51 that he is confessing everything to God. He confesses not as the King of Israel who might have made excuses or asked for allowances. He confessed as a guilty sinner who was finally willing to own his sin.

If we paused here, I could name dozens, if not hundreds of sins that have been committed by our current excuse-making government. It is a sad but true fact that those who think they will "get away with it" in this life, certainly will not in eternity. There is but ONE WAY to overcome our sin. His name is Jesus Christ and his work was at the Cross at Calvary!

Dr. Jeremiah continues:

Only sin that is owned can be overcome. And I don't mean overcome only in the sense of a recurring sin. I also mean overcome in the sense of putting right that which sin has tainted. Sometimes the results of sin cannot be reversed. We all have learned that grievous lesson. But to the extent that relationships can be repaired, reparations made, and reconciliation enjoyed, owning and overcoming are prerequisites. First, we have to repent of our sin. Like Christ told the church at Ephesus, we must "repent and do the first works" -- the works of righteousness (Revelation 2:5). Repent means to change your mind; it means to turn and go the opposite way; it means to stop sinning. Second, we have to acknowledge (confess) our sin to God and to any against whom we have sinned, and ask their forgiveness: "I have sinned. Would you please forgive me?" (1 John 1:9) Third, we need to make reparations where we can. If our actions have caused loss to others, we must restore what they have lost to the best of our ability (Proverbs 6:30-31, where "sevenfold" suggests "payment in full"). Fourth, we must covenant with God to seek His power to avoid repeating the sin (Job 31:1). Regardless of how often we sin, we must purpose not to sin again. May God grant you and me the grace to be responsible--to own and overcome every sin!

It is only after the act of confession and repentance of sin that God with grant us mercy and grace through our Lord Jesus Christ. Mercy is God withholding what we deserve. Grace is God giving us what we don't deserve!

Thank you, Lord Jesus, for dying on the cross and taking my own sin upon your body so that I could be cleansed from all unrighteousness and have the Holy Spirit indwelling in my heart! You left my sin, and all the sins of the world behind in that grave when you rose again on Resurrection Sunday!  You're AMAZING LORD!  What an awesome Savior you are!!




Hat Tip:

Dr. David Jeremiah's Turning Points Magazine and Devotional:  The Faultline - Living on the Edge of Irresponsibility, May, 2012 pp. 21-23.

The Paganism of the LGBQT Agenda

Dear Readers,

I didn't want to post about the following subject, but after praying,  reading, and thinking long and hard about it, I felt the Lord leading me to share my thoughts. First of all, please understand that I am not doing this for sensationalism purposes or to hurt, condemn, mock or disparage people. I don't like it when others do such things towards Christians (you will see such activity in the cut and paste link below), so I am going to try and be more sensitive in my rhetoric on this issue. I want to be clear that as a follower of Jesus Christ, I know that I am involved in a war here on this earth for the souls of people to repent and turn to Christ. If I am not honest about subjects that are highly controversial in nature, what good would I be as an ambassador for Christ?

I have several links to share and it might be advisable for you to read them in order.

#1 link:

GCMWatch: Transgender Women and the Bible.

#2 link:

GCMWatch: God is not the Author of Gender Confusion Part 1.

There are young people today who have been brain-washed (more like brain-dirtied) into believing that whatever a person desires to do with his or her body - that's O.K. and normal. Well, they apparently have not been reading their Bibles.

Excerpt from Link #1:

One may ask what made three males change their sex to females?  The world system declares there are five genders: heterosexual men, heterosexual women, homosexual men, homosexual women, and transsexuals or transgender (those who undergo sex change operations).  Not only do the opinions and philosophies of the world system influence individuals to undergo sex-change operations, it also reinforces the vain imaginations of a individual to desire to have a sex change. A perverse spirit deceives them into receiving the satanic lie that they are really a woman inside of a man’s body or man trapped inside a woman’s body.

How would one deal with transgender people and the Word of God from a biblical Judeo-Christian view?  We just can’t stop at Romans 1:27 or Leviticus 18:22.  However, Deuteronomy 23:1 says, ” He that is wounded in the stones, or hath his privy member cut off, shall not enter into the congregation of the Lord.”  The Word of God takes a stance against the sons of the children of Israel to not engage in in practice of Baal and Asherah.  They were not to perform worship that involved males crushing their testicles between two rocks and castrating themselves to transform into female priestesses of Asherah called Qedshtu. These transsexuals would engage in anal sex (sodomy) with other male worshipers, or ritualistic sex acts with artificial phalli.  These castrated  men lived, dressed, and acted like they were female.

The ancient pagan nations across the world reflect transsexual women.  This can be seen in ancient Babylonian kurgarru where  individuals called the muxe of the Yucantan of Mexico, the hijra (even currently) in South Asia. The ancient gallae of Greek and Roman society were priestesses of the goddess Cybele.  These “priestesses” were males who castrated themselves with a knife, sword, or a sharp object. They also wore women’s clothing, danced in a femmine manner, wore their hair like a female, spoke like a female, perfumed themselves, and behaved in ways of women of that time [source].

Under the dispensation of the Mosaic Law, a male who purposely castrated himself or crushed his testicles could not enter into the congregation of the Lord.  However, under the dispensation of Grace, a person who has fallen for the satanic lie and deception to believe God made a mistake when assigning their biological gender  need to first repent before they can enter the kingdom of God.  It takes more than just to believe in the death, burial and resurrection of Jesus Christ.  After all,  the devils believe in one God and tremble (James 2: 19).  In addition, they cannot come snot-nosed and crying like that kind of fake repentance would move God.  Hebrews 12:16-17 says,
 ”Lest there be any fornicator, or profane person, as Esau, who for one morsel of meat sold his birthright. For ye know how that afterward, when he would have inherited the blessing, he was rejected: for he found no place of repentance, though he sought it carefully with tears.”

You can see that such behavior is unacceptable to God via His Word. However, any person can be forgiven of their sins when they repent and ask forgiveness at the foot of the cross of Jesus Christ.

