There are two ways to be fooled. One is to believe what isn’t true; the other is to refuse to believe what is true. —Soren Kierkegaard. "…truth is true even if nobody believes it, and falsehood is false even if everybody believes it. That is why truth does not yield to opinion, fashion, numbers, office, or sincerity–it is simply true and that is the end of it" – Os Guinness, Time for Truth, pg.39. “He that takes truth for his guide, and duty for his end, may safely trust to God’s providence to lead him aright.” – Blaise Pascal. "There is but one straight course, and that is to seek truth and pursue it steadily" – George Washington letter to Edmund Randolph — 1795. We live in a “post-truth” world. According to the dictionary, “post-truth” means, “relating to or denoting circumstances in which objective facts are less influential in shaping public opinion than appeals to emotion and personal belief.” Simply put, we now live in a culture that seems to value experience and emotion more than truth. Truth will never go away no matter how hard one might wish. Going beyond the MSM idealogical opinion/bias and their low information tabloid reality show news with a distractional superficial focus on entertainment, sensationalism, emotionalism and activist reporting – this blogs goal is to, in some small way, put a plug in the broken dam of truth and save as many as possible from the consequences—temporal and eternal. "The further a society drifts from truth, the more it will hate those who speak it." – George Orwell “There are two ways to be fooled. One is to believe what isn’t true; the other is to refuse to believe what is true.” ― Soren Kierkegaard
I’ve been enjoying Herman Witsius’ discussion of antinomianism and neonomianism in Britain during the 17th century. The full title is a mouthful: Conciliatory or Irenical Animadversions on the Controversies Agitated in Britain.Below is a section near the end where Witsius talks about a believer’s good works and why they cannot be part of or count in our justification:
When Paul testifies in Philippians 3:8 that he “counts all things but loss and dung, for the excellency of the knowledge of Christ Jesus, and that he might gain Christ” by these words he excludes, as to justification before God, all works, whether previous to faith, or following it (as is excellently observed by Beza). For the elucidation of which point, it is proper to make the following remarks: 1. The graces of the sanctifying Spirit flow clear and pure from their fountain. 2. But running through the channels…
Why Evangelicals and Catholics Cannot be “Together”
The Bible Says that Christ Died Once and For all (1 Peter 3:18). He does not need to continue dying like the animals in the Old Testament sacrificial system. He is the Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world. The only reason he would need to continue dying would be if we needed our sins re-forgiven each week, or if we were trying to earn our salvation. In the Roman Catholic Church Jesus Christ is still on the cross and every week the Father crushes Him over and over again.
Think the Church’s Precarious Cultural Situation is Unique? Think Again
In fact, it is a return to normal. Of course, I don’t mean normal in the history of America. In the American experience, the pundits are right: this is an unprecedented cultural shift. But, in the history of God’s people, this present situation is not at all unusual. Indeed it has often been the norm; indeed, even the means by which God has advanced his Kingdom in unique and special ways.
Does Hebrews 12:4 Teach Sanctification Through Works?
It seems evident from Hebrews 12 that our obedience is the logically and morally necessary product of our faith, our union with Christ, and that gracious sanctification. Certainly we do struggle against sin. Certainly we do freely exert ourselves against sin and toward godliness but we do so as those who are being graciously sanctified and we lay hold of all the graces that accompany salvation through faith alone. The power of faith is its object. The object of faith is Christ.
Maintain regular reading projects. I strategize my reading in six main categories: Theology, Biblical Studies, Church Life, History, Cultural Studies, and Literature. I have some project from each of these categories going at all times. I collect and gather books for each project and read them over a determined period of time. This helps to discipline my reading, and it also keeps me working across several disciplines.
Let me say it candidly: Bolz-Weber has no business being a pastor and, therefore, no business writing as a pastor. She proves this on nearly every page of her book. Time and again she shows that she is woefully lacking in godly character. Her stories, her word choice, her interactions with her parishioners, her temper, her endlessly foul mouth, her novel interpretations of Scripture—they lead to the alarming and disturbing picture of a person who does not take the office seriously enough to ask if she is qualified to it.
In light of these videos, clearly both of these mothers are heating up the rhetoric to express their views. They reflect that the very nature of the subject is bringing to the surface the rawest of human emotion. Culturally things appear to be reaching a boiling point. We need to pray that the Lord has not reached His yet with our nation.
For example, the Roman Catholic Church, the New Perspective on Paul, and legalism in its many forms add to the gospel. Even if there is an acknowledgement of what Christ has done, it is not all sufficient to make us right with God. However, liberal theology takes way from the gospel by teaching that we don’t need redemption in the first place. We may need a life coach. We may need some encouragement, but we aren’t as bad as the Bible has made us out to be. But what about systems that do both?
The Bible does not offer us any spiritual placebo effect, by which a sugar tablet of good wishes just might have the same effect as the penicillin of prayer. Prayer is the thing that weak, sick, anxious, sinful, needy Christians must have. Do not substitute.
Backed by a strong commitment to freedom of expression and academic freedom, faculty could challenge one another, their students and the public to consider new possibilities, without fear of reprisal. Students would no longer face punishment for exercising their right to speak out freely about the issues most important to them. Instead of learning that voicing one’s opinions invites silencing, students would be taught that spirited debate is a vital necessity for the advancement of knowledge.
10 Bible verses for when you’re feeling overwhelmed
Posted on September 30, 2015 by Christian Today
?However well life is going overall, we all have moments when we feel totally overwhelmed – unable to get perspective or see beyond that particular problem.
It should come as no surprise that Christians will encounter opposition to their Biblical beliefs at the workplace. What might surprise them is that expressing those beliefs both at work and at home (such as social media) could cost them their job………….. Click here for full story
One of you recently asked, “Is it okay to date just for fun?” In a word—yes. That being said, I think there is a more important question we should be asking. Is it wise to date just for fun? In two words—probably not.
“Please Pray for Me, Holy Father:” Kim Davis Embraces “Pope Francis,” Bursts Into Tears Receiving Rosary
The embattled Kentucky county clerk Kim Davis, who identifies as an Apostolic Pentecostal, met privately on Thursday with Jorge Bergoglio, also known as “Pope Francis,” who is the head of the Roman Catholic religion, during his visit to the United States.
According to reports, the meeting took place in Washington, D.C. following the pontiff’s address to Congress and just before he flew to New York City. Davis was in the area to receive an award from Family Research Council.
The Proof Pope Francis & The Vatican Are Pushing For World Government The connection between the Church of Rome and the United Nations spans many years. Former U.N. Secretary General Dag Hammarskjold noted that “there were two Popes on this planet, a spiritual Pope in Rome and a civilian Pope in New York, namely, the Secretary-General of the UN.” For years, the papacy has done its part to encourage the mutual admiration society between the pope and the secretary general. On October 4, 1965, for example, Pope Paul VI turned over the Papal Tiara, a symbol of the papacy, to the United Nations and declared that the United Nations is “the last, best hope of mankind.” The United Nations and the Vatican are inextricably linked in order to prepare the world population for the coming religious Reich. http://www.worldviewweekend.com/news/article/proof-pope-francis-vatican-are-pushing-world-government
With Pope’s Help, U.N. Bypasses Congress on Global Socialism Pope Francis didn’t make the list of “Eminent Persons” [1] assembled by the U.N. Secretary General to plan the “global development framework” for the world beyond 2015 and culminating in 2030. But the pope didn’t need to be on the list. After all, the Vatican has endorsed [2] the anti-capitalist “sustainable development” agenda that is being voted on by the nations of the world at the U.N.
