Defending. Contending.

CrossTV

Some might not exactly agree with this brother’s method of catching Todd Bentley out, but I think it’s quite brilliant. Make sure you watch both parts to get the full story.

Those who argue that Mary offers us a more compassionate understanding of God than is revealed in Jesus Christ alone insult both the person and work of Christ and accept the worst excess of Catholic piety.

- Albert Mohler

See related:

Living Dinosaurs (Part One). (Kent Hovind Seminar)

Living Dinosaurs (Part Two). (Interesting and “extinct” creatures captured videos)

“We are not going to be an organization promoting celibacy or chastity.”
Faye Wattleton, President, Planned Parenthood Federation of America, Los Angeles Times, Oct. 17, 1986
_______

“If your parents are stupid enough to deny you access to birth control, and you are under 18, you can get it on your own. Call Planned Parenthood.”
Planned Parenthood advertisement, Dallas Observer, Jan. 30, 1986
_______

“There are only 2 basic kinds of sex: sex with victims and sex without. Sex with victims is always wrong. Sex without is ALWAYS right.”
You’ve Changed The Combination, Rocky Mountain Planned Parenthood, Denver, Colo.
_______

“The question of whether or not to sell ourselves to men is a false one: The real question is how to sell ourselves in the way that is least destructive to ourselves and our sisters. Prostitutes don’t need our condescension. What they need is our alliance. And we need theirs.”
The New Our Bodies, Ourselves, Boston Women’s Health Collective, p 113
_______

“At Planned Parenthood you can also get birth control without the consent or knowledge of your parents. So, if you are 14, 15 or 16 and you come to Planned Parenthood, we won’t tell your parents you’ve been there. We swear we won’t tell your parents.”
Planned Parenthood employee lecturing students of Ramona High School, Riverside, Calif., April 21-22, 1986

See the following related posts:

Reverend Larry Phillips blesses a new abortion clinic, declaring it “sacred and holy.”

Planned Parenthood founder, Margaret Sanger, in her own words.

Racism rears its ugly head (yet again) at Planned Parenthood.

The ridiculous rantings of a pro-abortion supporter.

Great question . . . but don’t expect an answer.

Why this woman works at planned parenthood.

Planned Parenthood propaganda cartoon.

What really happens in a D & E Abortion.

The silence is deafening.

Creation in the womb.

Survivors.

Great video; I implore you to watch this before you turn on your TV again.

Source: All Sufficient Grace

I reckon him a Christian indeed who is not ashamed of the gospel or a shame to it.

- Matthew Henry

1662 - 1714

Tower To Truth Question:

13. If God is an exalted man with a body of flesh and bones, why does Alma 18:26-28 and John 4:24 say that God is a spirit?

————————-

FAIR Answer:

In Alma, the reference is to Jesus Christ, who before His birth did not have a physical body.

John 4:24 does not say God is “a” spirit, but says “God is spirit.” There is no “a” in the Greek. The Bible also says “God is truth” or “God is light.” Those things are true, but we don’t presume God is JUST truth, or JUST light—or JUST spirit.

As one non-LDS commentary puts it:

That God is spirit is not meant as a definition of God’s being—though this is how the Stoics [a branch of Greek philosophy] would have understood it. It is a metaphor of his mode of operation, as life-giving power, and it is no more to be taken literally than 1John 1:5, “God is light,” or Deut. 4:24, “Your God is a devouring fire.” It is only those who have received this power through Christ who can offer God a real worship.

- J. N. Sanders, A Commentary on the Gospel According to St. John, edited and completed by B. A. Mastin, (New York, Harper & Row, 1968), 147–148.

To learn more: God is a Spirit

——————–

My Response:

FAIR needs to do some better work on their biblical scholarship. They have shown, in this response, that they have not studied the Greek of John 4:24. Let us look at the Greek of this verse:

πνευμα ό θεος

pneuma ho Theos

This sentence, πνευμα ό θεος (pneuma ho Theos), “God is spirit,” is constructed in a way similar to the last part of John 1:1, when John writes θεος ην ό λογος (Theos hn ho logos), “the Word was God.”

πνευμα ό θεος–”God is spirit”
θεος ην ό λογος–”the Word was God”

The word πνευμα (pneuma) is in the nominative case. However, this is actually the predicate of the sentence. And since there is no definite article it should be read “spirit.” Now, let’s look at ό θεος (ho Theos). The definite article ό is attached to θεος. This literally means “the God.” So what we get is “The God is spirit.” Or, in English, “God is spirit.”