The problem today is the fact that many people misconstrue the reasons why Christians point to transgenderism as a disorder. Here is a copy of a letter that I recently sent to Dr. Keith Ablow about his discussion with Megyn Kelly at the Fox News Channel regarding "Chaz" Bono:

Dear Dr. Ablow,

I wanted to write and thank you for attempting to support parent's rights to keep their young children from being exposed to transgender celebration on Dancing With The Stars (DWTS).  I was disappointed that Ms. Kelly wouldn't let you finish your answers.  The fact is, God made them (us) male and female.  Transgenderism is a DISORDER that should not be celebrated on a major family television show.  Children will be exposed to the fact that "Chaz" was once the little blonde girl of Sonny and Cher Bono and now has chosen to savage the body she was born with and  misuse medical procedures to try and change her sex. 

DWTS always does a long biography about each contestant.  There is no way to keep the children from confusion (and outright disgust when they learn of this) about this issue, and using a favorite family T.V. show to claim that "Chaz" Bono is a "star" just because she wants to be a man is a terrible manipulation of the majority of the public view that God made them male and female.

Also, the truth is that many of the people that Ms. Kelly touts as "experts" have a politically liberal agenda skewing their research.  Does she even realize that?  I doubt it.  Her making a claim that you are spreading "hatred" is despicable!  She should be ashamed of herself and she should apologize to you. 

You expressed a medically guided opinion that differs from her uninformed
opinion.  And, it is obvious that she gathered her talking points from other people's opinion(s).

If my children were still young and fans of DWTStars, I would keep them from viewing the show until "Chaz" is voted off.  In fact, even though I love the show, I might  boycott the show until she is off of it and no longer can have the evil ability to influence the fragile minds of young children towards her celebration of an obvious disorder.

Take a look at the brief reply that I received today:

Thank you for your comments!
www.keithablow.com/

Well, I guess the exclamation point at the end could be considered as a positive reply towards my comment.

I tried to find the video clip of Dr. Ablow and Ms. Kelly, but all I found was an article in favor of Ms. Kelly's view. Figures. It originally was written for "The Human Rights Campaign" - a liberal bastion of LGBQT celebration.

Update:  Found link to a commentary written by Dr. Keith Ablow at Fox News.com

Fox News.com: Don't Let Your Kids Watch Chaz Bono on Dancing With The Stars


If you are a Christian, what are your thoughts about this issue?

The third link requires a copy and paste effort on your part. Don't let the title of the post fool you. As you will see when you get to the link, it's not about "Christians mocking gays..." Quite the opposite.

http://pajamasmedia.com/zombie/2011/04/27/christians-mock-gays-at-shocking-easter-service/?singlepage=true

I could not, in good conscience, post a direct link to the photo essay because it is absolutely blasphemous, disgusting, and terribly derogatory towards Jesus Christ by homosexual perverts.

WARNING!!! The photos are extremely crude and show exhibitionist male nudity.  The entire event is put on to mock the Person of Jesus Christ and the written language is very disgusting and highly offensive.  The entire shebang is nothing less than pornographic.

 But I thought that it was necessary to show you (any of you who are brave enough to view the photos and the "contest" that is going on there) what the media of mass deception will not broadcast. Why? Because they want viewers to think that homosexuality, lesbianism, bi-sexuality, questioning youth, transvestite activity, and transgenderism are all normal, natural, and the type of lifestyle(s) to be celebrated.

Sadly, the author didn't have any complaint regarding the blasphemy against Jesus Christ. Here is what he/she wrote:

As you will soon see in the report below, Hunky Jesus is intentionally as blasphemous as possible, an over-the-top religious-themed sexual beauty contest steeped in mockery of Christians and Christian beliefs.

Now, you might think, considering how I started this report, that I’m opposed to the Hunky Jesus contest and everything it stands for. But you couldn’t be more wrong.

I actually like Hunky Jesus; I’m not a Christian, nor am I religious in the slightest, so the “blasphemy” doesn’t bother me one bit.

No, what bothers me is the double standard. In San Francisco (and places like San Francisco, including most newsrooms and TV studios), it’s perfectly acceptable to mock Christians. But to turn the tables and mock gays in a similar way is considered totally beyond the pale; a hate crime; bullying; bigotry and oppression of the worst kind.

If the story as I originally titled it was true (“Christians mock gays at shocking Easter service“), it would indeed have been national news. But when the reverse happens — silence. And what this tells me is that our society is currently enduring a condition of mass rank hypocrisy.

What’s good for the goose is good for the gander. Since the gay community has carte blanche to mock Christians (as proven here), then the reverse should also be true — Christians should be free if they so choose to publicly mock gays or the stereotypical gay lifestyle. Why not? Neither side may like the mockery, but fair is fair.

To be consistent, we should either allow even-handed free speech for (and against) everyone — or ban all critical speech whatsoever. And that second option is the road to totalitarianism (not to mention being unconstitutional), so Option 1 it must be: free speech for all.

As you will see in the photos and videos below, the gay community is very, very good at dishing it out. But can they take it? The moment anyone attempts the slightest mockery or put-down of stereotypical “gayness,” an entire class of professional victimologists and whiners and lawyers go apoplectic; no criticism or mockery is allowed!

This double-standard (and similar double-standards — take your pick) is destroying our national soul.

The author is right that such perversion destroys our national soul (and individual souls). But the fact that the author is complaining only because of free speech and hypocrisy cuts against the wisdom of God, His Son, Jesus Christ, and His written Word, the Bible.

Recall what I wrote earlier:

Pagan groups and the media want viewers to think that homosexuality, lesbianism, bi-sexuality, questioning youth, transvestite activity, and transgenderism are all normal, natural, and lifestyle(s) to be celebrated.

The Bible tells us otherwise.

 Pastor DL Foster sums it up quite well in the link at the beginning of this post:

True repentance is a change in someone’s thinking and behavior from unrighteousness to righteousness. In order to repent, one must totally abandon the practice of sin in one’s lifestyle. Jesus, during his earthly ministry after forgiving someone of their sins, told them to go and sin no more.


