The Tipping Point On Planned Parenthood
The videos, made clandestinely over a three-year period by an antiabortion group, are being released incrementally for sustained effect. It’s working. Planned Parenthood, faced with a renewed push for federal defunding (to the tune of a half-billion dollars), has begun a public relations campaign of its own. As of Friday, two ads had been released, each featuring a breast-cancer survivor who says she wouldn’t have survived without the health care she received from the organization.
Satan and Sodomy
Someone will say: Choosing that word signifies your belligerence toward people with same-sex attraction. No, it signifies my hatred for what can destroy people with same-sex attraction. What destroys people is not same-sex attraction, but the lie that same-sex copulation is delightful, and not deadly.
Craig James Sues Fox Sports For Religious Discrimination Over Gay Marriage Firing
Fox Sports hired the former SMU and New England Patriots running back after his unsuccessful bid for one of Texas’ U.S. Senate seats in 2012 in which the candidate responded to a question about gay marriage by stating, “I’m a guy that believes in a man and a woman,” and urging Christians to “stand up” on the issue. During the discussion of gay marriage, James asserted: “God’s going to judge each one of us in this room for our actions.”
The Purpose Of Pornography
Perhaps our obsession with sex is not really an obsession with sex at all. Perhaps it is really an obsession with death, to be avoided by remaining perpetually young or by tricking ourselves by sexual athletics into thinking that we do so. Yet whatever the aesthetics, sexual activity as a means for preserving the myth of eternal youth is always going to involve the law of diminishing returns and thus ironically prove a powerful witness to its own falsehood. It really does not matter how many orgasms you have, or how intense they are, you are still going to die.
Secularists Continue Campaign Against Christian Foodbanks – Letter in Dundee Courier and Response
Secularist version of ‘tolerance’….they will tolerate anything as long as it agrees with their values. It’s a Brave New World where tolerance just means going along with one opinion! I prefer the Christian version where we allow diversity of views and practice – and where a Christian organisation with a Christian ethos is free to employ a Christian leader.
5 Common Struggles Of A Pastor’s Wife
There are more than five common struggles that a pastor’s wife goes through but these might be among the most common and include feeling estranged to her husband as if her husband is married to the church and the activities there. This can create a deep sense of loneliness and feelings of isolation.
Why the Missional Church Will Fail
The missional movement will fail because, by-and-large, we are having a discussion about mission devoid of discipleship. Unless we start having more discussion about discipleship and how we make missionaries out of disciples, this movement will stall and fade. Any discussion about mission must begin with discipleship. If your church community is not yet competent at making disciples who can make disciples, please don’t send your members out on mission until you have a growing sense of confidence in your ability to train, equip and disciple them.
I’ve Got News For Democrats. It’s A Baby!
They will be remembered for publishing dehumanizing decrees — as The New Republic did — that people stop criticizing Planned Parenthood because as a medical matter, “The term baby…doesn’t apply until birth” (that thing on your sonogram is nothing more than a “product of conception.”) And they will be remembered for demanding investigations into citizen journalists for meticulously exposing atrocities in our midst.
When Cancer Interrupts
“Cancer creates opportunities for more profound intimacy with those around you,” Powlison knowingly observes. “People pay attention when a sufferer is being honest”. That last sentence reminds me that cancer provides Christians experiencing it an opportunity to teach the rich God-centered doctrine and lessons of faith we’ve previously learned and that have prepared us for processing suffering biblically. We’ve been given a platform for speaking into the lives of unbelievers and “prosperity gospel” adherents whom we know and love.
Pastors, Counseling, and Mental Health: 6 Guidelines for Pastors to Consider
Mental health issues are too prevalent for pastors to not be counselors. But they must do so wisely.
Abortion and the Good Samaritan
Just what will it take to get Christians to wake up to one of the greatest moral evil evils of our age, and finally do something about it? I refer of course to abortion and the slaughter of the innocents. There are some 45-50 million unborn babies killed every year, but most Christians don’t seem to give a rip.
We need to arouse ourselves from our stupor and make a stand for the unborn. We all have a role to play in this. I am trying to do my bit to raise awareness, stand for life, and encourage others to get involved. This will be my 284th article on abortion, and in a few months I hope to have a book out on this vital topic.
Some would claim that abortion is not a gospel issue. I of course disagree – big time. It most certainly is. The sanctity of life is at the very heart of the God with whom we have to do. How can we claim to represent our loving God yet not stand for life and resist those who would slaughter so many millions of innocent lives?
I often think about how I might get believers to wake up to their important calling in this area. It occurred to me recently that the parable that Jesus gave us about the Good Samaritan would clearly fit in here. I am sure others may well have made this linkage, but none come to mind just at the moment.
So here is my take on it. The word of God is of course inspired and authoritative, so I intend no disrespect here, but this modern adaptation involving the abortion issue may not be amiss. It is a slight paraphrase which I think is fitting and appropriate.
The Parable of the Good Samaritan is found in only one of the four gospels. You can find it in Luke 10:25-37. Here is my modern version of this great teaching by Jesus:
Browse Worthy: The Drumbeat Continues Against PP
Now the fifth video by the Center for Medical Progress has come out, and it just adds to the incriminating case against Planned Parenthood as whole body fetus sales are coldly discussed (Note: YouTube has added a content warning to this video.)
Planned Parenthood: 4 Ways to Respond – Tim Challies discusses these videos and offers what the title states. He also re-posted the following slideshow that will help you learn to make what is known as the SLED pro-life argument, a simple way to use comparative analogies to show the illogical ethics of abortion supporters.
Pro-Lifers Are Today’s Abolitionists – This article at The Federalist reminds us of the history of William Wilberforce’s long-term battle to end the institution of slavery in Great Britain and its similarities with the fight against the abortion industry today.