Click here to read complete article: http://www.worldviewweekend.com/news/article/pope-s-help-un-bypasses-congress-global-socialism
Worldview Weekend Radio: Guest: Susan Heck. Topic: Susan Heck explains why Biblical counseling is the answer and not psychologists. Susan reveals that most psychologists will not tell their client that their problem is sin. Susan and Brannon also discuss how many so-called churches have now turned their members over to psychologists instead of opening the Bible with their church members. What are these staff members being paid for if they cannot give Godly counsel to those under their care as well as those that are paying their salaries? Topic: Susan talks about her new fall Bible study for ladies that has just begun and how any lady is welcome to join the study via worldviewradio.com. Topic: Susan talks about Pope Francis and why he is a false prophet. The comments by Brannon and Susan led to a lady calling into the program to chastise Brannon and Susan. Listen how Susan and Brannon respond to the caller with truth but in love. Topic: Susan explains what she believes Jesus would say to many of the religious leaders of today that did not refute the false gospel of Pope Francis. Susan explains the true meaning of being salt and light and how many of the pro-family and evangelical leaders of today want you to believe that salt and light is Christian activism when the light is the gospel that most of them will not proclaim or defend consistently or accurately. Susan explains why she believes this is the case. Topic: We take your calls. http://www.worldviewweekend.com/radio/audio/brannon-howse-september-28-2015
Women with the Master with Susan Heck:
We will continue on with the last four beatitudes in this lesson, one being that we are blessed when we are persecuted. Perhaps this is not one of your favorite beatitudes, but for the genuine Kingdom citizen it as cherished as much as the other seven. In fact, one pastor in Romania recalls being in solitary confinement with chunks of his flesh being cut from his body and being given no food. Yet amidst that suffering he recounts that the joy of the Lord would so overtake him that he would dance with joy in his prison. To us, this type of suffering might sound foreign. In a short time from now it might not sound so foreign but common place for those who are Gods children. Some of us may be persecuted and yes, even killed for righteousness sake. This my friend is one of the eight beatitudes that Christ taught on the Sermon on the Mount. http://www.worldviewweekend.com/radio/audio/women-master-september-28-2015
Steel on Steel with John Loeffler: This weekend the United Nations is hosting the Sustainable Development Summit 2015, with representatives from around the world in attendance, including Pope Francis. Is sustainable development nothing more than an attempt to establish a one-world government? What will societal change and social justice look like? Will our foundation begin to shake? Joining us for a round table discussion this week are Karen Schoen (www.karenschoen.com), Found of AgEnders and Host of American Freedom Watch Radio, and Tom DeWeese (www.americanpolicy.org), President of the American Policy Center and author of the DeWeese Report. They reveal the truth behind sustainable development and the 2030 Agenda, and discuss wealth redistribution, climate change, abolishment of property rights, and who has ultimate control over water resources, education, and the economy. Beware the fundamental transformation of society! http://www.worldviewweekend.com/radio/audio/john-loeffler-september-28-2015
Encounter God’s Truth with Dr. John Whitcomb: Dr. John Whitcomb concludes his message called, Basic Biblical Answers this week on Encounter Gods Truth. Host Wayne Shepherd invites you to join those who first listened to this teaching when it was given at Appalachian Bible College in Mount Hope, West Virginia, to demonstrate that Gods Word is true from the beginning to the end. In drawing on some life lessons he has learned the hard way, Dr. Whitcomb explains the clear Scriptural basis for contending for the faith. He shows how the self-authenticating message of the Word of God and prayer empowered by Jesus Christ, the living Word of God are the means that we must use when talking with others about our faith. We must never rely on our own limited knowledge or abilities. As Dr. Whitcomb emphasizes, we need to be humble, patient and teachable leaving the results in Gods hands. Thank you for listening to this latest installment in our series on Biblical Apologetics. May the Lord help you as you seek to apply it. http://www.worldviewweekend.com/radio/audio/dr-john-whitcomb-september-28-2015
Noise of Thunder Radio with Chris Pinto: THE JESUIT POPE IN AMERICA Chris discusses the past few days of overwhelming media coverage on the visit of Pope Francis to the United States. People have been gushing with adoration over the so-called “holy father,” some even weeping with great emotion — not the least of whom was soon-to-be former Speaker of the House and devout Catholic, John Boehner. Judging from the coverage by Fox, CNN and MSNBC, it is clear that mainstream media serves some purpose other than objective journalism. Ironically, when the Puritans came to the new world, they proclaimed their desire to “raise a bulwark against the kingdom of Antichrist, which the Jesuits labor to rear up in those parts.” What would our forefathers say about this visit from a Jesuit Pope? http://www.worldviewweekend.com/radio/audio/chris-pinto-september-28-2015
Prophecy Today with Dr. Jimmy DeYoung:
Today on PTIB Jimmy DeYoung has two of his Broadcast Partners, Steve Herzig and Dr Rob Congdon. Jimmy and Rob will discuss a report on the European Union, and in particular the migrant crisis. But first, Jimmy and Steve will discuss the Jewish Feast of Tabernacles. This is the last of the seven Jewish Feast Days given to the Jewish people by God, Leviticus 23, and is a seven day feast. The Jews around the world will live in a “succa”, a thatched hut similar to the huts the Jews lived in during their wanderings in the wilderness for a forty year period. The Feast also has a connection to the Kingdom yet to come, and promised to the Jews. http://www.worldviewweekend.com/radio/audio/prophecy-today-intell-briefing-september-30-2015
Crosstalk: Mark Crutcher has done some very thorough research and investigation on this very issue of Planned Parenthood and their relationship to the Black community. He is the founder and director of Life Dynamics which is widely acknowledged as one of the most innovative and professional pro-life organizations in America. Mark may be best known for his bold undercover operations that have exposed shocking and even illegal activities inside the abortion industry. http://www.worldviewweekend.com/radio/audio/crosstalk-september-30-2015
Running to Win with Dr. Erwin Lutzer: When we are the victims of economic collapse or slander, something within us demands an answer. Through the life of Job, lets explore the heavenly reasons for our earthly misfortunes and how Jesus would answer Jobs painful cries. http://www.worldviewweekend.com/radio/audio/dr-erwin-lutzer-september-30-2015
By Warren B. Smith Ironically, Psalm 46:10 (“Be Still and Know” . . . ) was the founding credo of the pioneering New Age community of Findhorn in Scotland. Co-founder Eileen Caddy distinctly heard the words “Be still and know that I am God” in a meditation, and as a result, Findhorn was founded on […]
Not surprisingly a new study has just come out of Italy claiming that people who “harbor homophobic attitudes” suffer from a psychological disorder — a phobia. So now liberal’s can point to a scientific study that supposedly shows that people who believe homosexuality is a sexual perversion, such as Bible believers, are “homophobic,” as if […]
Four Blood Moons and Shemitah Bring Judgment…Upon Charismatics
JD Hall of Pulpit and Pen has something to say to Charismatics in regard to their propensity to dabble in mysticism or what he calls witchcraft. When two prophecies uttered by highly regarded men in the charismatic community failed to come to pass, JD concluded that “God has, in his Providence, chosen to use these astrological omen interpretations to bring judgment against America’s charismatics for their embarrassing naivety, abominable discernment, and systemic false prophecy…”
JD begins by informing us that,
Two “significant” events (read that, rather ordinary, foreseeable and cyclical events that are predictable by the Farmer’s Almanac) recently brought God’s judgment – as expected and promised – by America’s prophets. That God used these “signs” to judge was not surprising, but who God ultimately judged was surprising.