A perfect example of someone repenting from living as a transgender person is KK Hofeling. KK Hofeling had a sex change to become a transgender woman. KK, in late November of 2000, had a dream about going to Hell. He awoke from the dream and heard the Lord say, “If you don’t repent, I have no choice but to send you there.” After reading the scripture and experiencing dreams and visions, KK was 100 percent convinced that the Lord wanted him to revert back to being a male [source].


Shows like VH1′s, “Transform Me” are a satanic evangelistic programs to entice the world to believe a lie! It is Satan’s attempt to glamorize perversion to further carry mankind down the road of eternal damnation. The Church of the Lord Jesus Christ must carry the life-giving evangelistic message to a dying world and rightly divide the Word. The Church must tell the world that the power of God is more than capable of delivering a person from living as a transgender woman or transgender man. 1 Corinthians 6:9-11 says, “Know ye not that the unrighteousness shall not inherit the kingdom of God? Be not deceived: neither fornicators, nor adulterers, nor effeminate, nor abusers of themselves with mankind. Nor thieves, nor revilers, nor extortioners, shall not inherit the kingdom of God? And such were some of you: but ye are washed, but ye are sanctified, but ye are justified in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ, and by the Spirit of our God.” A transgender person cannot inherit the kingdom of God unless they first repent of their sins, and receive the gift of Salvation by grace through faith (Ephesians 2:8). It is only then that the Holy Spirit will regenerate and sanctify them.


Remember God created male and female (Genesis 1:27), don’t believe Satan’s lie of five genders male, female, gay, lesbian, and transgender you can lose your soul if you reject the truth of God’s Word.

Hat tips to all links.

*******

More discussions on the "Chaz" Bono controversy:

The Blaze.com: Fans Voice Anger With ABC Over Transexual Chaz Bonos Inclusion on Dancing With The Stars.

Look at the results (as of 7:45 p.m. PT) of a poll that asked people visiting The Blaze what if they think it was a good decision to have a trangender advocate on this family show:

Thank you for voting!
Yes, absolutely. 9.46% (743 votes)


I have mixed feelings. 9.46% (743 votes)


No way. 81.08% (6,370 votes)



Total Votes: 7,856

Over 500 comments there, too!

It's All For Him

Today is Good Friday. In previous years, I have written posts that have discussed
 What Was So Good About It?,
 Utter Darkness (or so they thought),
 Calvary,
 Good Friday and

 The Power of Christs' Cross.


Once again, I have found an intriguing devotional in the December-January-February 2003-04 "Our Daily Bread" booklet that gives us a glimpse of God's own interpretation of history. 

I love this phrase, "Jesus is the final and complete explanation of everything."

When we study the Bible and think about that phrase, we come to realize that "It's All For Him."

 I would like to share it with readers today.

~Christine

*******

It's All For Him

Read: Colossians 1:13-20

All things were created through Him and for Him. - Colossians 1:16

It's a little phrase of just two words at the end of Colossians 1:16 - "for Him." Yet that little phrase gives God's own interpretation of history. In those two words He affirms that Jesus is the final and complete explanation of everything.

All that has happened and ever will happen is moving through time toward that climactic hour when every tongue will confess the lordship of Jesus Christ. Every knee, whether in grateful adoration or under compulsion, will then bow to Him (Philippians 2:10-11).

British historian H.A.L. Fisher apparently did not share that view. He sadly confessed, "Men wiser and more learned than I have discovered in history a plot, a rhythm, a predetermined pattern. These harmonies are concealed from me. I can see only one emergency following upon another as wave follows upon wave...nothing but the play of the contingent and the unforeseeable." [Note from Christine: Isn't that an utterly sad way to think and live??]

What about you? Are you overwhelmed by what seems to be the aimless sequence of events? If so, look once more at Jesus--His life, death, resurrection, and promised return. Your troubled heart will be filled with hope and confidence as you realize that there's meaning and purpose for everything in the world--when you live "for Him." - Vernon Grounds

One life to live for Christ my Lord,
One life to do my part,'One life in which to give my all
With fervency of heart. - Brandt

Christ showed His love by dying for us; we show our love by living for Him.

Hat tip:

December-January-February 2003-04 "Our Daily Bread" booklet; Thursday, Dec. 6, 2003.

*******
As we fast, pray, and attend our Good Friday services around the nation remember this awesome portion of Scripture:

Jhn 16:22 And ye now therefore have sorrow: but I will see you again, and your heart shall rejoice, and your joy no man taketh from you.

*******
More Good Friday blog posts:

Thinking Christian: Death Defeated

*******

Abuser Sheen's Self-Destruction

Have you ever wondered how many people actually follow the latest insanity being broadcast out there about crazies like Charlie Sheen? I don't even go looking for such information. Whenever he is being discussed on a TV station that I happen to land on while flipping through the channels, I roll my eyes, sigh once again, and change the channel.

My question: When does it become Sheen overload? Are all of these people genuinely being entertained by his dangerous antics? Do they see it all as a side show of Sheen self-destruction?

Well, against my better judgment, I clicked on a link from the Fox News website that had a disturbing title:

Charlie Sheen Threatens Warlock Napalm on Denise Richards, She Seems Oblivious

Go read that link, and then follow through to an additional link that reveals the fact that Sheen neglected the Pug dogs that Denise allowed him to keep for while (they were originally hers) and so she took them back.

Denise started getting calls that the pugs were malnourished and neglected. [NOTE: bad language alert in the comment section.]

As the above article states, one of the two pugs died due to malnutrition.

As a dog lover myself, I am absolutely horrified!!! How did this thug get away with that crime? Celebrity, unfortunately, lets so-called  "stars" get away with evil deeds that any ordinary person would never get away with.

*Sigh*

Anyone who thinks that Sheen is funny or entertaining in any way, needs to come back to their senses and realize what a horrible abuser he is. He has been accused of abusing at least two of his three wives, neglected two dogs and one died as a result of that neglect. These people who think highly of him because of his "acting ability" are spiritually blinded from the evil that this man lives in and promotes.