So what is Jesus trying to tell us in this statement? Is He simply declaring the form and essence of the Father? Basically what He was saying was that all those who worshipped some kind of visible idol, or looked to some thing or some place or some person as their object of worship had missed it by an eternity. God (the Father) is everywhere. As the Psalmist said, Where can I go from Your Spirit? Or where can I flee from Your presence? If I ascend into heaven, You are there; if I make my bed in hell, behold, You are there. If I take the wings of the morning, and dwell in the uttermost parts of the sea, Even there Your hand shall lead me, and Your right hand shall hold me (Psalm 139:7-10). If God is not a spirit, why does the Psalmist say, “Where can I go from Your Spirit…If I ascend into heaven, You are there? Now, before anyone says, “Well, what about ‘Your hand shall lead me?‘” Many times the Hebrew of the Old Testament used different parts of the body to symbolize different things. The arm symbolized power, the head symbolized rule, the feet symbolized actions. Here, “Your hand” symbolizes power. And as far as “Your right hand“–if God had a body, could His “right hand” (if we think of “right hand” in strictly human terms) hold all those who call for Him at the same time? Are we to believe that at any given time only one person is ever needing God to uphold and strengthen them? Absolutely not! God is everywhere, at all times, since He is not limited by a body of flesh and bone.

Now, what about FAIR’s assertion that “The Bible also says “God is truth” or “God is light.” Those things are true, but we don’t presume God is JUST truth, or JUST light—or JUST spirit“? Frankly, I really don’t see what they’re getting at. God is all those things. He is also a strong tower, a refuge, a shield, a buckler, a rock, a defender…

Well, we can see in other places that God the Father does not have a physical body. Colossians 1:15–And He [Christ] is the image of the invisible God. If God has a tangible, touchable body of flesh and bone, how can Paul declare Him to be “invisible?” We also must consider Hebrews 1:3–[Jesus] being the brightness of His glory and the express image of His person, and upholding all things by the word of His power… The word “person” is not the best way to render ύποστάσεως (hupostaseos). “Essence” is closer to the actual meaning, a fact which dampens the LDS argument that Jesus being the “image of His person” refers to the Father having a corporeal body.

Of course, saying that God has a body presents other problems as well. In the Old Testament, it is written many times that God “dwells between the cherubim” (1st Samuel 4:4; 2nd Samuel 6:2; 2nd Kings 19:15; 1st Chronicles 13:6; Psalm 80:1; Isaiah 37:16). So, if the Father has a body, and dwells on his home planet near Kolob (No, He does not live ON Kolob. Kolob is the nearest start to where God the Father dwells. Or so they say), and He is confined to a body, how can He “dwell between the cherubim”–a reference to His dwelling between the angels atop the Ark of the Covenant?

If you click on FAIR’s link that says, “God is spirit,” you will find this gem:

Deut. 4:28 says that our God can see, eat and smell.

WRONG!! Deuteronomy 4:28 says And there you will serve gods, the work of men’s hands, wood and stone, which neither see nor hear nor eat nor smell. [Emphasis mine] All this says is that the “gods” which men make cannot hear or eat or smell. And a link at that link tries to use the fact that God told Moses He would hide him in the rock and cover it with His hand. So, did He have to leave wherever He was to do it? And if God’s body is like our body, it must be pretty big for Him to cover a cleft with His hand.

There is much overwhelming evidence that God the Father does NOT have a body, that He is spirit, and that Christ is the only member of the Trinity to have ever taken on human flesh.

Source: The Bororean

The hosts discuss the topic of Using God: The Gospel of Pragmatism on yet another great episode of The White Horse Inn.

Why do so many sermons and Bible Studies focus almost entirely on “practical” application? Is a particular belief true simply because it works for you? On this edition of the White Horse Inn, the hosts take a look at the philosophy of Pragmatism and its effects on contemporary Christian thought and practice.

A pro-abortion supporter takes a video camera to a pro-life protest and asks the pro-lifers a simple question. Astonishingly none of them were able to answer it (not sure if others did answer satisfactorily but were simply edited out). I was shocked that these pro-lifers stuttered, stumbled and fumbled over this question.

My answer would have been quite simple: “The same thing that happened to Susan Smith and Andrea Yates and the same thing if you were to murder my child.“

If you want to know what the question was, you’ll have to watch the video here.

Source: Mail Online

In a highly conciliatory letter to Islamic leaders calling for an alliance between the two faiths for ‘the common good’, the Archbishop of Canterbury, Dr. Rowan Williams, pronounced that not only is Christian doctrine offensive to Muslims, but that the Christian belief in the Trinity - that God is Father, Son and Holy Ghost at the same time - ‘is difficult, sometimes offensive, to Muslims’.