Jonathan Cahn, who calls himself a Messianic Rabbi (whose credentials are dubious), wrote a book detailing ten signs present before Israel’s collapse, comparing them to ten signs now present in America, called The Harbinger. With the success of that book, Cahn springboarded into a new divination, this time pulling from the Old Testament ceremonial law the command in Exodus 20:11 that the ground lay fallow every seven years, which was both agriculturally astute and required the Israelites to trust God for their provision. Debts were also to be canceled during that year as well, which was one of a number of safeguards against the holding of longterm debt in Israel’s economy. This year was called the Shemitah, meaning a “releasing” (referring to release from debt), which Cahn has interpreted more ominously as a “shaking.” Doing the math, Cahn reveals that September 25 2014 to September 13 2015 is the Shemitah Year
There are few things worse than when the Word of God is twisted and abused to support an agenda of humanism. Yet it is happening at an increasing rate as the social justice movement gains momentum in our nation. Disguised as “biblical”, this movement is actually a political and social agenda misusing scripture to advance […]
“Jesus did not die for our sins. No No No No. That is Ghastly theology. Don’t go there.” This “Pastor” has now joined the ranks of rank heresy shared by Brian Mclaren, Tony Jones, Rob Bell, Jay Bakker and many others who deny propitiation, or atonement for sins that Jesus’ blood covers. Pastor Scott McKenna, […]
“Pope Francis” Leads Philadelphia in Prayer to Mary and Joseph to “Protect Families”
Protestants should know that praying to any deceased person is unbiblical. Christian News Network asked former Catholic Mike Gendron of Proclaiming the Gospel Ministries to comment on this and Mike responded: “The pope would do well to study the truth of God’s word so that he will stop deceiving people. For him to ask people to pray to Mary and Joseph, who are physically dead, is an abomination to the Lord.” Deuteronomy 18:11-12 forbids communicating with the dead. One wonders if Protestants in the crowd bowed their heads and prayed the Hail Mary prayer led by the head of the apostate Roman Catholic Church.
Heather Clark has the full report:
During his final remarks at the Festival of Families in Philadelphia, the Roman Catholic pontiff Jorge Bergoglio, known as “Pope Francis,” led the thousands in attendance in a prayer to Mary and Joseph out of his belief that the former earthly parents of Christ serve as protectors of families in the present.
“Before the final blessing, let’s pray a prayer to Mary and also an invocation to Saint Joseph, so that they can protect our families and they can help us to believe that it’s worth the struggle and the fight for the good of the family,” he said at the conclusion of the event, which included song and dance from various musical celebrities, as well as speeches from Catholic families from around the world.
I watched a good bit of the testimony that Cecile Richards offered to Congress yesterday, but I suspect that most Americans did not. Most Americans will view news reports about the hearings if they hear anything at all. That means that most Americans are going to be woefully under-informed about what happened yesterday. So let me give you the bottom line about what came out in the hearings.
1. Planned Parenthood harvests organs from aborted babies and gives those organs to researchers in exchange for money. Planned Parenthood disputes the claim that they “profit” from this exchange, but they do not dispute that the exchange happens. They provide the baby parts, and the researchers (or middle men) give them money for the parts. That is the bottom line confirmed again by yesterday’s hearings, and no one disputes those facts.
2. Planned Parenthood’s revenues exceed their expenses by $127 million dollars. This exchange between Representative Mick Mulvaney and Cecile Richards is particularly revealing:
Cecile Richards says that Planned Parenthood doesn’t profit from its work. And maybe in some technical, legal sense that is true. But most Americans know what it means that an organization’s revenues exceed expenses by $127 million dollars.
Congress may want to haggle over whether we should call this situation “profit” or “reinvestment.” They may want to argue with Richards about whether the exchange of baby parts for money is a “sale” or a “reimbursement.” But these are just arguments about nomenclature that at the end of the day conceal the reality of the undisputed facts.
Planned Parenthood kills over 300,000 unborn human beings every year. Planned Parenthood receives money in exchange for providing baby parts to researchers. Planned Parenthood’s revenues exceed expenses by $127 million dollars. American taxpayers are funding about 40% of the annual budget of our nation’s leading abortion provider.
Those are the facts, and they are not in dispute. And the undisputed facts should be enough to scandalize every conscience that confronts them.
Their Custom, Our Complicity
Children are being sexually abused in Afghanistan, and our soldiers are being told to turn a blind eye. That’s got to stop. Listen Now | Download
The fanfare is all over. The speeches to the U.S. Congress and to the U.N.have been given. The Mass was celebrated at Madison Square Garden and in Philadelphia with hundreds of thousands. And now Pope Francis is back at the Vatican after his historical visit to the U.S.
But the question that I would like to consider and that must be asked is: Who is the real Head of the Church – The Pope or Christ?
In his epistle to the Colossians where he highlights the supremacy of Christ, the apostle Paul categorically states in Scripture that Christ is the Head of the Church.
“And he is the head of the body, the church.”
Colossians 1:18
Who is the “he” referring to?
It is referring to the one in whom we have redemption, the forgiveness of sins.(Colossians 1:14)
It is referring to the one who is the image of the invisible God.(Colossians 1:15)
It is referring to the one who is the Creator and Sustainer of the universe.(Colossians 1:16-17)
It is referring to the one in whom all the fulness of God was pleased to dwell(Colossians 1:19)
It is referring to the one through whom there is reconciliation with God by His death(Colossians 1:20-22)
It is referring to God’s beloved Son!(Colossians 1:13)
Throughout church history, God raised up men to remind us once again that Christ, not the pope, is the head of the church. One such man was Martin Luther.
“I am persuaded that if at this time, St. Peter, in person, should preach all the articles of Holy Scripture, and only deny the pope’s authority, power, and primacy, and say, that the pope is not the head of all Christendom, they would cause him to be hanged.”
Martin Luther(Table Talk)
Another such man was Charles Spurgeon, who declared unequivocally the headship of Christ over His Church in a sermon entitled “The Head of the Church.”
“Of all the dreams whatever deluded men and probably of all blasphemies that were ever uttered, that has never been one which is more absurd and which is more fruitful in all manner of mischief than the idea that the Bishop of Rome can be the head of the church of Jesus Christ. No, these popes die and how could the church live if its head were dead? The true Head ever lives and the church ever liveth in Him.”
Charles Spurgeon
In yet another sermon entitled “Jesus is Lord”, Spurgeon drives the stake home in answering the question of who is the real head of the church.
“It is awful blasphemy for any man on earth to call himself Christ’s vicar and the head of the church, and it is a usurpation of the crown rights of King Jesus for any king or queen to be called the head of the church, for the true Church of Jesus Christ can have no head but Jesus Christ Himself.
Charles Spurgeon
Jesus Christ is the true Head of the Church because it is Christ Himself who loved the Church and gave Himself for her(Ephesians 5:25) Jesus Christ is the true Head of the Church not only because of his loving substitutionary atonement, but also because of His resurrection, conquering death, and because of His exaltation to the right hand of the Father, as head over all!
“that he worked in Christ when he raised him from the dead and seated him at his right hand in the heavenly places, 21 far above all rule and authority and power and dominion, and above every name that is named, not only in this age but also in the one to come. 22 And he put all things under his feet and gave him as head over all things to the church, 23 which is his body, the fullness of him who fills all in all.”