You may question my motives in doing a blog post about someone who is as despicable as Charlie Sheen. Well, I am hoping that maybe those who would not ordinarily come to this blog might come along and start reading the posts about Jesus Christ here.

Shedding some light upon the evil that surrounds us in this fallen world is a good thing. Only then is there a chance for confession, repentance, reconciliation through Christ's Cross, and ultimately redemption back unto God for all eternity.

Is someone like Charlie Sheen beyond redemption through Jesus Christ?

No.

However, the likeliness of him coming to repentance while he is deeply involved in his drug abuse, sexual promiscuity, people and animal abuse, drunkenness etc. is, unfortunately, very slim. He needs an intervention done by those who still love him and want to save him from himself; as well as save him from an eternity separated from God.

Hat tips to all links.

*******

In other news, be sure to read the excellent essay about the "coexist" bumper stickers (often seen by me when I visit the oftentimes loonie Los Angeles area):

Gateway Pundit: The Fallacy of Co-existence

Excerpt:

The bottom line is that free market principles eventually win out over economic tyranny just by existing elsewhere.

Islamic countries experience that identical dynamic. There is no way for a Shariah compliant society with all of it’s idiocy, violence, torture, misogyny, murder and antithetical moral values surviving in the long term if even a small portion of that society learns that there is somewhere else to live on the planet that offers a lifestyle that is more pleasant. People would eventually question all the teachings about Allah the Mullahs espouse because there is something sacred and invincible in the human spirit that always and quite naturally yearns for freedom and pleasure. This natural component of the human spirit will eventually reject everything that virulent Islam, Jihadist and Shariah compliance force on people.

So, the answer to the questions: why can’t the leftist and/or the Moslem fanatic coexist with America and Israel? And why can’t these types of people just find a nice leftist and/or Moslem fanatic society to live in for themselves? Has a very simple answer. No. They cannot make this choice because it is impossible for them to coexist with us without eventually being destroyed by our existence. Even a passive democracy, like say France, will surely attract a number of apostates from these two faiths and these apostates will collapse all the hard work the leftist or Islamic tyrant did to make the perfect leftist or Islamic society. This is why we who are free will always be targeted for death, destruction, conversion and submission by those who are our ideological enemies. Just in case you haven’t noticed, this destruction is exactly what Islam and leftism is unleashing on France as you read this.

Sure, after getting attacked, terrorized or seeing crimes against humanity, our society inevitably fights evil regimes with military force too but it is not the military action America, Israel or the West takes that causes our enemies consternation, it’s our freedom, harmony and very existence that threatens evil regimes and causes them to attempt to destroy us in order to keep their own people in line with the ideologies the leaders have forced on the people to retain power.

This truth completely dispels the illogical myth of “coexistence.” An idea ironically pushed by those on the left and Islam who will never choose to coexist with a free society no matter how well their Utopian ideas of nation wide communes, workers’ paradises, gulags, terrorist training camps, Madrassas, mosques, compact fluorescent light bulbs, solar panels, windmills, smart cars and capped carbon emissions succeed in their own nations in the short term, eventually those flimsy ideas will be washed away by the powerful flow of freedom’s natural watershed. The leftist and Islamic fanatic has only one course of action to take which is to attempt to parch the spring of human yearning and poison the well of human freedom wherever it exists by forcing his sick ideology on all others to give any chance these backwards ideologies have at long term survival.

Outlive Our Earthly Lives

A brief post today, but one that I found especially important and inspiring. In the book of Acts, Peter was being asked by a crippled beggar for some silver or gold coins.

Then Peter said, "Silver and gold I do not have, but what I do have I give you: In the name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth, rise up and walk" And he took him by the right hand and lifted him up, and immediately his feet and ankle bones received strength. So he, leaping up, stood and walked and entered the temple with them--walking, leaping, and praising God. (Acts 3:4-8)

Max Lucado writes in his new book, Out Live Your Life:

What if Peter had said, "Since I don't have any silver or gold, I'll keep my mouth shut? But he didn't. He placed his mustard-seed-sized deed (a look and a touch) in the soil of God's love And look what happened.

It is interesting to note that the beggar didn't thank Peter for the healing - he at least knew enough to thank God for it!

Other beggars wanted healing. They watched the cripple dance and exclaimed, "I want my healing! Touch me!"

Lucado:

So Peter complied. He escorted them to the clinic of the Great Physician and invited them to take a seat. "His name,...faith in His name, has made this man strong...Repent therefore and be converted, that your sins my be blotted out, so that time of refreshing may come from the presence of the Lord" (vv. 16,19)

Blotted out is a translation of a Greek term that means "to obliterate" or "erase completely." Faith in Christ, Peter explained, leads to a clean slate with God. What Jesus did for the legs of this cripple, he does for our souls. Brand-new!

The Bible verse that tells us that we all "fade as a leaf" in this world indicates that our time here is quite brief - especially compared to all of eternity.

Isa 64:6 But we are all like an unclean thing, And all our righteousness's are like filthy rags; We all fade as a leaf, And our iniquities, like the wind, Have taken us away.

It is because of our iniquities that we needed a Savior, Jesus Christ, to die on the cross in our place in order that we could repent and be reconciled back unto God.

The story from the book of Acts in the Bible demonstrates the absolute fact that salvation is something we take with us, while money, possessions, fame, education, clothing, food, and everything else that we could do, accomplish, earn and utilize on this earth are all temporary; just items that we leave behind at our death.

However, the love of God and our love for others we take with us into God's kingdom! That is why our own personal salvation and the spread of the gospel of Jesus Christ for the sake of salvation for others is our daily duty as Christians.

The final commandment that Jesus gave his followers before he ascended back to God the Father was the Great Commission. (see Matthew 28 below).

Lucado:

An honest look led to a helping hand that led to a conversation about eternity. Works done in God's name long outlive our earthly lives. (bold mine)

Mat 28:1 Now after the Sabbath, as the first day of the week began to dawn, Mary Magdalene and the other Mary came to see the tomb.


Mat 28:2 And behold, there was a great earthquake; for an angel of the Lord descended from heaven, and came and rolled back the stone from the door, and sat on it.