The Archbishop went on to push an ecumenical social ‘gospel’, saying:

‘We can together speak for those who have no voice or leverage in society - for the poorest, the most despised, the least powerful, for women and children, for migrants and minorities; and even to speak together for the great encompassing reality that has no voice of its own, our injured and abused material environment.’

Where’s that heckler who ranted against Gene Robinson when we need him, again?

Source: Mail Online.

From Beggars All, a band of Reformed bloggers. This is for all those who want to walk around with blinders on, and claim that JPII had nothing to do with the movement to proclaim Mary as our Co-Redemptrix:

“‘Be not afraid!’ Christ said to the apostles (cf. Lk 24:36) and to the women (cf. Mt 28:10) after the Resurrection. According to the Gospels, these words were not addressed to Mary. Strong in her faith, she had no fear. Mary’s participation in the victory of Christ became clear to me above all from the experience of my people. Cardinal Stefan Wyszynski told me that his predecessor, Cardinal August Hlond, had spoken these prophetic words as he was dying: ‘The victory, if it comes, will come through Mary.’ During my pastoral ministry in Poland, I saw for myself how those words were coming true.

After my election as Pope, as I became more involved in the problems of the universal Church, I came to have a similar conviction: On this universal level, if victory comes it will be brought by Mary. Christ will conquer through her, because He wants the Church’s victories now and in the future to be linked to her.

I held this conviction even though I did not yet know very much about Fátima. I could see, however, that there was a certain continuity among La Salette, Lourdes, and Fátima-and, in the distant past, our Polish Jasna Góra.

And thus we come to May 13, 1981, when I was wounded by gunshots fired in St. Peter’s Square. At first, I did not pay attention to the fact that the assassination attempt had occurred on the exact anniversary of the day Mary appeared to the three children at Fátima in Portugal and spoke to them the words that now, at the end of this century, seem to be close to their fulfillment.”

-Pope John Paul II in Crossing the Threshold of Hope

Evangelicals who are desperate to follow the culture invariably lag several years behind anyway, somehow managing to look awkward and clumsy by always failing to keep in step, no matter how hard they try. But, then, the church is not supposed to ape the world’s fads or court the world’s favor anyway.

- John MacArthur

For those who read my previous post on horrendous church ads and billboards (found here), I have one more to add. Behold the following sign which declares this church “Ichabod!”

So my question is this: What is the context of the sign?

1. Beatles-style worship.

2. Beatles-led worship (like this Elvis-led worship).

Or

3. The worship of the Beatles.

Part One:

Part Two:

Professing Christians with potty mouths and gutter mentalities is one thing, but what happens when it’s a pastor?

On this edition of Crosstalk entitled Watch Your Mouth, Ingrid Schlueter and guest Cathy Mickels discuss this awful trend of worldly humor, coarse jesting, and crude language in the church and spewing from the mouths of those like Mark Driscoll.

Ingrid also discusses the shocking post from Chris Roseborough of A Little Leaven in which he has a post on his other blog Extreme Theology which is less than appropriate. The post in question contains a quote from Bill Cosby that the nature of which should not be found on a Christian blog. Chris’ lapse in judgment is still up on his blog here. I agree with Ingrid on this one Chris, it is highly inappropriate and should be removed.

Ingrid also discusses the twisted love affair some professing Christians have with the world and its profane, vulgar, God-hating entertainers. She addresses a supposed Christian blog that flowingly lavished the late George Carlin with undeserved accolades. Something you’d expect from the world, not Christians who are called to be separate from the world.

I have seen this blog in question and was appalled at the plethora of so-called Christians who honor a man whose life was the antithesis of all that is good, holy, and honorable in God’s sight. You can check out the drivel here and read Ingrid’s post on it here.

All in all, I agree 100% with Ingrid and her guest on this issue. It’s a sad testament to the current state of the bloated, lethargic, worldly, adolescent, social-club that is the church-of-me.

********** Update July 17, 2008 **********

Since the publishing of this post, Chris Roseborough has removed the profanity from his blog and replaced it with “jerk.”

Jim Bublitz, operator of the blog Old Truth, is (as of last report) in the hospital. You can read the story here. Please keep this brother in prayer.

There are some who say that if you put a frog into a pan of boiling water, it will hop right out fully aware of the danger. However, if you drop the frog into a pan of cold water and ever so slowly increase the temperature a few degrees at a time, the frog will cook to death.