If you have been united to Christ, Jesus has broken the curse and brought us into fellowship with God. The bondage of sin has been broken. When as Christians we sin, we are acting in unbelief – not believing that our actions are being openly beheld by God and others. It is to forget our identity and the gift of the Holy Spirit and to live as if we were still under sin’s dominion. Living genuinely and transparently, then, means by the grace of God, to consciously live every moment with the belief that all of our thoughts and life are truly open before God and man. It means to walk in the light (1 John 1:7), to have nothing hidden, but for your life to be laid bare before all (Heb. 4:11-13) So when we do sin, we don’t hide it but confess it (1 John 2:1),we judge ourselves and grieve over it (1 Cor 11:31-32). And then we keep moving toward the goal (Phil 3:14). knowing that we are clean and forgiven in Christ (1 John 1:9).
Social media such as Twitter, Facebook, Pinterest and Instagram are now not only personal expressions but company branding machines. With the proliferation of this new media, I have identified five sins that create weak impact—unless you are into rewarding stupidly bad behavior. And, they drive me crazy! The dark side of social media might hurt you more than help. Many companies see added stats to follower lists, but do they know that their supposed social media manager is cheating a system instead of engaging people?
Here are five sins of social media users I hope we all can avoid!
1. Follow and dump. This is sometimes called “churning,” where you follow a bunch a people at a time to get them to follow you back. Then, once they do you dump them. This sin represents a bait-and-switch approach to what could otherwise be a human interaction. The tick of an additional follow is more important than connecting. Is this dirty trick really how you would deal with potential customers or clients in real life?
2. Buy your fame. The laziest and most tempting thing you can do is buy your followers. This can be done with anything from Facebook and Twitter to YouTube and Pinterest. These “fake” followers might be from Russia or some other country where a digital sweatshop of people clicking on accounts exists. An employer may be happy to see that his or her social media manager has grown followers, but is that employer being well-served?
3. Robot responses. The automated responses to Twitter are truly more than an annoyance. Spam is one thing, but this is far worse. Also, if you use direct messaging, private messaging or the like, you are violating personal space and spending valuable attention with advertisements. It is one thing to share personal and “live” news, it is another to automate or simply cut-and-paste responses to people. Is your message worth being personal or would you rather be robotic?
4. Fire-hosing dogma. For those of us who are personal or individual brands, sharing too much about our political views is annoying on social media. Discussions with friends online is fantastic. But you may have people who follow you not for your politics or dogma. And if you are using a personal account to constantly push your multilevel marketing scheme, you will not be effective. How much of people’s attention will you take before you give something of value?
5. Spam commenting. If you are truly desiring to connect, a comment on a post is appropriate. Some cut-and-paste a standard “this is great” comment or like a post of yours to get you to follow them. While it is important to interact, it is spam to use someone’s Instagram account simply to get them to follow you. Do you “mean” the like and make the comment personal, or is it all really only about you?
These five sins of social media users are driving me crazy! I would love to hear about your experiences online. What drives you crazy about social media?
And though this world, with devils filled, should threaten to undo us, We will not fear, for God hath willed His truth to triumph through us.
Martin Luther wrote those stirring words during the height of the Reformation, as he and his friends faced fierce physical persecution—and even death—for their faith. For almost 500 years, “A Mighty Fortress Is Our God” has been a rallying cry for the church, buoying heavy hearts in the midst of Satan’s attacks.
And while we don’t often encounter the same level of persecution Luther did, his words remain a powerful encouragement to this day. They’re a helpful reminder of the Lord’s sovereignty, especially in the face of institutionalized immorality and the aggressive perversion of God’s design.
We shouldn’t be surprised when a government full of unrepentant sinners institutes sinful laws and policies. We shouldn’t be shocked when immorality is celebrated and purity is ridiculed. And we shouldn’t be scared when the church is vilified as the enemy of progress, science or society at large.
In fact, no persecution, in any form, should surprise us. Christ Himself warned His followers that they would face fierce opposition: “If the world hates you, you know that it has hated Me before it hated you” (John 15:18). The apostle John echoed that warning in 1 John 3:13: “Do not be surprised, brethren, if the world hates you.”
In fact, the surprise is not that Western society has turned against the church in America, but that it ever tolerated the influence of the church in the first place.
This is where we remind ourselves of the great comfort and freedom we know in serving a sovereign God. While the appetite for His Word and tolerance for His people may wax and wane in society, the light of His truth cannot be extinguished. He is still on His throne, and nothing that happens to us is outside of His plans or His control.
The true danger for the church, then, is not any external threat that the culture presents to us. They can mock us, fine us, outlaw us and even kill us—God’s truth will march on.
Congratulations on getting saved! Now that you’re a Christian, there are a few things you really should know. First, you must listen to the songs “Secret Ambition” and “Jesus Freak.” These two songs will come up a lot in conversations, and have the potential to make you a lot of friends. Familiarize yourself with them. Be ready to lip sync to them on demand.
Second, get used to drinking awful coffee. Since the very first meetings in Jerusalem, Christians have insisted on drinking coffee that tastes like scalding hot paint thinner. It is one of the trials and tribulations we must endure.
Finally, learn the Christian code words. What you may not have realized is we have our own special code language. If you’re going to communicate with other Christians, you need to memorize our code words and their definitions. What exactly are these code words? I’m glad you asked. What follows is a guide to understanding Christian-speak. Think of this as the Rosetta of the Christian world.
Terms and Definitions
Story—Most people think of a story as something contained within a book. Oh how wrong they are! All of us have a story, and each of our stories is important. Your story (also called “Journey” or “Road”) includes: all your life experiences, the most recent book you’ve read, your friends (even though they have their own stories, they’re also part of your story), your Moleskine journal (in which you record thoughts about your story), that one mission trip that was a defining moment in your story, and the existential crisis you had in college (the dark part of your story). Get used to referring to every experience as being a part of your “story.”
Traveling Mercies—Contrary to popular opinion, “Traveling Mercies” is not the name of a Rich Mullins cover band. Rather, traveling mercies refers to divine mercies, which, oddly enough, can only be found on highways and in airplanes. No matter how much you ask, you simply cannot get traveling mercies for a trip to the grocery store. Regular mercies cover that. However, if you fail to ask for traveling mercies prior to a long trip (not to be confused with “Journey”), there is a 95 percent chance your car engine will catch on fire.
Echo—You’re in a prayer meeting, it’s your turn to pray and your mind goes blank! What do you do? Don’t panic. You simply “echo” what the person before you prayed. To echo another person’s prayer, simply take their exact words, add the word “just” to the beginning and add the words “really asking this” to the end. This simple tactic will rescue you out of every prayer jam (not to be confused with a Prayer Jam, which is praying to hip-hop music).
Do Life—Christians don’t simply live life. No sir, we do life! And don’t you DARE confuse the two. Living life is boring and shallow, while doing life involves thrilling, exciting, awesome things, like Wednesday night Bible studies.
In This Place—This is a phrase included in many of our prayers as a way of making sure God knows exactly where we are located. We want God to bless us, in this place. We don’t want him to accidentally fire his blessings into the church down the street, so we alert him to our precise location. Think of this as the GPS of Christianity.
Chances are you’ve discussed it lately. Who chose whom? God? Man? Both? Whose will and choice triggers salvation? Man’s? God’s? Both? It’s a common occurrence to spar over Calvinism (the doctrines of God’s sovereign grace) vs. Arminianism.