Planned Parenthood: Our Wilberforce Moment – In light of the videos, Joel Howerton offers ten reasons to support the above comparison. The best line from this article are these words:
Abortion is the evil reverse-image of the gospel. Instead of “I’ll die for you“, it says, “You die for me.”
Weighing in on Planned Parenthood – Over at 3GT, Austin, Kyle, and I discuss the question, “Are these Planned Parenthood videos our ‘Wilberforce Moment’?”
10 Reasons Pornography Has Power
I suspect most if not all of the readers of this post know somebody who has struggled with pornography. From the teenager struggling with new desires to the senior pastor recently caught in sin, even believers wrestle with this sin. Perhaps if we understand why pornography has so much power, we would know better how to fight against it.
- The church is often reticent to talk about sexuality. Despite the fact that the Bible addresses the issue, we tend to neglect it. Consequently, believers hear the wrong voices about sexuality, miss the beauty of God-centered sexuality, and settle for much less than what God intends.
- In general, churches fail to make disciples. Solid Christian discipleship teaches believers how to adore God, wear His armor, and reject the Enemy’s temptations. In too many churches, sexuality “discipleship” is limited to condemnation without godly teaching. The result is believers who are ill equipped to fight temptation and too afraid to confess their sin.
- The Enemy directs us to the temporary and away from the eternal. As with Adam and Even, the Enemy makes the fruit on the tree look so good that we ignore the long-term consequence of eternal death. The pleasure that pornography brings – temporary and fleeting though it is – trumps our desire to be faithful to the everlasting God.
- The lure of pornography builds on natural desires. God has created us to be sexual beings, and He gave us clear parameters for sexual expression. Those desires rightly expressed are a beauty of marriage; those same desires under the influence of the Enemy, however, can be distorted and damaging. In either case, the desires seldom go away.
- Our exposure to pornography is often early. To be honest, I cannot remember the first time I saw pornography. I know I was apparently so young that I can’t recall not seeing it. Early exposure leaves images in your head that never fully go away.
- The sin can now be even more private. In my days, pornography use required going to the convenience store, quietly asking for the magazine behind the counter, and hiding it quickly in a paper bag. Computer access now erases much of that need for “sneaking” around.
- “Soft” porn has become acceptable. When we allow ourselves to watch stuff that we know crosses God’s line – even though it may not qualify as XXX-rated material – we only open the door for the Enemy to press his way into our lives. He does not miss those opportunities.
- Pornography use has become expected. More than one study has shown that pornography use is pervasive, even among church leaders. I have even seen church accountability groups where everyone failed the previous week – and failure becomes almost the accepted norm.
- Pornography can only create desire, not quench it. Ungodly approaches to meet real needs simply cannot meet those needs. Indeed, pornography only makes you crave more of that which can never fully satisfy. That unmet longing leads only to idolatry and addiction.
- Pornography allows pleasure without the hard work of relationships and commitment. Relationships take effort. Our individualistic, hedonistic culture wants the fun without the tough work, and pornography makes that possible – or at least we convince ourselves it does.
If you are struggling with pornography, I encourage you to talk to someone. Pray especially that your Christian family, friends, and children will not fall under the power of this sin.
Check out
Blogs
Learning to Think for Yourself | Feeding on Christ
Should the Church Divorce from the State in Marriage | Ref 21: Rick Phillips
Why are People Not Singing in your Church? | Kevin DeYoung
The Gospel and Porn | Credo Magazine: Fred Zaspel
Sex: The Frontrunner for President | Desiring God: Marshall Segal
Liberals Don’t Want you to Read Ryan Anderson | The Federalist
The Six Most Revealing Types of Interview Questions | Fastcompany
08/06/15 Who Does the Singing?
TEXTS AND APPLICATION: Today’s reading covers the entire book of Zephaniah, a book urging Judah to seek Yahweh before judgment comes. Follow this simple outline to the singing at the end:
PRAYER: “God, I stand amazed in Your presence. Actually, all I can do is lie on the ground before You. To hear Your singing over me is almost more than my mind can handle. I love you, Lord.”
Sin’s Here— Part Five
Epic fail: Vallotton’s 5 non-biblical tests for a true prophet
Bethel Church’s Kris Vallotton has come up with tests to determine if a person is a true prophet of God that Spirit of Error has posted. This is laughable in light of the fact that Vallotton himself is a false prophet. Beware, brethren, as this wolf is attempting to pull the wool over the sheep’s eyes. I was disturbed […]
Franklin Graham Slams Politicians Who Support Planned Parenthood: ‘You Will Be Held Accountable for Blood of Innocent Children Before God’
Report: Pope invites Oprah to the Vatican
Now this is an interesting development. Stay tuned: Pope Francis may be expecting a visit from a group of Hollywood power players, including Oprah and businessman David Geffen this fall, a source told The Hollywood Reporter this week. While the pontiff confessed back in May he hasn’t watched TV since 1990, he reportedly wants to […]
Time To Stand Against the Baby Killers
The newest video about the activities of Planned Parenthood has been released, so how does the mainstream media respond? With more stories about Cecil the lion of course. Since the MSM refuses to do its job on one of the most important stories of the decade, I will continue to cover this.
With the fifth damning video (out of a total of twelve) just released further exposing the satanic killing fields at Planned Parenthood, it is now clear beyond all doubt what this sinister group is all about. It has nothing to do with caring about women but everything to do with the wholesale slaughter of babies and a raging racket in selling baby parts.
And as the newest video clearly reveals, this is also about selling intact babies. Dr. Savita Ginde, Vice President and Medical Director of Planned Parenthood of the Rocky Mountains admits to this: “If someone delivers before we get to see them for a procedure, then they are intact…”
Says Kristi Burton Brown: “Dr. Ginde is admitting here that a good number of the second trimester babies at Planned Parenthood of the Rocky Mountains (PPRM) – about 10 percent – are born before the abortion is even performed. How many are born alive and either left to die or actively killed outside the womb?”