Like the proverbial frog, the church for years has been sitting in the pans of the world. Over time, ever so slowly, the evil one and his minions have been increasing the temperature of the water to be more in line with the world’s desires. The church has been lulled to sleep and is either dead or at best, lukewarm!

Read the rest of this post at The Desert Pastor!

Pilgrim’s post showing street preachers confronting an antichrist church reminded me of some other similar videos I’ve seen and enjoyed. May God grant every one of us the boldness these guys have.

The first two videos are a couple of open-air preachers outside of a Rob Bell event. I’ve met the guy on the right. You can check out Kerrigan Skelly’s website.

Here’s a guy (who’s a little less polished) outside Joel Osteen’s church:

I just found out about this one today. I know nothing about this guy, and it’s hard to tell what he says, but he at least told Gene Robinson what he needs to hear: “Repent!”

If the above video is unavailable, you can check out this site.

Have you ever been perplexed by those who can’t seem to grasp simple axioms? Do you long for the days when people exercised reason and logic? Do you rack your brain trying to figure out how someone can fail to see something that’s so obvious?

Well, I discovered some great insight from the Scriptures on why this happens and I’ve succinctly written it below for your edification. I hope that it helps you when you are banging your head on the wall because the person you’re talking to seems completely incapable of accepting even elementary truths. When you find yourself at this point I encourage you to refer to the following:

One’s heart and mind has to first be opened by God to even be able to understand the Scriptures (Luke 24:25, Acts 16:14, 1 John 5:20) because the carnal man cannot accept the things of God (1 Corinthians 2:14) and even as he’s perishing he considers the preaching of the cross to be foolishness (1 Corinthians 1:18).

It is God and God alone who grants the repentance necessary that leads to the knowledge of the truth (2 Timothy 2:25). No one gets to the Father except through the Son (John 14:6) but no one can come to the Son unless the Father draws them (John 6:44) and grants it (John 6:65).

The Son also draws men unto Himself (John 12:32) and we don’t control who is drawn because all that the Father gives to Christ will come (John 6:37, 6:39, 17:2, 17:24).

When we keep these essential truths present in our mind we will be less likely to try to “argue,” “debate,” or “manipulate” someone into Heaven.

For your convenience I’ve incorporated the above into the printable Bible Reference Notes found here.

- The Pilgrim

God is a holy God, that’s something that the Americans have forgotten. Many of the things that you love to do, God hates. Did you know that? . . . . You’re going to have a youth meeting, you want God to move, but before you go there you watch programs on television that God absolutely despises and then you wonder why the Holy Spirit hasn’t fallen on a place and why you have to create false fire and false excitement.

- Paul Washer

The Bible Reference Notes for today are on the subject of exactly who is responsible for man’s salvation.

To find out the purpose and exactly how to use these Bible Reference Notes, check out the explanation in my first installment The Holy Scriptures. See also other installments of Bible Reference Notes Hell and the Eternal Soul, good for dealing with those who deny the existence of Hell (like Jehovah’s Witnesses) and Whose Name (good for dealing with Jehovah’s Witnesses).

WHO IS RESPONSIBLE FOR SALVATION; MAN OR GOD?

The problem.

1 Corinthians 2:14 Carnal man cannot accept the things of God

1 Corinthians 1:18 The preaching of the cross is foolishness to the perishing

Romans 3:11 There is none who seek after God

Who opens man’s heart and mind to accept the Gospel?

Acts 16:14 God opens the heart

Luke 24:25 God opens the mind

1 John 5:20 God opens the mind

Who grants the ability to repent?

2 Timothy 2:25 God grants repentance leading to the knowledge of truth

Who gives and who draws?

John 6:37 All that God gives Jesus will come to Him

John 6:39 It is God’s will that Jesus not lose any that He gave Him

John 6:44 No one can come to Jesus unless God draws them

John 6:65 No one can come to Jesus unless God grants it

John 12:32 If Jesus is lifted up He will draw men unto Himself

John 14:6 No one gets to God except through Christ

John 17:2 All that God has given Jesus, He will give eternal life

John 17:24 God has given them to Jesus

At WorldNetDaily’s Weekend Commentary, Jonathan Falwell wrote about the increasing revulsion of the Bible and how the United States has, as a nation, discounted and ignored God’s Word. He concluded by exhorting Christians to continue reaching out despite the fact that the world will hate us and revile God’s Truth.

Well said, Pastor, though I found this a little disturbing yet slightly amusing as I finished reading your article:

REMINDER: On Aug. 11-13, the historic Thomas Baptist Church in Lynchburg, Va., will host the Innovate Church conference, with “The Purpose-Driven Life” author Rick Warren serving as our headline speaker. Other special guests include: Chuck Colson, Tom Mullins, Jim Cymbala and Ed Stetzer.