This post could not possibly address all the issues. Instead, it will take a brief look at some of Arminianism’s consequences. But first, a quick reminder of common Arminian teaching.
Arminianism typically holds that God elects individuals to salvation based on his foreknowledge of their personal worthiness. It’s claimed that God’s election means that he chose those whom he foresaw would trust in Christ for salvation prior to them doing so. God chose those whom he foreknew would choose him. Humanity, therefore, is fallen, but not incapable of seeking God. Though sinful, man is still able to arouse his will so as to choose God savingly. Some reject election, arguing that it is incompatible with human freedom and responsibility, thus rendering things like evangelism, prayer, and discipleship unnecessary. It follows, then, that many argue that one is able to lose their salvation.
Arminianism has had its propagators over the years. Jacob Arminius, of course. Pelagius before him. Later, John Wesley wrote, “I reject the blasphemy clearly contained in the horrible decree of predestination…I would sooner be a Turk, a Deist, yea an atheist, than I could believe this” (Cited in Demarest, The Cross and Salvation, 102). About 100 years later, Charles Finney held that there are essentially two types of people; the savable and the unsavable. God chose those who inherently possessed the ability by their freedom to choose God and be saved.
Wherever we might find ourselves theologically, there are a number of hazards for consideration which are consequent of Arminian teaching:
Harming the plain sense of a large amount of Scripture.
At best, much Arminian teaching must violate the natural reading of many passages. For example, the assertion of free will is biblically untenable. Free will indicates that man is free to do as he pleases.
However, our will has two big constraints, rendering it not free. The first is God’s sovereignty (e.g. Prov. 19:21 “Many plans are in a man’s heart, but the counsel of the LORD will stand”). We are only free to do what God has ordained. The second constraint is human depravity. We are unwilling to seek/choose God so as to be saved (Rom. 3:11 “There is none who understands, there is none who seeks for God”). We are unable to seek/choose God so as to be saved (Eph. 2:1 “You were dead in your trespasses and sins”). Whatever the word “dead” asserts, it is not man’s ability. The dead are not able to do anything but stay dead. Thus, Arminianism’s assertion that man is able, and even willing, to choose God is untenable.
God is the only Being whose will is free: “Our God is in the heavens; he does whatever he pleases” (Ps. 115:3). No such statements are made of man. And incredibly, God uses his will, in love, to unlock ours from sin. When it comes to salvation, the only one willing and able to do the choosing and seeking is God. For that reason, Scripture speaks of salvation is an act of grace (Eph. 2:8-9).
Regarding God’s sovereign choice of his people, Ephesians 1:4-5 says, “he chose us in him before the foundation of the world, that we should be holy and blameless before him. In love he predestined us for adoption as sons through Jesus Christ, according to the purpose of his will.” From this text, and many like it, we simply cannot responsibly conclude that, “God chose us because he saw that we would choose him.” The word, “chose,” is an aorist middle, indicating an active, willful choice on the part of the subject (God), independent and unconditional of the object of choice (believers). Finally, contrary to much Arminian reasoning, God did not chose because he saw that we would choose, but “according to the purpose of his will.” And the passage continues, emphasizing that God’s work in salvation had nothing to do with man’s foreknown actions, but to the praise of God’s glory.
But what about the word “foreknew” in Romans 8:29? When speaking of God, the word can refer to either the simple knowing of something before or foreordaining. In the biblical context of salvation, to “know” or “foreknow” can refer to an intimate love, thus speaking of God’s independent choice to love his chosen. Further, the focus of the text is not on man’s actions; that God foreknew man would choose him, but on God’s actions; that God foreknew because he sovereignly decided to bestow grace on those he chose to love (hence the word, “predestined,” in v. 30).
Romans 9 is another passage which contains several massive problems for Arminianism. Arminian friends often ask, “Why do you guys always go to Romans 9 to argue your case?” For the same reason that the Bears always handed off to William “Refrigerator” Perry, when it was 4th and goal at the one yard line.
Some propose that the choosing spoken of in Romans 9 is concerned with nations and groups, not individuals. But that will not do, since Paul mentions individuals (e.g. Isaac, Ishmael, Jacob, Esau, Pharaoh), as objects of his sovereign choice who serve as illustrations of God’s sovereign dealings with humanity. Then, that truth is crystallized, shown to be the manner of God’s sovereign prerogative, as Creator, with all humanity, his creation, in vv. 20-24. If God did not ordain some for salvation and others, not, Romans 9 is not a good way to say that.
Furthermore, v. 19 and following is Paul’s response to Arminian-like rejection. “How can God find fault? If election is true, who can resist his will?” And, if Paul were not arguing for the case of God’s sovereign election of individuals in salvation, then his anticipation of the rejection as stated in v. 19, followed by his response in vv. 20-26 (e.g. “…Has the potter no right over the lay, to make out of the same lump one vessel for honorable useand another for dishonorable use?…”) makes no sense. If Paul is not saying that God chooses individuals for salvation according to his own will, then why ask, “Then who resists his will?”
Many other passages could be brought into the discussion, such as John 1:12-13, John 3, John 6:39, 44, and 65, to name a few. I would point us to thorough treatments on the issue, such as R.C. Sproul’s, Chosen by God, or Bruce Demarest’s, The Cross and Salvation, to name a few contemporary writers.
Tending towards salvation by works.
Arminian soteriology asserts that the cause of salvation is both God’s grace and man’s ability. The Holy Spirit saves by cooperating with man’s will. Man and God partner to accomplish salvation. Consequently, salvation is the product, in part, of man’s will or ability. Another way to say that is man’s salvation is partly due to his doing, or, his work.
But Romans 9:16 is telling. Speaking of the divine election of individuals, the Apostle Paul says, “So then it does not depend on the man who wills or the man who runs, but on God who has mercy.” The issue could not be more clear. And to that we could add the overwhelming testimony of Scripture declaring that salvation is purely the work of God’s grace (e.g. Eph. 2:8-9). The determining factor pertaining to who will be saved is not man’s will, decision, or ability, but God’s sovereign decision to extend saving mercy.
And as a sidenote, if we are going to reject God’s sovereign grace for Arminianism, then we should stop praying for anyone’s salvation. We should instead pray to the particular man for that man’s salvation: his will is the Sovereign when it comes to his salvation.
Exalting man’s ability to reason over the plain sense of God’s word.
Though not all, much of Arminianism’s rebuttals to the doctrines of grace take the form of, “Then how can God…?” or, “How can man…?” For example:
“How can God be fair and loving if he’s already fixed who will be saved? He cannot be, because he is not really giving everyone the opportunity to be saved.” Paul settled this in Romans 9:20-26. The answer ultimately lies in God and his sovereign prerogative by virtue of being God. Further, if we struggle to understand his love there, let us take an unrushed walk around the cross as a fresh reminder. Perhaps the more clear sheds light on the less.
“How can man have a free will if he is called to repent but God chooses?” Scripture never says that man’s will is free, but that he is dead in sin. And, the call for man to be saved should not be taken ipso facto that his will is free. Instead, it should be taken plainly: man is responsible to repent. We do well to leash our reasonings from going beyond what is written.
“How can God be loving if he only chose some? Why didn’t he choose more?” On the contrary, even if we are never saved, it would only be right for us to marvel that God would choose to save even one in light of man’s wickedness. Furthermore, Scripture clearly says that God is loving, thus we joyfully submit to the truth, whether or not we can ascertain how God’s dealings are loving in our radically finite minds.