And this part of the video demonstrates that PP knows full well they are dealing with actual babies – not blobs of tissue:
Ginde: So, also possibly a twin in there.
Ginde: This is part of the head.
Buyer: Oh wow. That – this is high quality.
Ginde: Yea. The nose?
Buyer: Yea, I see the mouth and everything
Ginde: Here’s the heart…My fingers will smoosh it if I try to pick it up. The heart is right there.
Ginde: A lot of times I‘ll get a full torso, spine, kidneys. You could send the whole thing or pick that apart.
Ginde: But sometimes with the residents, I tell them to poke around, and sometimes embryology will come full circle. Find all the parts you know…I think it’s pretty amazing.
Ginde: Do you want me to get rigid forceps or something so you can pull that out?
Buyer: Do you have like a little one?
Ginde: I don’t have a little one, but I have a big one. You can pull out a leg or something.
Buyer: Oh, and kinda just dangle it? Yea, why not?
Ginde: It’s a baby.
PP, as mentioned, is not about women’s health, but the murder of babies. Consider a few inconvenient truths here. There are over 8000 licensed mammogram facilities in the US, and not one of them is a PP facility. Moreover, Planned Parenthood does NOT provide:
-Mammograms
-Prenatal Care
-Breast Biopsies
-Breast Cancer Diagnostic Care
-Primary Health Care
-Diabetes Treatment
-Treatment for Elevated Cholesterol
-Treatment for Elevated Blood Pressure
-Holistic Medicine
-Obstetrical Care
-Pediatric Care
-Care for HIV Positive Individuals
-Infertility Treatments
-Natural Family Planning Instruction
-Care for Uterine Fibroids
-Treatment for Polycystic Ovarian Syndrome
-Adoption Placement
-Prostate Exams
-Uterine Laser Ablation
-Cervical Laser Ablation
-Miscarriage Management
-Bladder Disorders and Urinary Problems
-Prolapsed Pelvic Floor Concerns
-Laparoscopic Procedures
-Hysterectomy
-Treatment of Endometriosis
-Polyp Removal
-Endometrial Ablation
-BRCA Testing
-Bone Density Testing
-Treatment of Pelvic Pain
-Treatment of Vulvar Pain
-Molar Pregnancy Follow Up
Planned Parenthood DOES provide:
-First and Second Trimester Abortions
-Limited STD testing and treatment
-Pap Smears for Women in Child Bearing Years
-Limited Contraceptive Methods
It is time we stop believing the lies of PP and its leftist supporters. PP is into baby killing. That is its core business.
It is time to act
As we learn more and more about this nefarious outfit, we don’t need to wait for some after the fact trial, as in the Nuremberg Trials. We can act now. In addition to the various state and federal investigations that have been launched, some states and sponsors are now pulling out. As one example:
The state of Louisiana has cancelled its contract with the state’s two Planned Parenthood centers. Louisiana governor and 2016 presidential candidate Bobby Jindal said that the decision came because of new videos showing illegal activity by top Planned Parenthood officials.
“In recent weeks, it has been shocking to see reports of the alleged activities taking place at Planned Parenthood facilities across the country. Planned Parenthood does not represent the values of the people of Louisiana and shows a fundamental disrespect for human life,” he said. “It has become clear that this is not an organization that is worthy of receiving public assistance from the state.”
And another: “New Hampshire’s Republican-led Executive Council rejected $639,000 in state funding for Planned Parenthood along party lines Wednesday amid a renewed national debate over whether the organization should receive public money.”
Also, more and more major American companies are withdrawing their support of PP, with Kohls and Mrs. Fields among the latest. We need to keep the pressure up until every last penny from state and corporate supporters of PP are dried up.
I just mentioned the Nuremberg trials. The parallels here are of course obvious. Ryan Bomberger makes this case in his new article, “Hey Planned Parenthood: Hitler Called and He Wants His ‘Scientists’ Back”. He writes:
The holocaust is not only relevant; its underpinnings are foundational to the same eugenics movement that birthed Planned Parenthood and abortion-on-demand in America and around the globe.
The International Federation of Eugenics Organizations (of which The American Eugenics Society and the New York based Eugenics Record Office at Cold Springs Harbor Laboratory were an integral part of) based its perspective on race and heredity on the Rockefeller Foundation-funded work of Eugen Fischer.
As director of the Keiser Wilhelm Institute for Anthropology, Medical Genetics and Eugenics in Germany Fischer took pseudoscience to a whole new low. He developed the so-called racial hygiene theory that was embraced by Hitler’s Nazi regime. And the rest, along with millions of human lives, is history…and the present. Nazis’ American counterparts implemented this vulgar pseudoscience in over 60,000 forced sterilizations, racist immigration policies, and a relentless racially targeted birth control crusade headed by fellow eugenicist, Margaret Sanger.
“Birth control itself, often denounced as a violation of natural law, is nothing more or less than the facilitation of the process of weeding out the unfit, of preventing the birth of defectives or of those who will become defective.”
These are Sanger’s words about human life from her 1920 book, Women and the New Race, that can’t be justified in any context. Her anti-life advocacy has resulted in the most destructive eugenic actions in history – holocausts overseas and right here in America, including the slaughter of over 57 million American children as part of Planned Parenthood’s final solution. This isn’t an issue of vague correlations, but direct causation.
Josef Mengele, the infamous Nazi “scientist”, experimented with no conscience. His barbaric treatment of human beings is world renown. What many don’t know is this “research-conducting” madman’s gruesome “experiments” included abortions at Auschwitz. When he fled before Auschwitz was liberated, like the death-obsessed coward he was, he couldn’t help but remain in the same field of human butchery; he became a full-time abortionist in Argentina.
And so many can’t even see that the Pol Pots, the Stalins, the transatlantic slave traders, the Mao Zedongs, the Hitlers of world history have simply donned a different outfit, a splashy new pink banner, and a few new euphemisms. But they’re still the same culprits of corruption and inhuman injustice.