Mat 28:3 His countenance was like lightning, and his clothing as white as snow.


Mat 28:4 And the guards shook for fear of him, and became like dead men.


Mat 28:5 But the angel answered and said to the women, "Do not be afraid, for I know that you seek Jesus who was crucified.


Mat 28:6 "He is not here; for He is risen, as He said. Come, see the place where the Lord lay.


Mat 28:7 "And go quickly and tell His disciples that He is risen from the dead, and indeed He is going before you into Galilee; there you will see Him. Behold, I have told you."


Mat 28:8 So they went out quickly from the tomb with fear and great joy, and ran to bring His disciples word.


Mat 28:9 And as they went to tell His disciples, behold, Jesus met them, saying, "Rejoice!" So they came and held Him by the feet and worshiped Him.


Mat 28:10 Then Jesus said to them, "Do not be afraid. Go and tell My brethren to go to Galilee, and there they will see Me."


Mat 28:11 Now while they were going, behold, some of the guard came into the city and reported to the chief priests all the things that had happened.


Mat 28:12 When they had assembled with the elders and consulted together, they gave a large sum of money to the soldiers,


Mat 28:13 saying, "Tell them, 'His disciples came at night and stole Him away while we slept.'


Mat 28:14 "And if this comes to the governor's ears, we will appease him and make you secure."


Mat 28:15 So they took the money and did as they were instructed; and this saying is commonly reported among the Jews until this day.


Mat 28:16 Then the eleven disciples went away into Galilee, to the mountain which Jesus had appointed for them.


Mat 28:17 When they saw Him, they worshiped Him; but some doubted.


Mat 28:18 And Jesus came and spoke to them, saying, "All authority has been given to Me in heaven and on earth.


Mat 28:19 "Go therefore and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit,


Mat 28:20 "teaching them to observe all things that I have commanded you; and lo, I am with you always, even to the end of the age." Amen.

NKJV Footnotes:
(28:2) NU-Text omits from the door.
(28:9) NU-Text omits the first clause of this verse.
(28:19) M-Text omits therefore.
(28:20) NU-Text omits Amen.

Hat Tips:

Max Lucado.com: Outlive Your Life book

Blue Letter Bible

Why Humankind Needs the Savior

Way back in May of 2005, I created a post over at my Talk Wisdom Forum entitled, De-homosexualization of the Catholic Church. Ever since, GMpilot has been obsessed with the subject matter. Read through the thread and you will know what I mean.

The thread began with the following observation (plus a copy of an essay at WorldNetDaily - go to link above to read WND essay):

I have to admit that prior to reading this article, I did not know the genuine reason why Pope John Paul II was not more condemning of the homosexual pedophile priests and the Cardinals who shuffled them around to other churches where such priests, unfortunately, were enabled to molest more and more young boys. This scandal absolutely sickened most of the public and the suffering of the victims was just horrendous!

I just couldn't understand, for the life of me, why Pope John II acted indifferent towards the scandal. I wasn't aware of the genuine reason he refused to believe that it was actually going on. The following certainly explains a lot and helped clear up the mystery:


Quote:

"Whenever Vatican investigators brought the results of their vetting process regarding an individual's candidacy for bishop, cardinal or other office, and they revealed he was a homosexual, John Paul II would refuse to believe it," he writes.


"He did so because accusing someone of homosexuality was a standard practice of the Communist government in his native Poland regarding anyone it regarded as an enemy of the state. From his ordination as a Catholic priest in 1946 to elevation to Archbishop of Krakow in 1963 and Cardinal in 1967, the then Karol Wojtyla witnessed this personal destruction repeatedly. So traumatized, he summarily dismissed such accusations as pope, and would approve the elevation of anyone so accused."

Christine

*******

Since GM was continually talking to himself within the thread, five years and six pages later, I posted the following:

Satan's grip on souls through sexual perversion



Sexual sin/perversion is one of the most difficult sins to overcome. No doubt about it.
__________________
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

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

Then, GMpilot had this to say in reply:

So who needs Satan?

Quote:
admin: Sexual sin/perversion is one of the most difficult sins to overcome. No doubt about it.

But it's all part of The Plan™, isn't it?

God will make it all turn out in the end, won't he?

All that social turmoil, all those disgraced clergymen, all those shattered lives...God will use it all for good, yeah? Isn't that what you always say?

Yet after five years and fifty posts where I point out how widely and deeply and how many decades this has been going on, all you can say is how difficult sexual sin is to overcome? (I wasn't aware that any sin was easy to overcome!)
Your original posts were so full of fire and vinegar, and now they've dwindled to two little sentences that say nothing. Both the Catholic God and yours make it clear, and you've repeated it on this site often enough; they should die. After all, civil laws were broken, too.

When sex is not permitted to express itself in its proper way, it will always eventually express itself in an improper way. The more it's suppressed, the nastier it blooms. No Satan necessary.

I must admit, "So, who needs Satan?" is an interesting question. In reality, an entire book could be written in reply to such a question. Readers, feel free to share your thoughts about that.

Rather than addressing that particular question [mostly because Satan is, unfortunately, often used as an excuse by those who repeatedly choose to sin. You know - the ole' "the devil made me do it" syndrome], I chose to reply utilizing the Gospel message:

GM,

If the priests were after normal sexual relations, they wouldn't be performing homosexual acts with male children or young teenage and pre-teen boys. Why weren't they going after the beautiful women - who were of the age of consent - from the pews of the churches? Answer: because they were in homosexual/pederasty/pedophile lust for teens and boys.

Those priests who went after pre-pubescent girls were also pedophiles.

But all of this is pointless to discuss with you. You seem to think that because there are priests who are fakes - all must be fakes as well. During my childhood, I learned about a pedophile priest in our church. I only knew that he went after pre-pubescent girls, but perhaps he attacked some boys too. It was all hushed up and they named a street after him in town after he had died.

I also knew of a wonderful priest who kept his celibate vows and was wonderful (in an appropriate manner and way) to all parishioners - especially the children. He died 10 years ago and had a monument placed in a small existing park that was later named after him. There were benches there that were donated by members of the church. He was deeply loved.