“How can the call for all to be saved be genuine? It is a farce—a false offer—since God has already determined some, not all, to be saved.” God did not come to redeem all humanity (universalism is not true), but his people. And, salvation is a command (Acts 17:30). Just because man is unable and unwilling to obey a command of God’s does not invalidate the command.
“How can we really evangelize? Isn’t it pointless?” Wesley claimed that evangelism would be futile if election was true. But that some are chosen is far more motivation to evangelize than if the choice was up to man. If salvation were contingent on man’s will, then evangelism would be futile since man is unwilling and unable to choose and seek God in his natural state.
The problem with these objections is clear and singular. What is the governing authority common in the rebuttals? Man’s ability to figure out the “How can?” If he cannot, then the plain sense of Scripture is rejected. It boils down to man’s ability to reason.
For the most part Arminianism is man’s fallen philosophical response to God’s clear, biblical self-disclosure. Thus, it appears almost as a theology of response. Many of the objections center more on our fallen philosophical conundrums, than the plain sense of Scripture.
Forbidding God from doing as he wishes.
Perhaps the most God-ness thing about God is his sovereignty. His sovereignty rules over all (Ps. 103:19). And long, long before puny, sinful man was around to comment on the extent and limitations of that sovereignty, he did as he does now: whatever he pleases. His plan of salvation is simply one area in which he exercises his sovereignty, both in the designing and doing of the plan.
Sadly, however, we come along (as a consequence of God’s sovereignty), and strap him with boundaries. And, we do so through the grid of our not-Godness; our non-sovereignty. We do things like question and complain and resist the most God thing about God. We are all, by nature, a bit Arminian (cause for more alarm).
But Arminianism permits God to do as he wishes, except when it comes to his most prized doings in history: salvation. He is permitted sovereignty over rocks, rain, rhinoceroses, and raises, but not the plan around which all these things revolve: redemption. God sits in the heavens and does whatever he pleases, except when it comes to exercising his grace. Something is amiss.
Charles Spurgeon said it well: “Some men cannot endure to hear the doctrine of election. I suppose they like to choose their own wives, but they are not willing that Christ should choose his own bride, the church.”
Disregarding the testimony of church history.
A brief look at church history demonstrates the scores of faithful men who have embraced the doctrines of grace over Arminianism. A small sampling of those includes Tertullian (2nd-3rd century), Athanasius (4th), Augustine (4th-5th), John Knox (15-16th), Luther (16th), Calvin (16th), John Bunyan (17th), the some 150 Westminster Divines (17th), John Gill (18th), Charles Spurgeon (19th), and Martyn Lloyd-Jones (20th). It could not be said that these men were theological novices. And it’s not that they are above theological examination. But it is to say that we do well to carefully examine a teaching, first, because it is backed by sound exegesis and hermeneutics, and second, because it was held by many competent theologians.
I tremble when I hear so many in our day spurn the doctrines of grace as if they are a strange teaching fabricated by theological lightweights.
Man shares glory and credit with God for salvation.
The reason there are so many passages ascribing glory to God in the context of salvation is because he did, and does all, of the work, since man cannot and would not.
“And because of him you are in Christ Jesus, who became to us wisdom from God, righteousness and sanctification and redemption, so that, as it is written, ‘Let the one who boasts, boast in the Lord’” (1 Cor. 1:30-31).
“But far be it from me to boast except in the cross of our Lord Jesus Christ, by which the world has been crucified to me, and I to the world” (Gal. 6:14).
“For by grace you have been saved through faith. And this is not your own doing; it is the gift of God, not a result of works, so that no one may boast” (Eph. 2:8-9).
Now, if salvation depends even the slightest bit upon man (whether his choice or ability to seek God), then man deserves part of the glory and credit for it. If man is able to choose, he contributes something to his salvation, and should be praised for that contribution. We must laud him for his choosing abilities and accomplishment. Ephesians 2:8-9 should, then, be edited to read: “For by grace and your choice you have been saved, through faith and your ability to choose. And this is partly your doing; it is both a gift of God and your ability to choose, so that you and God may boast it up together.”
Bottom line: when it comes to our God’s glorious plan of salvation, we do well to step away from his throne by letting the clear testimony of Scripture speak, permitting him to choose, ordain, predestine, and foreknew whom he wishes from a hopelessly rebellious human race.
Charles Spurgeon: “I believe the doctrine of election, because I am quite certain that if God had not chosen me I should never have chosen Him; and I am sure He chose me before I was born, or else He never would have chosen me afterwards; and He must have elected me for reasons unknown to me, for I never could find any reason in myself why He should have looked upon me with special love. So I am forced to accept that doctrine.”
This blog and our podcast have been a blessing to me because of the readers and listeners. I learn so much from your comments on the site, on social media, and in emails. For example, hundreds of you have shared with us your decision-making process when you leave a church. Though there are many different reasons given, these pastors did share one reason much more frequently than any others:
The most common reason pastors leave a church is: from their perspective they have taken the church as far as they can.
But what does that mean? What are the specific areas where a pastor sees such limitations? I have asked that question on numbers of occasions. Here are the most common responses:
“The church has grown as much it will under my leadership.” Commonly, a pastor will lead a church to some growth, but that growth stops after a season. Not understanding why the growth has stopped, the pastor concludes that it is a personal leadership problem.
“I am just not a good fit for this church.” A recent example of which I am aware is where a pastor was significantly culturally different from the church he served as pastor. He deemed those cultural differences to mean he could not lead the church further.
“I’m spending most of my time putting out fires.” In this example, conflict is the problem, and the pastor does not have the solution. Hence, the pastor concludes a departure is in order.
“The church has grown too large for my leadership skills.” I have been surprised to hear from a number of pastors who think their respective churches outgrew them. One pastor, for example, was comfortable leading a church of 150 in attendance. But, four years later, the church had an attendance of 375. He did not think he could lead an organization of that size.
“The church needs to relocate, and I’m not the person to lead them.” That same reason is often used when the church needs to build facilities or become a multi-site church.
Many times, pastors are sincere when they believe the church has outgrown them. But I also believe pastors and other staff can grow and learn. Not all of them need to conclude they can’t take the church further.
I am encouraged by how many pastors and staff persons have joined our Church Answers training and development. It is one way they are saying: “I can grow, and I want to grow.” For that reason, we will keep the subscription open a few more days.
Let me know what you think of this main reason pastors and church staff leave their church? Is it always legitimate? Are there more underlying and unspoken reasons? Let me hear from you.
Rick Phillips says it well: “I can think of few messages more urgently needed by our worldly churches today than the necessity of pursuing practical holiness through obedience and good works.”
“The vastness and beauty of the Milky Way should elicit a response from us. That response should be neither one of pagan nature worship nor greedy utility, but of wonder and awe at Christ Jesus in his infinite vastness and immeasurable beauty.”
This Day in 1953. Bruce Ware was born. Happy 62nd birthday, Bruce!
Most of us know what it’s like to feel insecure, to feel like we just aren’t up to a particular challenge. Maybe you just got hired for a job you aren’t sure you can handle. Or you’re dating someone and are nervous about living up to family expectations. Or you’re a parent, and you’re worried that you just don’t have what it takes.
The bad news is that, in ourselves, we probably don’t have what it takes. The good news is that, with God, we don’t need to. Knowing God as “I am” transforms our identities and overcomes our insecurities.