Science is not supreme. And the ends rarely justify the means, especially if it means selling our children as line items…in violently mutilated “war-torn” pieces.
Time for Christians to act
It is the Christian church that especially needs to stand up and be counted here. In addition to the Nazi parallels here there is also the slavery parallel. This is indeed a Wilberforce moment for contemporary Christians. Will we respond to the most pressing moral crisis of our time, as Wilberforce did to the slave trade, or will we just sit by and do nothing?
The simple truth is, standing up for the sanctity of human life is always a gospel issue. Standing of for Blacks was crucial back then, and standing up for the unborn is crucial today. One pastor who knows about the importance of this is Shane Idleman. The post-abortive pastor calls for an end to the damnable silence on abortion from our pulpits. He says:
Approximately 23 years ago, as a prodigal, I conceded to my girlfriends request to abort our child around the 5th week of conception. The pain of that decision still haunts me today. What would they look like? Was it a boy or a girl? I can picture walking and talking with my child… watching his or her first steps… holding them when they cry and rejoicing with them when they succeed. But these are just dreams in my mind; dreams that often leave me heartbroken. Regret is one of the hardest pains to deal with because it is a constant reminder that we failed… failed God, others, and the aborted child.
Groups such as Planned Parenthood say that there are little, if any emotional scars for the women involved… the baby is just tissue. This is very deceptive—the emotional scars can last a lifetime. And it’s not just women who feel the pain, the men often carry tremendous guilt as well….
Pastors… make no mistake about it: We play an enormous role in shaping the direction of the country. We can no longer remain silent while silent screams go unheard. Deep repentance must take place at the individual and national level; our consciences have been seared. Our job is to preach the totality of God’s Word, including those things that are hard to hear, so that both conviction and comfort take place. When human life is devalued, atrocities such as the holocaust, slavery, sex-trafficking and abortion occur. God help us when we ignore our calling to confront evil. Pastors are to be pillars who support truth. When was the last time your pastor discussed this controversial topic from the pulpit? Change will not occur until we confront sin rather than hide from it. “We need more prophets in our pulpits and less puppets” (Leonard Ravenhill).
This is a core part of our calling: to be salt and light. To refuse to engage in the abortion debate is a clear dereliction of our Christian duties. And these videos about PP really are a gift from God. We must praise God for the Center for Medical progress and all the work they have done in exposing this killing machine.
Now the whole world knows what PP is really all about. None of us can claim ignorance any more. Just as Wilberforce alerted his fellow countrymen to the horrors of slave trade, so too groups like CMP are alerting us to the horrors of the baby parts trade – and of course abortion itself.
Wilberforce once said about the evil slave trade which he spent so many decades fighting, “You may choose to look away, but you can never say again that you did not know.” It is exactly the same here. You can pretend these revelations are not occurring.
You can choose to look the other way. But you can no longer claim ignorance. You now fully know. So the only question that remains is this: what will you do about it?
http://blog.lifedynamics.com/?p=10079
http://liveactionnews.org/10-disturbing-quotes-from-a-top-planned-parenthood-abortionist/
http://restlesspilgrim.net/blog/2015/07/23/planned-parenthood-services/
https://www.lifesitenews.com/news/bobby-jindal-cancels-louisianas-medicaid-funding-of-planned-parenthood
http://www.wmur.com/politics/council-to-vote-on-planned-parenthood-contract-wednesday/34546894
http://www.sba-list.org/suzy-b-blog/kohls-and-mrs-fields-end-support-abortion-industry
http://www.lifenews.com/2015/08/04/hey-planned-parenthood-hitler-called-and-he-wants-his-scientists-back/
http://liveactionnews.org/post-abortive-pastor-calls-for-end-pulpit-silence-abortion/
A La Carte (August 6)
Here are today’s Kindle deals: The Gospels and Acts by various authors is a great value at $2.99; Love into Light by Peter Hubbard is a very helpful book about homosexuality ($2.99); Why Jesus? by Ravi Zacharias ($2.99); KnowOrphans by Rick Morton ($2.99); The Little Style Guide to Great Christian Writing and Publishing by Leonard Gross ($0.99).
Learning to Think for Yourself – “There is one characteristic (common to all great theologians and pastors throughout church history) that young ministers, especially those in seminary, must learn to cultivate–namely, the ability to think for themselves.”
There is No Pro-Life Case For Planned Parenthood – I love to see this in the New York Times. “Tell the allegedly ‘pro-life’ institution you support to set down the forceps, put away the vacuum, and then we’ll talk about what kind of family planning programs deserve funding. But don’t bring your worldview’s bloody hands to me and demand my dollars to pay for soap enough to maybe wash a few flecks off.”
Books on Sale This Week – Westminster Books has some great deals this week, including Rosaria Butterfield’s new one. There are 5 or 6 other good books on sale along with it.
In Zimbabwe, We Don’t Cry for Lions – Here is some missing perspective on killing lions.
Breathtaking Photos – The U.S. Department of the Interior manages the most breathtaking lands in America and they have the photos to prove it. This site has highlights from their Instagram account.
What Is Fire? – Now there’s an interesting question. PBS has an answer. (And speaking of fire, here’s an interesting video of firefighters doing what they do.)
Mad Dash – Whats the difference between a hyphen, an en dash, and an em dash? This video explains.
Nine Bible Texts That Ought to Challenge Leaders
By Chuck Lawless
To be a Christian leader is no small calling. Whether you serve as a church pastor, a lay leader, or a Christian who leads in the secular world, you are under obligation to be a strong and faithful witness for Christ. Here are several texts that should challenge you—and provide you a grid through which to evaluate your life today.