There are people who try to live good lives, and there are people who don't. We all fall short of the glory of God. Recall the "good" test I told you to take? No one passes that test. If anyone ever claims that they did pass it - then you know that they lied.

This is why humankind needs the Savior. Jesus Christ was the only sinless God-Man who died on the cross for the forgiveness of sins of all who repent of their sins and believe in him.

Jesus Christ is the living example of mercy and grace through God.

Mercy is God withholding what you (we all) deserve.

Grace is God giving you (all) what you (we all) don't deserve.

There is evidence of grace being bestowed upon unbelievers and even the wicked in this temporal world. Some repent and turn to Christ, others don't. However, the choice to reject Christ (and his mercy and grace) prior to dying negates the chance for salvation after death.

Despite the fact that some who don't believe in Christ seem to have success in this life, it is an entirely different story [according to the Bible] when such individuals die without Christ. Why? Because they have chosen to reject God's mercy and grace for salvation. Therefore, they choose to leave this world to live in eternity separated from God forever.

God has done all that is necessary for salvation. Our job here on this earth is to either accept or reject His provision.
__________________
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

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

Rejection Of Need For Repentance & Redemption Of One's Soul

Consider this a different kind of blog post. I want to make some statements and then ask some brave readers to give examples in the comment section. With your agreement to participate (please make a note that it is O.K. with you to have your comment re-published in this post), I will copy and paste your comments into this original blog post. Also, feel free to share a link to a blog post that you may have written that coincides with this subject matter.

If you just want to sound off (please, no cursing, swearing or taking the name of the Lord in vain) on the topic, please indicate that you only want your comment to remain as a comment.

My statement:

There appears to be a recurring theme of rejection by the liberal, progressive left towards recognizing the need for repentance of sin and thus redemption of one's soul through God.

Take almost any issue heralded by the left as "good," which at the same time is opposed by Conservative Christians who follow Jesus Christ and His Word, the Bible, and you will see that the rejection of the need for repentance of sin and the rejection of the need for redemption of one's life and eternal soul is one of the big reasons why the left will inevitably always clash with the right.

Agree or disagree?

Care to share some examples?

Christine

The Word of God -

Ephesians 1:7 - 23

Eph 1:7 In whom we have redemption through his blood, the forgiveness of sins, according to the riches of his grace;


Eph 1:8 Wherein he hath abounded toward us in all wisdom and prudence;


Eph 1:9 Having made known unto us the mystery of his will, according to his good pleasure which he hath purposed in himself:


Eph 1:10 That in the dispensation of the fulness of times he might gather together in one all things in Christ, both which are in heaven, and which are on earth; [even] in him:


Eph 1:11 In whom also we have obtained an inheritance, being predestinated according to the purpose of him who worketh all things after the counsel of his own will:


Eph 1:12 That we should be to the praise of his glory, who first trusted in Christ.


Eph 1:13 In whom ye also [trusted], after that ye heard the word of truth, the gospel of your salvation: in whom also after that ye believed, ye were sealed with that holy Spirit of promise,


Eph 1:14 Which is the earnest of our inheritance until the redemption of the purchased possession, unto the praise of his glory.


Eph 1:15 Wherefore I also, after I heard of your faith in the Lord Jesus, and love unto all the saints,


Eph 1:16 Cease not to give thanks for you, making mention of you in my prayers;


Eph 1:17 That the God of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of glory, may give unto you the spirit of wisdom and revelation in the knowledge of him:


Eph 1:18 The eyes of your understanding being enlightened; that ye may know what is the hope of his calling, and what the riches of the glory of his inheritance in the saints,


Eph 1:19 And what [is] the exceeding greatness of his power to us-ward who believe, according to the working of his mighty power,


Eph 1:20 Which he wrought in Christ, when he raised him from the dead, and set [him] at his own right hand in the heavenly [places],


Eph 1:21 Far above all principality, and power, and might, and dominion, and every name that is named, not only in this world, but also in that which is to come:


Eph 1:22 And hath put all [things] under his feet, and gave him [to be] the head over all [things] to the church,


Eph 1:23 Which is his body, the fulness of him that filleth all in all.

Life and Liberty Hangs in the Balance

Spotted this video presentation of a painting done by Jon McNaughton over at Nice Deb and it literally moved me to tears!



I weep for what we have lost here in America - the deep knowledge of the Bible and the heritage of our Christian faith.

I weep for what we are losing at such an accelerated pace - our freedoms and liberty - due to the tyrannical government we have.

I weep for those who have shoved God and His Son, Jesus Christ, out of their lives.

I weep for those who have never taken Jesus' offer of salvation seriously, and therefore ignore it and do not accept it.

I weep for our children who are now living in an America that I never thought I would ever see in my lifetime. I could go on and on. But most regular readers here could easily add to this list.

However, I also have tears of joy because I know who I am in Jesus Christ. I know that millions of saved Christians also know who they are in Christ and are evangelizing across the globe - including through the vehicle of the Internet.

Jesus told us that a sign of the coming Rapture would be both a falling away from the faith (heresy, apostasy, false religions, atheism etc. -all of which are happening today) as well as the Gospel being spread throughout the world. There has been no time in history - other than the computer age - where the Gospel could literally be spread throughout the entire world in seconds! How many people have read the Gospel message of Jesus Christ in just one day, accepted it and have also accepted the fact that the Word of God, the Bible, is ultimate Truth? We may never know the answer to that question on this side of heaven.

What a beautiful painting! Jesus is the center of the scene, and rightfully so.

Is He the center of your life?

Hat Tip:

Nice Deb

Also see:

McNaughton Fine Art.com

UPDATE!! Just discovered this at the McNaughton website!

Go to this page and run the mouse over the people in the painting to find out who they are and/or what they represent! Awesome!

Another Deception Towards Hell

I love it when Christian bloggers comment at my blog. It helps remind me to see what they are writing about at their own blogs. I especially enjoy visiting new Christian blogs and adding them to my blog roll.