Moses knew insecurity. By the time he meets God at the burning bush, he’s a pretty defeated man. He had started out his life with a lot of confidence, a good-looking guy in a high-paying job. But things went horribly wrong. He tried to stand up for his Jewish people and ended up killing a man. Because of this, the Jews rejected him and Pharaoh banished him. For the next 40 years, Moses was wandering around in the wilderness, nursing that failure.
How does God overcome this? Not with any “power of positive thinking.” He doesn’t say, “Moses, here’s a mirror. Look into it and repeat after me: ‘I see pride! I see power! I see a bad man who won’t take no garbage from nobody!’” None of that. Simply this: “I will be with you.”Real confidence comes not from competence, but from the assurance of God’s presence.
So when Moses says to God, “Who am I?” God says to Moses, “It doesn’t matter who you are. It matters who I am.” Moses says, “I’m not eloquent, or smart or successful.” And God says, “I didn’t choose you because you were those things. I’ve got enough of them for the both of us.”God doesn’t want the guy who has bought his own publicity. He wants the guy who knows he’s an empty vessel.
Feeling inadequate is actually a prerequisite to being used by God. So God says to Moses (and to you and to me):
“I am the God of very unpromising material. You think you’re unskilled? Lacking courage? Not very good? You don’t even know the half of it! You’re so weak you can’t even guarantee tomorrow. You’re like a wisp of smoke, a blade of grass. In the scope of this universe, you are smaller than a grain of sand. But it’s not about you! You are not, but my name is I am.”
Whatever you’re not, whatever you need, whatever you didn’t get from your parents, whatever you aren’t getting from someone else … God says, “I am!”
“Who can I trust?” I am.
“I’m not sure who is really on my team.” I am.
“Nobody is listening to me.” I am.
“How am I supposed to know which way to go?” I am.
“My marriage is crashing and I do not know where to turn.” I am.
“I’m 50 years old and I feel like I am starting all over.” I am.
“What if I fail again?” I am.
“I’m not sure I believe anymore.” I am.
“I have given all I can give and it is not enough.” I am.
“I’m pouring into everybody but nobody is pouring into me.” I am.
The name I am is the answer to every insecurity in our lives. And here’s the amazing thing: when we became believers, that name became ours. We tookGod’s name and became one with him. So when we start to look at ourselves and say, “I am so stupid. I am a loser. I am such a terrible mom,” God says, “I am not any of those things! And if I am in you, you are not either.”
So when you say, “God, I am so dysfunctional,” he says, “Yet I am so complete.” You say, “I am so deficient,” and he says, “I am so sufficient.” You say, “I am so doubtful,” and he says, “I am so faithful.” You say, “I am so sinful,” and he says, “I am so gracious.”
When the voices in our lives and in our hearts whisper, “You are not…” we can shout back, “You’re right! But he is, and now I am in him. I am not, but I know the great I AM.”
[1] I’m deeply indebted here to Louie Giglio, and his inspiring book, I Am Not, But I Know I Am.
ARTICLES I LIKE FROM AROUND THE WEB: (Click title to go to full article)
Can You Reject Biblical Inerrancy and Still Be a Faithful Mentor? – “This article is not so much about methods of mentoring as it is about the consequences of mentoring. Mentoring has at its core that of training disciples for the glory of Jesus Christ. When Jesus’ pronounced the Great Commission, discipleship or mentoring was at its core (‘make disciples’—Matthew 28:19-20). He commanded his followers to mentor or make disciples of all nations. The content of mentoring was to be that of His teaching (‘teaching them to observe all the things that I have commanded you’—Matthew 28:20) as well as that of conforming to His Person, i.e. Jesus’ disciples were to be like Him (‘It is enough for the disciple that he become like his teacher, and the slave like his master’ (Matt. 10:25).”
A Quick And Easy Guide To The Planned Parenthood Videos – “The journalism project immediately went viral, with millions of people watching the videos. But the media have largely struggled to even mention the videos and what they show. When presidential candidate Carly Fiorina mentioned the videos during the 2nd GOP presidential debate, the media claimed to have no idea what she was talking about. The weak media coverage has left many Americans in the dark about the content of the videos. And sloppy reporting has led to misinformation about the videos.”
When Dad Doesn’t Disciple the Kids – “Three kinds of ‘single moms’ exist in the church: the literal single mom who is raising children on her own, the mom whose husband is an unbeliever and the mom whose husband professes belief but does not partner in the spiritual nurturing of the family. For the true single mom and the mom married to an unbeliever, the task is clear: Train your children in the Lord because no one else will. For the wife of the believing father who is guilty of being spiritually absent, the lines are blurry. She lives in the tension between wanting to honor her spouse and wanting to disciple her children. All three ‘single moms’ desperately need the support of the church, but I want to focus specifically on the third mom, a woman trapped in a dilemma.”
Arminianism & Its Hazards– “Chances are you’ve discussed it lately. Who chose whom? God? Man? Both? Whose will and choice triggers salvation? Man’s? God’s? Both? It’s a common occurrence to spar over Calvinism (the doctrines of God’s sovereign grace) vs. Arminianism. This post could not possibly address all the issues. Instead, it will take a brief look at some of Arminianism’s consequences. But first, a quick reminder of common Arminian teaching.”
Why Knowing Your Flock Is Critical to Meaningful Preaching – “The preacher paced the stage, staring earnestly out into the congregation. It was time for his weekly invitation. He asked for respondents to raise their hands. Not a single hand was raised. But he had no way of knowing this because he was on a video screen. I was at the nearest campus of this multisite church on assignment from the pastor himself, a man who’d recently hired me to do some freelance research work for him. Visiting one of his many remote services was supposed to help me get a ‘feel’ for his ministry. It certainly did. But I couldn’t help but be struck with the feeling that this way of doing ministry couldn’t really help the preacher get a “feel” for his congregation.”
SERMON:
Pastor Emilio talking to an Agnostic
VIDEOS:
Rick Warren is Dangerous to Roman Catholics
Tony or Zachary: One Is of His Father the Devil
“All death can do to the believer is deliver him to Jesus. It brings us into the eternal presence of our Savior.” – John MacArthur
TEXTS AND APPLICATION: Do I fear God? Do I have sense of holy reverence for who He is? The book of Malachi, the last book of the Old Testament, is a reminder — a painful one, actually — that even God’s people can lose their sense of godly fear. The result inevitably is disobedience and idolatry.
1. The priests had so lost their fear of God that they despised His name by offering Him only their “leftover” animals — those that would cost them the least.
Mal. 1:6 “A son honors his father, and a servant his master. But if I am a father, where is My honor? And if I am a master, where is your fear of Me?” says Yahweh of Hosts to you priests, who despise My name.
2. The people turned against God when they did not fear Him, evidenced in their absolute rebellion.
Mal. 3:5 “I will come to you in judgment, and I will be ready to witness against sorcerers and adulterers; against those who swear falsely; against those who oppress the widow and the fatherless, and cheat the wage earner; and against those who deny justice to the foreigner. They do not fear Me,” says the Lord of Hosts.
3. On the other hand, those who truly feared God would receive God’s blessings, and even the nations would have a healthy fear of Him.
Mal. 1:14, 4:2 “For I am a great King,” says Yahweh of Hosts, “and My name will be feared among the nations” . . . . But for you who fear My name, the sun of righteousness will rise with healing in its wings, and you will go out and playfully jump like calves from the stall.
My personal application questions are simple but penetrating ones today:
What do I do that reveals my lack of fear of God? What sin do I cling to as if God were not the judge?
Will the nations fear God because of my witness before them?
PRAYER: “God, increase my fear of You. May my reverence be evidenced in my obedience.”