1. 1 Timothy 3:2-7
While directed primarily at elders, this passage is not intended to be limited to those in that role. These texts describe a mature Christian whose lifestyle is clearly affected by his beliefs. I fear that we read these verses when first considering leadership, but fail to come back to them as regularly as we should.
An overseer, therefore, must be above reproach, the husband of one wife, self-controlled, sensible, respectable, hospitable, an able teacher, not addicted to wine, not a bully but gentle, not quarrelsome, not greedy—one who manages his own household competently, having his children under control with all dignity. (If anyone does not know how to manage his own household, how will he take care of God’s church?) He must not be a new convert, or he might become conceited and fall into the condemnation of the Devil. Furthermore, he must have a good reputation among outsiders, so that he does not fall into disgrace and the Devil’s trap. (HCSB)
2. Joshua 1:8
We are to follow the Word of God. No exceptions.
This book of instruction must not depart from your mouth; you are to recite it day and night so that you may carefully observe everything written in it.
3. Mark 9:35
Contrary to the world’s idea of leadership, Christian leadership equals servanthood.
Sitting down, He called the Twelve and said to them, “If anyone wants to be first, he must be last of all and servant of all.”
4. John 3:30
John the Baptist’s words about Jesus must ring true from our lips as well. The work of Christian leadership is always about Christ and never about us.
“He must increase, but I must decrease.”
5. Philippians 2:3
Christian leadership has no room for arrogance. Period.
Do nothing out of rivalry or conceit, but in humility consider others as more important than yourselves.
6. Matthew 12:36
As Christian leaders whose work is so connected to our words, we have a high level of accountability for our speech.
“I tell you that on the day of judgment people will have to account for every careless word they speak.”
7. 1 Corinthians 11:1
We must live like the Apostle Paul – in such a way that if others imitated our lives fully, they would thus be imitating Christ. That’s a lofty calling.
“Imitate me, as I also imitate Christ.”
8. 2 Corinthians 12:9-10
Though these verses particularly address Paul’s life, the theme echoes throughout Scripture: we lead best not in our strength, but in our weakness.
Therefore, I will most gladly boast all the more about my weaknesses, so that Christ’s power may reside in me. So I take pleasure in weaknesses, insults, catastrophes, persecutions, and in pressures, because of Christ. For when I am weak, then I am strong.
9. 2 Timothy 3:12
Following Jesus is costly. Christian leadership might, in fact, bring victory in a way most leaders seldom consider: through persecution and death.
In fact, all those who want to live a godly life in Christ Jesus will be persecuted.
Use these texts today to assess your walk with God. If you need to confess and repent, do so (and if you determine that you have no room for improvement, you might want to go back and review #5 above).
What other texts would you add to this list?
Chuck Lawless currently serves as Professor of Evangelism and Missions and Dean of Graduate Studies at Southeastern Seminary. You can connect with Dr. Lawless on both Twitter and Facebook.
The post Nine Bible Texts That Ought to Challenge Leaders appeared first on ThomRainer.com.
8 Things You Won’t Find in Heaven
Heaven is so heavenly that it’s often hard for earthly creatures to understand what it will really be like. That’s why the Bible often describes heaven in terms of what will not be there. For example, the last two chapters of the Bible tell us eight things that will not be there:
1. No Sea (Rev. 21:1): Does not necessarily mean that there will literally be no sea. Rather “sea” is a common biblical metaphor for the storms of life, the mysteries of life, and the barriers and distances that separate us in life.
2. No Tears (21:4): Why? Verse four tells us, there will be no more pain or death. Imagine, we will never cry or hear a cry ever again.
3. No Temple (21:22): “Yes! No churches!!” says an unbeliever. But it’s no churches because everything is church; everything and everywhere is worship. Here we often experience churches without God. There we will experience God without churches. How? Because “the Lord God Almighty and the Lamb are the temple of it.”
4. No Sun or Moon (21:23): Again, not necessarily literal but a biblical symbol for time. No more time pressure, no more stress of having too much to do and too little time to do it. No sun and no moon also means no shadows, no fluctuations in life, no ups and downs. How can this be? “For the glory of God did lighten it, and the Lamb is the light thereof.”
5. No Locked Gates (21:25): Because no threats and no thieves. All is at peace and all is at rest. Perfect and total security.
6. No Night (21:25): Meaning, no ignorance. The smallest child in heaven knows more about God than the greatest theologian on earth. No night also means no spiritual drowsiness and sleepiness.
7. No Sin (21:27): All the causes, acts, and effects of sin will be abolished. Impossible to even think a sinful thought.
8. No Curse (22:3): Not just no curses from men and women. Also, no evidence or experience of any curse of God on us or the environment. Because Christ became a curse for us (Gal. 3:13), not one atom in us or our new world will have any trace of the divine curse.
These eight things will not be there.
The question is, will you be there?
Partaker’s of God’s Promises
When did God decide to include the nations in his chosen people? The apostle Paul cites Old Testament passages to show that God always intended to bring Gentiles into his family. In this lab, John Piper explores Paul’s use of the Old Testament to give us outside of Israel hope.Watch Now
Browse Worthy: The Drumbeat Continues Against PP
Now the fifth video by the Center for Medical Progress has come out, and it just adds to the incriminating case against Planned Parenthood as whole body fetus sales are coldly discussed (Note: YouTube has added a content warning to this video.)
Planned Parenthood: 4 Ways to Respond – Tim Challies discusses these videos and offers what the title states. He also re-posted the following slideshow that will help you learn to make what is known as the SLED pro-life argument, a simple way to use comparative analogies to show the illogical ethics of abortion supporters.
Pro-Lifers Are Today’s Abolitionists – This article at The Federalist reminds us of the history of William Wilberforce’s long-term battle to end the institution of slavery in Great Britain and its similarities with the fight against the abortion industry today.