Recently, Ken of The Bumbling Genius blogspot wrote a comment here at Talk Wisdom. I went over to that blog and found his latest post entitled, Hell, The Ultimate Offense.

Excerpt:

(1) There is only one way by which we may receive the eternal mercy of God, the first step being that we realize our dire need of it. By down playing that need we do save from offense, but we do so at the expense of a far greater one; for nothing can be more offensive than an eternity in Hell.

(1)While we do not have the choice of pointing out that all have sinned and fallen short of the Glory of God, it is not my intention to suggest that Christians behave in a manner consistent with the caricature of Christians that exists today. This image was perfected in the pit of Hell, and there will never be anything that the church will be able to do, barring abandoning the cross and sin altogether- as many churches have done-to win the approval of a ardently anti-Christian culture.

My comment there:


Great post! And SO TRUE! The current "I don't want to offend anyone by talking about sin" modus operandi is (unfortunately) on it's way to becoming the express train of modern Christian thought. People may think that such a worldview is an "enlightened " way to "do church." But the reality is that it is just another one of Satan's ploys to keep people out of Christ's Kingdom.

The truth is, such a mentality is just another deception and ticket to hell.

That quote at the end of your post says it all!!

Years ago, I ran across commentary that stated, "beware the crossless gospel." Such a terrible error (and heresy) is becoming more and more prevalent in many churches today.

The Bible tells us the truth about each and every matter. God's Word tells us that the cross is offensive to those who are perishing.

2Cr 2:14 (NLT) But thanks be to God, who made us his captives and leads us along in Christ's triumphal procession. Now wherever we go he uses us to tell others about the Lord and to spread the Good News like a sweet perfume.


2Cr 2:15 Our lives are a fragrance presented by Christ to God. But this fragrance is perceived differently by those being saved and by those perishing.


2Cr 2:16 To those who are perishing we are a fearful smell of death and doom. But to those who are being saved we are a life-giving perfume. And who is adequate for such a task as this?


Hat Tip:

The Bumbling Genius blogspot

A Call To Repentance

In my previous post, The Urgency, I mentioned that one of my main concerns about some Christian pastors in our post-modern world is the fact that there seems to be a move towards a "grace only" type of preaching. Therefore, the omission of the need for repentance before asking Jesus into one's heart for salvation runs rampant in churches today.

Why is that?

There are probably hundreds of reasons that we could list. However, I will mention two reasons and concentrate the balance of this post on the second reason.

1. Christians find themselves in a war over words.

Here is one example. In the past, I attended a neighborhood Bible study at a Christian friend's church. I really enjoyed the studies, however, I felt that some of the leaders were annoyed when I mentioned the political battles going on over same-sex issues - including the marriage issue. When Proposition 8 came up on the ballot, this church did ABSOLUTELY NOTHING to promote its passage! I was very sad to see that. One of the most important pressing issues of our time which could literally take away freedom of religious speech rights for pastors in the pulpit (will be discussed further in future posts) was ignored by the pastors and congregation of this church.

2. The end times controversy and the call to repentance.

Many Christian churches do not preach from the book of Revelation. They do not discuss it, nor do they reveal how Bible prophecy is coming to fruition right before our very eyes!

Why is that?

I think that many churches are busy "doing things" to help improve their communities. That is wonderful and important, too, of course. But to ignore the signs of the times and not to place the urgency of the Great Commission before anything else is error - in my judgment.

Pastors and churches need to do both - simultaneously.

This is not a difficult task. However, in my research I have found that the pastors and churches that do not get involved in political issues and/or end times prophecy and/or preparation of the congregation for the possibility of the Rapture happening in our day - do so because they don't want to "offend" anybody.

I ask you. Is that what Jesus would want of us? I mean, I'm not saying that we should purposely offend anyone. That is not what I meant. However, God's Word is full of verses that tell us that the true gospel of Jesus Christ is offensive - especially to those who are perishing.

What is at the crux of the offensiveness of the gospel? Our need to repent.

I peeked into a new book I recently bought called "The End Times Controversy: The Second Coming Under Attack" by Tim LaHaye and Thomas Ice. In the chapter called "The War Over Words" we read about "a call to repentance."

Both John the Baptist and Jesus began their ministries by proclaiming to the Jewish people that they must "repent, for the kingdom of heaven is at hand" (see Matthew 3:2; 4:17). This was the prerequisite for the kingdom's arrival. Remember that at the beginning of this chapter we saw that "is at hand" is a perfect tense in the Greek that means "the coming of the kingdom has been completed," but this does not mean that the kingdom has begun, or that it must necessarily begin. The kingdom had arrived, but certainly had not started!

Studying Jewish rabbinical thought helps us gain a better understanding about the issue of repentance and about how and when the kingdom would start. For example, one of the most respected writings on what the Jews thought during the time of Christ is found in the classic volume Society and Religion in the Second Temple Period 66 and in The Messiah Texts,67 both written by respected Jewish scholars. Raphael Patai writes in The Messiah Texts that from before the time of Christ, and even during the last two thousand years, "the expected and hoped-for Coming [of the Messiah] was simply indispensable for the continued existence of Israel....The Messiah was prevented from coming because the generation was unworthy; because there was too many sinners in Israel."68 Pharisaic Judaism believed "in the futility of 'forcing the millennium' and said the Messiah could not come while Israel was under foreign domination." All depended on repentance, on a fundamental change in men's souls."69

There is much more to share from this segment of the book. However, I wanted to pause for a moment and reiterate what was written:

"All depended on repentance, on a fundamental change in men's souls."

This is exactly why Jesus Christ told us that "we must be born again." (See John 3)

What is the gospel all about?

Repentance!

Christ came to rescue us all from the penalty for our sin - eternal damnation. This is why he came to earth the first time - for the remission of the sins of men. All who would confess of their sin, repent of them, and ask Jesus into their hearts via the power of the Holy Spirit of God, would be saved.

Note this: Jesus will not enter into an unrepentant heart.

Period.