It makes me wonder what your stance is, really. On one hand you decry the revulsion of God’s Truth and exhort many to boldly go forth with it, yet on the other hand you have invited one man — Rick Warren who not only waters down the Gospel but preaches another — to your church to “… empower and energize the ministries of pastors, pastors’ wives, church staff members and lay leaders across our nation”?

Is it me or is there a sharp contrast between what he writes and what he seems to subscribe to?

Consider some of the word pictures of God’s wrath in the New Testament. And as you consider them remember the folly of saying, “But aren’t those just symbols? Isn’t fire and brimstone just a symbol?” I say beware of that, because it does not serve your purpose. Suppose fire is a symbol. Do people use symbols of horror because the reality is less horrible or more horrible than the symbols? I don’t know of anyone who uses symbolic language for horrible realities when literal language would make it sound more horrible.

People grasp for symbols of horror (or beauty) because the reality they are trying to describe is worse (or better) than they can put into words. If I say, “My wife is the diamond of my life,” I don’t want you to say, “Oh, he used a symbol of something valuable; it’s only a symbol. So his wife must not be as valuable as a diamond.” No. I used the symbol of the most valuable jewel I could think of because my wife is far more precious than jewels. Honest symbols are not used because they go beyond reality, but because reality goes beyond words.

So when the Bible speaks of hell-fire, woe to us if we say, “It’s only a symbol.” If it is a symbol at all, it means the reality is worse than fire, not better. The word “fire” is used not to make the easy sound terrible, but to make the exceedingly terrible sound something like what it really is.

- John Piper

After viewing the Kent Hovind video on Dinosaurs, (which I posted in part one), I was so intrigued by the idea that some dinosaurs may very well be alive today, that I began doing a little research and found some fascinating Cryptozoological videos that you may interested in.

Remember, when you watch these videos that some of these creatures–according to the expert Atheist evolutionists–are supposed to have died off “millions and millions of years ago.“

Enjoy.

Amazing water creatures:

Amazing flying creatures:

(Be sure to check out Living Dinosaurs Part Two for some incredible videos)

I recently watched some of Kent Hovind’s creation seminar series and was awestruck with part three of his series. In part three (which you can view below) he examines the topic of dinosaurs and whether or not there are some alive today.

I sat glued to this video, riveted by the idea some of these creatures supposedly gone extinct “millions and millions of years ago” are actually still alive in such places like the largely unexplored regions of the African Congo.

To give you an idea of what the swamp in the Congo looks like, here’s some pictures I found on the internet that were taken by a scientist while down there (see here and here) collecting information. This is the same swamp where natives identify a large creature known as Mokele-Mbembe.

I am convinced that the first step towards attaining a higher standard of holiness is to realize more fully the amazing sinfulness of sin.

- J.C. Ryle

1816 - 1900

I read the following comment by Steve Camp over at his blog and felt it was substantial and powerful enough to stand on its own as a post - and so it does!

<!– –>

I found this excellent article today by Steve Camp on the subject of the One True and Living God’s free will to do all that He pleases and wanted to share it with you:

Reprobation is the antithesis to election and necessarily follows from it. If God does not elect a person, He rejects him. If God decides not to convert a sinner into a saint, He decides to let him remain a sinner (1). If God decides not to work in a man to will and to do according to God’s will, He decides to leave the man to will and to do according to his own will. When God effectually operates upon the human will, it is election. When God does not effectually operate upon the human will, it is reprobation. Election is the expression of divine mercy; reprobation of divine justice. Paul teaches this in Romans 11:22, “Behold the goodness and severity of God (divine compassion and divine justice) on them which fell severity; but toward you goodness.”

Reprobation relates to regenerating grace, not common grace. It is an error to suppose that the reprobate are entirely destitute of grace. All mankind enjoys common grace. There are no elect or reprobate in this refernece. Every human being experiences some degree of the ordinary influences of the Spirit of God. St. Paul teaches that God strives with man universally. He convicts him of sin and urges him to repent of it and forsake it (Roms. 1:19-20; 2:3-4; Acts 17:24-31).

Continue reading here.

Bezel333 takes on TBN’s favorite false prophet, Kim Clement. Clement puts on one heck of a show, very entertaining, very ear-tickling. Not a lick of the presence of God, and nothing is done for the glory of Christ. But very entertaining, in a heretical, blaspheming kind of way.