Planned Parenthood: Our Wilberforce Moment – In light of the videos, Joel Howerton offers ten reasons to support the above comparison. The best line from this article are these words:
Abortion is the evil reverse-image of the gospel. Instead of “I’ll die for you“, it says, “You die for me.”
Weighing in on Planned Parenthood – Over at 3GT, Austin, Kyle, and I discuss the question, “Are these Planned Parenthood videos our ‘Wilberforce Moment’?”
Treasures of the Unseen
During the last school year, I huddled each Wednesday night with a group of fourth-grade girls from church. Our task was to discuss questions about a Scripture text, which the teacher would later unpack with the whole class. This particular evening we were in Luke 9.
[Jesus] said to all, “If anyone would come after me, let him deny himself and take up his cross daily and follow me. For whoever would save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for my sake will save it.” (Luke 9:23–24)
“Girls, what in this passage causes you to worship or praise God?”
Surely, I thought, Peter’s confession of Christ would be the high point.
A hand shot up. But the child’s answer did not include Peter.
“When we take up our cross, we are like Jesus,” said the girl, wide-eyed. “We are on God’s team with him.”
Her simple, faith-filled answer stunned me. I had nearly missed this jewel in Luke 9: Identifying with Christ in his suffering should cause us to worship, because through such identification we join our Savior “on God’s team.”
Unseen and Unsaid
And what a host of fellow team members we have — many of them now past the finish line! They have modeled this very thing for us, to make us wise to salvation through faith in the “now-seen” revelation of Christ Jesus (2 Timothy 3:15–17). Their stories in the pages of Scripture ought to cause our hearts to worship, for through their affliction, heartache, unanswered questions, ceaseless petitions, injustice, seemingly broken dreams — and even through their shame and poor choices — they kept the faith as they held onto God’s promises.
Scriptural narratives and the third-person snapshots in Hebrews 11 leave much not only unseen, but unsaid. What could have been written about life-transforming conversations, disputes, thoughts, lessons, observations, and other life experiences of the saints who came before us — about the things that shaped them, their progeny, and those in their sphere of influence?
Jon Bloom takes up such musings in Things Not Seen: A Fresh Look at Old Stories of Trusting God’s Promises. His collection of 35 reflections and imagined conversations, based on Scripture, encourage us, in our own circumstances, to treasure the not-yet-seen of our ultimate eternal reward.
- Extended dialogue between Reuben and his father, Jacob, after Reuben’s grace-filled encounter with his faith-filled brother Joseph in Egypt
- John the Baptist’s discussion with his potentially downcast disciples about role changes and “decreasing” at the appearance of Christ
- Wisdom from the latter years of the woman Jesus met at the well
- Easily imagined objections from Moses about his calling to lead a people — and God’s over-rulings
- Thoughts on Mark (and Demas) regarding failure and turnaround
- Expanded conversation between Abram and Sarah in their tent upon learning God’s promise to give them a son
- Isaac’s bedtime words to his young children, Jacob and Esau, about “when he was a boy” and why their grandfather almost made him a sacrifice
- Jonathan’s shining example of faith and “yielding,” through the lens of a discussion between David and his brother Abinadab
- Reflections on Samson’s “faithless faith” by two of his brothers as they go to collect his body in Gaza
- Words Abel might be speaking to us from the grave about God-pleasing faith
- Encouragement from Gideon to his bewildered servant on “the impossible”
- Reminiscences of a former solider to his son about the strong and courageous faith of Joshua
- A view of the scene at Mary’s home with Jesus — one of the most worshipful, faith-filled moments in Scripture
And these are just a sampling of ways that saints of old call to us from the sidelines: “Don’t give up!”
The Unseen for Those We Love
When we respond in faith to our own “unseen” — sickness and pain, the death of someone we love, dreams that collapse, situations where we are brought low or are maligned — others are watching.
As God spoke to saints of old, and as Jesus related to sinners in ways tailored to their personal experiences and unique understandings, so the Spirit speaks and moves through his children now. Our experiences and circumstances not only form the invisible fibers of our being, give feet to our faith, and conform us to the image of Christ; they equip us in as many different ways to be a means of grace for others as we point to our true and better home.
Like the characters of Things Not Seen, we too are living stones with faith stories that are in process. Though oftentimes rejected like our Savior, we are being built up as God’s people, his team of promise-receivers and promise-proclaimers, who will one day, at last, join the great cloud of witnesses for our ultimate reward — and truly see.
Things Not Seen is now available for purchase in print, as well as free of charge in PDF.
New Hampshire Defunds Planned Parenthood
According to Christian News Network:
Officials in the state of New Hampshire have voted to defund the abortion giant Planned Parenthood on Wednesday, canceling its $650,000 contract.
The 3-2 party line vote by the State Executive Council comes as a result of a series of videos released by the Center for Medical Progress, showing that the organization harvests the organs of aborted babies donated by their mothers, and sells them to scientific companies who pay the organization the body parts.
Why the effort to make gay marriage sacramental won’t work
Catholic News Agency reports:
Dissenting Catholic groups have called for gay marriage to be recognized as a sacrament, but Catholic theology has a clear priority: marriage is God’s creation – and not even the Church can change that.
Dr. John Grabowski, a professor of moral theology at Catholic University of America, said that the push for “sacramental equality” by groups such as Dignity USA shows “a lack of understanding of what the Church is and the nature of the Church and what the sacraments are.”
“’Marriage equality’ made for a good slogan, but in the Church’s understanding, marriage is not something that can be ‘redefined’; if you will, by interest groups, by government, or even by the Church itself,” he told CNA July 29.
Israeli Archaeologists Discover Philistine City Of Gath And Home Of Goliath The Giant
Israeli archaeologists at Bar-Ilan University have discovered an entrance gate and other remnants of the Philistine city of Gath, which was mentioned in the bible as the home of the giant Goliath, who fought and lost against the man who later became King David.