A person can claim that they have obtained all the mercy, grace, and love of Jesus, but Christ will not be fooled by them. He (Jesus) knows his own! He knows those who are genuinely repentant of their sins. He knows those who truly believe in him. He knows those who have invited him to dwell within their hearts.

Remember that margarine commercial from the 70's where the announcer tasts the margarine (and thinks it tastes just like butter) but then finds out that it's not butter? She says, "it's not nice to fool Mother Nature!"

Well, we can't fool Father God. We can't fool Jesus Christ. He KNOWS those who have genuinely repented and have made him Lord and Savior of their lives!

Continuing:

In Society and Religion in the Second Temple Period, Baras and Avi-Yonah argue that during the period of the Gospels, Jesus taught that the kingdom of heaven was at hand and all that was needed and necessary was for the people to repent.70 These authors add that "as the herald of the Messiah, John [the Baptist] had to prepare the way for the Messiah's coming by preaching repentance and pious deeds. He exhorted the people to repent, for the kingdom of heaven was near."71 But the kingdom did not come because such a change of heart did not take place among the vast majority of the Jewish people.

Because Israel did not repent, orthodox rabbis have argued from the Old Testament that

the pangs of the Messianic times...must come upon Israel because of its wickedness...the pangs of the Messianic times are imagined as having heavenly as well as earthly sources and expressions...awesome cosmic cataclysms will be visited upon the earth: conflagrations, pestilence, famine, earthquakes....These will be paralleled by evils brought by men upon themselves....Things will come to such a head that people will despair of Redemption. This will last seven years. And then, unexpectedly, the Messiah will come.72

With the Old Testament in view, the orthodox Jews of the New Testament era held to the scenario just described: 1) The Messiah could not come if the Jews did not repent of their sins; 2) If Israel did not repent, the people would face great persecution; 3) the people would come to face a terrible period of seven years of Tribulation on earth; and 4) finally, the Messiah would come.

In contrast to preterists, futurists see the same prophetic plan unfolding in the Old Testament that some orthodox Jews have always observed. The Jewish people held to correct beliefs about end-time events in Christ's day; the only difference is that they refused to believe that indeed He was the promised Messiah!

I have already shared the brief story here about an encounter that T.V. talk show host Larry King (who is Jewish) had with the Reverend Billy Graham. During their conversation, Rev. Graham asked Larry (paraphrased here), 'If Jesus (or, perhaps he said, "the Messiah") were to return today, what would be the first thing you would ask him?'

Larry replied (paraphrased here), 'is this your first or second visit to earth?'

For those Jews who are eagerly awaiting the coming of their Messiah, the last few paragraphs would appear to be offensive to them. It is not my intention to offend. I am simply pointing out what the book says, what transpired in the Graham and King conversation, and how this relates to end times prophecy.

The book deals mostly with the end times controversy between preterists and futurists regarding biblical prophecy. However, for the purpose of this post, I am focusing on the call to repentance that both Christians and Jewish scholars hold to regarding the coming of the kingdom of God.

In another post, I will cover the "promise of hastening" section of this chapter. For now, I will skip over to the end of the chapter and share the final two paragraphs written there.

The Message of Prophecy

When Christ presented Himself as Israel's king, it was incumbent upon the Jews to repent of their sins in order for the messianic rule to begin. The issue of repentance overrides such expressions as "the kingdom of God is at hand." However, even with this expression, the more basic idea is that the coming of the kingdom of God is certain to come someday. Likewise, the expression "I come quickly" seems to be more accurately translated, "I come speedily, swiftly" as with quickness of movement.

In the larger contextual picture of Bible prophecy, there seems to have been little misunderstanding as to what was being communicated actually happening with these expressions. In the great mystery of the providence of God, we can now look back upon specific verses of Scripture that remind us that Christ must first suffer and die before He would reign. Most Bible teachers, except preterists, seem to comprehend that because Israel refused to repent of their sins, the Messiah did not take the throne. But following the seven-year Tribulation, He will return, regather the people of Israel, and begin His 1,000-year reign in Jerusalem!

Dr. David Jeremiah's book "What In The World Is Going On?" covers this in great detail in the last chapter. You can also view the final sermon on this series over at Lightsource.com. You can also view each of the previous sermons available in the series at that site.

The naysayers who dislike Christians discussing, and/or revealing end times prophecy often scoff at posts like this one. So be it. They have the free speech right to think and say whatever they want.

For me, however, the accuracy of prophecy fulfillment by Jesus in his first coming gives me the utmost confidence and certainty that His promises for the future will ultimately be fulfilled.

Dr. Jeremiah concludes his book:

The prophets, the angels, and the apostle John all echo the words of promise from Jesus Himself that He will return. God's Word further amplifies the promise by giving us clues in prophecy to help us identify the signs that His return is close at hand. The signs that tell us the second coming of the Lord is drawing near should motivate us as never before to live in readiness. As we noted in chapter 5, the Rapture, which is the next event on the prophetic calendar, will take place seven years before the events we have discussed in this final chapter. Future events cast their shadows before them. As we anticipate His return, we are not to foolishly set dates and leave our jobs and homes to wait for Him on some mountain. We are to remain busy doing the work set before us, living in love and serving in ministry, even when the days grow dark and the nights long. Be encouraged! Be anticipating! We are secure; we belong to Christ. And as the old gospel song says, "Soon and very soon, we are going to see the King!"

References:

"The End Times Controversy: The Second Coming Under Attack" by Tim LaHaye and Thomas Ice, 2003 by Pre-Trib Research Center; Harvest House Publishers, pp. 301-305.

Endnotes:
67 Raphael Patai, The Messiah Texts, (Detroit, MI): Wayne State University Press, 1979).
68 Patai, Messiah Texts, p. xxix.
69 Avi-Yoneh and Baras, World History, p. 260.
70 Ibid, p. 212.
71 Ibid, p. 210.
72 Patai, Messiah Texts, pp. 95-96.

*******
"What In The World Is Going On?: Ten Prophetic Clues You Cannot Afford to Ignore" by Dr. David Jeremiah; 2008, Thomas Nelson publishers, p. 237.