“And as he talked with them, behold, there came up the champion, the Philistine of Gath, Goliath by name, out of the armies of the Philistines, and spake according to the same words: and David heard them.” 1 Samuel 17:23 (KJV)
Professor Aren Maeir and his colleagues conducted the excavations in the Tel Zafit national park, which is located between Ashkelon and Jerusalem. Gath was destroyed in 830 BC by Hazael, the king of Damascus.
“We knew that Philistine Gath in the 10th to ninth century B.C. was a large city, perhaps the largest in the land at that time,” Professor Maeir told the Live Science news outlet in an email. “These monumental fortifications stress how large and mighty this city was.”
“After finding a huge fortification, it is clearly the most important city of the 10th and ninth centuries,” added an archeology source according to Israel’s i24.
Aerial view of the lower city of Philistine Gath with Iron Age fortifications and gate in foreground . (photo credit:GRIFFIN AERIAL IMAGING)
The gate is the largest of its kind to ever be discovered in Israel, according to Maeir, who said that that fact substantiates the theory that Gath was once a very influential city.
Other items discovered in the same excavation included a temple, an iron production facility, and other buildings. source
The Daily Discovery (August 6, 2015)
Living as Expatriates – “As Christians, our place in the culture has changed, and there has been a lot of talk recently about how we should proceed from here. I like what Tom Gilson has to say about how we should view ourselves…”
Theology Thursday – Theism (The Evidence of Creation) – “Last time we discussed Theism we learned that the Bible makes two arguments for the existence of God. The first is the evidence of conscience. The second is creation, which we will examine today. Creation unmistakably demonstrates its creator, so much so that those who observe it are without excuse.”
Much Ado About I Do: Responding to FAQ – “In case you missed it, marriage does not mean what it used to. The millennia old definition of a union between a man and a woman has been rewritten. We now live in a world with an elastic view of marriage and how far it will stretch is still yet to be seen. Christians who have not caved in on the issue have taken a lot of heat for their ‘bigotry.’ I’ve compiled a list of five of the most frequently asked questions regarding Christians and Same Sex Marriage.”
Acts 17 and “Contextualization” – “Read (and believe) enough of the trendy books and blogs that talk about missional living, and you’ll get the distinct impression that fitting into this world’s cultures is vastly more important—and a much more effective evangelistic strategy—than knowing the gospel message and communicating it with boldness, precision, and clarity.”
Redeeming the time, because the days are evil – “There is a great deal going on in the visible church, much of it having little to do with genuine Christianity, that most of us can do little about. Yes, we can pray, which is very powerful. We can also obey God and expose the evil to other believers. However, the older I get in the faith the outrage over much of what people like Rick Warren says or writes I no longer allow to consume me. I know what my role is in the Truth War do you know what yours is? For most of us it is to obey what the Apostle Paul wrote to the Ephesian church in Ephesians 5:1-21.”
SERMON:
John MacArthur – We Will Not Bow
VIDEOS:
Bad arguments/analogies are working on young Christians
Religion and Message Bible
“All death can do to the believer is deliver him to Jesus. It brings us into the eternal presence of our Savior.” – John MacArthur
What Is Going To Happen In September 2015? Why Are So Many People Storing Food And Supplies?
Have you noticed that there is a tremendous amount of Internet buzz about the month of September 2015? Never before have I seen so much speculation about what would happen in one particular month………… Click here for full story
MP: Use Anti-Terror Powers On Christian Teachers Who Say Gay Marriage Is ‘Wrong’
New banning orders intended to clamp down on hate preachers and terrorist propagandists should be used against Christian teachers who teach children that gay marriage is “wrong”, a Tory MP has argued………… Click here for full story
Louis Farrakhan Urges Crowd to ‘Kill Those Who Kill Us,’ Calls for Retaliation in Speech at Baptist Church
Nation of Islam Founder Says He’s Looking for ‘10,000 Fearless Men;’ Pastor Defends Controversial Remarks
Nation of Islam leader minister Louis Farrakhan told a reported crowd of 1,500 blacks gathered at a historic Baptist church in Miami that “we should kill those who kill us,” after referencing what he said was a Quranic teaching on retaliation. His controversial remarks drew the crowd to its feet and elicited wild applause.
Redeeming the time, because the days are evil
There is a great deal going on in the visible church, much of it having little to do with genuine Christianity, that most of us can do little about. Yes, we can pray, which is very powerful. We can also obey God and expose the evil to other believers. However, the older I get in the faith the outrage over much of what people like Rick Warren says or writes I no longer allow to consume me. I know what my role is in the Truth War do you what yours is? For most of us it is to obey what the Apostle Paul wrote to the Ephesian church in Ephesians 5:1-21.
Apostasy and Church Belief Statements
False Doctrines Abound
A little over a generation ago the main line Protestant Religions professed the basic Christian beliefs but that has rapidly changed. Many churches have thrown tradition and the Bible aside and have altered their core beliefs in order to align themselves with the changing societal norms. Entire denominations and churches that were once doctrinally solid are now inundated by false, worldly doctrine.
Today finding or staying in a church with a doctrinally solid belief statement is becoming more and more difficult.
Apocalyptic Weather Around World Sign of Fulfillment of Biblical Prophecy?
Where do we find this extreme weather in Biblical prophecy? In the tiny, three chapter long Book of Malachi, we find a clear reference “to a day that will burn like a furnace.” (Malachi 3:19)
Christian Headlines Daily – Thursday, August 6, 2015
http://www.christianheadlines.com/
Top Headlines
Interview: Russell Moore on Religious Liberty, Franklin Graham and Moore’s Past Life as a Democrat
Cuba Sees Christianity Boom as Bibles Pour into Communist Nation
2 Houston Churches File Lawsuit against Housing Authority for Forced Takeover
Police Officer Says God Told Him to Put on Life-Saving Bulletproof Vest
Franklin Graham Praises Tim Tebow’s Faith
Chinese Government Continues to Crackdown on Churches
Pastor Tackles Man Who Held Gun to Mother’s Head in Church Service
Victory in Sudan: Two Pastors Facing Death Penalty are Freed
Hillsong Pastor Disputes Report that Gay Couple Leads Worship at NYC Church
5th Planned Parenthood Video Appears to Show Official Selling ‘Intact’ Aborted Babies
Opinion
Serving Others: A Key to Contentment and Joy
Why Donald Trump is Leading the Polls
What Chuck Colson Would Say about the State of Our Culture
More Church Bombings: Are You at Risk?
What No One is Asking Tom Cruise
Only Two Religions!
I don’t know if you know this but there are only two religions in the entire world.
You might say I’m nuts. There are hundreds if not thousands!
But there is one religion that likes to put on hundreds if not thousands of different masks on, and so ultimately there are only two: the religion of Human Achievement and the religion of Divine Accomplishment.
You see Islam, Mormonism, Buddhism, Catholicism, Judaism and every single religion that you have ever heard of, ultimately teaches some form of a works-based salvation. They say that you have to be a little more good than bad in order to make it to heaven. These religions encourage you to hand God a resume when you face Him one day. The resume will be filled with all your accomplishments. It will list everything you’ve done for other people, every penny you’ve given to charity and every good deed you’ve done. God will look over this resume and say, “Good job! You’ve made it into heaven”.
The problem is that if you were to enter into heaven because of a resume based on your accomplishments God would get no glory; you would be the one who gets all the praise. In fact, Ephesians 2:9 would say that salvation is not of works lest you
should boast! Genesis chapter one shows us that God created the entire universe including you. Everything He created is designed to bring Him glory. The problem is that sin has entered the world, and from birth we all have replaced exalting God with exalting ourselves. Everything we do from birth is geared towards bringing us glory and bringing praise to ourselves. We all have a throne in our hearts that God should be sitting and reigning on, but instead we are born with ourselves sitting on it. We are so used to it we don’t even notice it to the point where we all think that our resumes are good enough to get us into heaven.
Of course we are going to think that we are good people! Of course my mom is going to tell me I’m a good person! But what does your Creator think? He says in Romans 3:23 that we all have sinned and fall short of His glory. He also says in Romans 6:23 that the wages of sin is death. So if we stand before God and start listing accomplishments or hand Him a resume we might as well slap Jesus in the face because God is going to look at the resume and say, “I killed my only Son because you were not good enough to get to me!”
And that’s where the only other religion comes in.
The religion of Divine Accomplishment. God saw your situation, and decided that since man was so sinful and could not save himself, that He would come Himself and take the form of a man. He humbled himself, spent nine months in a womb he created, grew up with every temptation you and I face every day, but without sinning. He then died on the cross for our sins, and then rose from the dead and defeated death. He made it possible for human beings to stand before God one day and not hand Him a resume and condemn themselves further, but rather, tell God that they deserve His wrath but have placed their faith and trust in the work that Jesus did on their behalf on the cross and through His resurrection.
You see we need someone to be a substitute for us because no matter how hard we try, we can never bridge the gap between God and us. And the substitute can’t be merely a human. It must be God Himself.
Do you see the difference between Christianity and every other religion?
The Greatest Story Ever Told
God’s goal in all of His creative and redemptive work is to bring glory to Himself (Isa 43:7; cf. Eph 1:6, 12, 14).
What is The Gospel?
CanIKnowGod.com
CanIKnowGod.com is a website inspired by LifesGreatestQuestion.com, with new content, images, audio and video that will help you understand more about who God is and how to know Him. The site is mobile responsive and has an infinite scroll which makes for a very user-friendly experience. After you indicate a decision on CanIKnowGod.com, you are directed to a page that details what it means to have a new and transformed life through Jesus Christ. There’s even a Facebook page for daily updates, encouragement and scripture sharing.
“My Last Day” — the Jesus Anime
9 powerful minutes of animation that begins with a thief behind bars watching the scourging of Jesus, and it ends with the thief dying next to Jesus, and waking to see Him in a beautiful place.
The dying thief: What was so great about his faith?
Our Time is Short
Ready to start your new life with God?
Who do you think that I am?
With that brief question Jesus Christ confronted His followers with the most important issue they would ever face. He had spent much time with them and made some bold claims about His identity and authority. Now the time had come for them either to believe or deny His teachings.
Who do you say Jesus is? Your response to Him will determine not only your values and lifestyle, but your eternal destiny as well.
Consider what the Bible says about Him: Read more
Look to Jesus
Have you ever felt a little lost and wished there was a quick-start guide to your relationship with God? This is it!
30 Day Next Steps
John Beckett, a leading Christian businessman, has written a series to read over 30 days for new believers.
New Believers Guide
The New Believer’s Guide is a series of articles designed to show you how to walk in the new life Christ has given you— a life of faith and freedom.
Jesus Booklet
Jesus is the Savior of the world. Discover who Jesus is today in this series.
About Christianity
Know Jesus Christ and your life will be transformed
Truth2Freedom Blog Disclaimer
This post was originally posted on:
https://truth4freedom.wordpress.com
(Alternative News, Apologetics, Current Events, Commentary, Opinion, Theology, Discernment Blog, Devotionals, Christian Internet Evangelism & Missions Activist).
“A simple layman armed with Scripture is to be believed above a pope or a council without it…” – Martin Luther
This blog is an aggregator of news and information that we believe will provide articles that will keep people informed about current trends, current events, discussions and movements taking place within our church and culture.
In accordance with Title 17 U.S.C. Section 107,material here is distributed without profit for research and educational purposes.
A headline link on this blog post doesn’t necessarily mean that there is agreement or approval with all the views and opinions expressed within the headline linked article. Caution is also warranted with regards to the advertisements and links that are embedded within the headline linked article.
Truth2Freedom's Blog 