God made everything out of nothing, including you and me. His main purpose in creation was to bring him pleasure.
The chief way in which we as humanity do this is through loving, obeying, and enjoying him perfectly.
Instead of this, we have sinned against our loving Creator and acted in high-handed rebellion.
God has vowed that he will righteously and lovingly judge sinners with eternal death.
But God, being merciful, loving, gracious, and just, sent his own son, Jesus Christ, in the likeness of man to live as a man; fulfilling his perfect requirements in the place of sinners; loving, obeying, and enjoying him perfectly.
And further, his son bore the eternal judgment of God upon the cross of Calvary, as he satisfied the eternal anger of God, standing in the place of sinners. God treated Jesus as a sinner, though he was perfectly sinless, that he might declare sinners as perfect.
This glorious transaction occurs as the sinner puts their faith (dependence, trust) in the Lord Jesus Christ as their substitute. God then charges Christ’s perfection to the sinner, and no longer views him as an enemy but instead an adopted son covered in the perfect righteousness of his son.
God furnished proof that this sacrifice was accepted by raising Jesus from the dead.
God will judge the world in righteousness and all of those who are not covered in the righteousness of Christ, depending on him for forgiveness, will be forced to stand on their own to bear the eternal anger of God.
Therefore, all must turn from sin and receive Christ Jesus as Lord.
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.
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.
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.
(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
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Members of the U.S House Intelligence Committee are pressing FBI Director James Comey for more details of the bureau’s recovery of e-mail messages that Hillary Clinton said had been deleted from a private computer server.
Iranian hard-liners wasted no time labeling Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif as “unrevolutionary” for shaking hands with Obama. It’s the first gesture of its kind between a U.S. president and a high-ranking Iranian official in more than three decades. It took place at the United Nations General Assembly in New York and overnight caused a stir back in Tehran.
With Russia and the U.S. sparring over how to fight Islamic State and end Syria’s bloody civil war, European nations besieged by refugees are trying to bridge the gap.
President Vladimir Putin began air strikes to support his beleaguered Syrian ally Bashar al-Assad in Russia’s first use of force in the Middle East since the 1980s. Russia carried out its first air strikes against Islamic State targets in Syria, hitting arms and ammunition stores and transport and communication means, the Interfax news service reported.
A business unit of Tsinghua University agreed to pay $3.8 billion for 15 percent of hard-drive maker Western Digital, in what would be China’s biggest technology share purchase in the U.S.
Bank of America Corp. is cutting about 200 jobs in its trading and investment-banking units around the world, including dozens in the U.S., after Chief Executive Officer Brian Moynihan pledged to trim expenses amid a decline in trading revenue.
China’s central bank cut the minimum home down payment to 25 percent from 30 percent required of first-time buyers for the first time in five years, stepping up support for the property market after five interest-rate reductions failed to reverse an economic slowdown.
A report that China may be ready to launch its first domestically made aircraft carrier by the end of the year is credible, though the warship isn’t likely to enter service for four years. The non-nuclear-powered carrier will be launched on Dec. 26 to mark the 122nd birthday of Mao Zedong.
AP Top Stories
The only woman on Georgia’s death row was executed early Wednesday morning, making her the first woman put to death by the state in seven decades.
Iran’s supreme leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei threatened a “fierce” reaction Wednesday if Saudi Arabia does not quickly repatriate victims of last week’s hajj stampede.
Pope Francis secretly met a Kentucky county clerk last week who was jailed for refusing to issue marriage licenses to gay couples and gave her words of encouragement, her attorney said.
Pope Francis raised eyebrows in Italy on Tuesday by slapping down the left-leaning mayor of Rome as someone who “pretends to be Catholic”.
House Republicans advanced legislation Tuesday to dismantle President Barack Obama’s health law that could actually reach the president’s desk.
The Saudi-led coalition said on Wednesday it had seized an Iranian fishing boat in the Arabian Sea loaded with weapons destined for Shiite rebels it is fighting in Yemen.
Kurdish forces attacked Islamic State in northern Iraq on Wednesday in the latest of several offensives aimed at driving the militants away from the oil-rich city of Kirkuk.
Oil prices slipped on Wednesday after an unexpectedly big build in U.S. crude inventories, further evidence of an oversupply that has helped halve global spot prices over the last year.
BBC
A 50-year-old man in northern India has been killed in a mob lynching allegedly over rumors that his family had been storing and consuming beef at home. Uttar Pradesh is among a number of Indian states who have tightened laws banning cow slaughter and the sale and consumption of beef. The beef ban has also provoked outrage with many questioning how the government decides what is on their plate.
Peru declared a 30-day state of emergency in the Apurimac region on Tuesday after four people were killed during anti-mining protests.
A suspected Islamist militant accused of destroying cultural sites in Timbuktu has appeared before the International Criminal Court (ICC), in the first case of its kind.
At least six people have been killed and dozens were injured in a series of explosions in a small town in the southern Chinese region of Guangxi.
An activist group has said France’s first air strike on Islamic State (IS) militants in Syrian territory killed 30, including 12 child soldiers.
WND
A new study commissioned by Democrats and Republicans on the House Homeland Security Committee finds the White House has failed to keep Americans from traveling overseas to join ISIS due to an overall lack of counter-terrorism vision and strategy.
Now, a political party in the United Kingdom wants to solve the dispute, at least in government, by eliminating references to gender on official forms. “A ‘male’ or ‘female’ tickbox on official documents should be phased out or replaced with an ‘x’ option.” The party says its goal is to reduce discrimination against “transgender and intersex people.”
Emerging evidence ties endocrine-disrupting chemical exposure to two of the biggest public health threats facing society – diabetes and obesity.
Hundreds of irate parents are planning to attend the Walton County, Georgia, school board meeting Oct. 10 to convey their outrage over their children being taught the religious beliefs of Islam in middle-school social studies.
At the London Acorn School there are no smartphones, no iPads, no expensive ICT suites, interactive whiteboards or television screens. What’s more, parents who enroll their children have to commit to the same strict regime at home, with no television, computers or films, either during term-time or holiday.
Top News – 9/30/2015
DNA Studies Trace Jewish Priestly Lineage From Biblical Times
Scientists have discovered a gene which can be traced from the Biblical figure of Aaron, the first High Priest (kohen) of the Jewish people, to a segment of the Jewish population today which carries the priestly lineage.
Transforming our world: the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development
All countries and all stakeholders, acting in collaborative partnership, will implement this plan. We are resolved to free the human race from the tyranny of poverty and want and to heal and secure our planet.
Russian boy finds 3,000-year-old artifact in earth salvaged from Temple Mount
“The dating of the seal corresponds to the historical period of the Jebusites and the conquest of Jerusalem by King David, as well as the construction of the Temple and the royal official compound by his son, King Solomon. “What makes this discovery particularly significant is that it originated from upon the Temple Mount itself.”
Tens of thousands receive Priestly Blessing at Western Wall
The Western Wall Heritage Foundation estimated Wednesday morning’s crowd at 50,000, while media reports put the number in attendance at between 50,000 and 150,000. The mass blessing, called Birkat Kohanim in Hebrew, is held on an intermediate day during Sukkot and Passover, two of the three Shalosh Regalim, or pilgrimage festivals, when the Jews would ascend to the Holy Temple.
Exclusive: UN ignores science council warnings in creating vast Sustainable Development Goals
A better description of the SDGs than a “transformative vision” might be a sprawling and shapeless bid to establish a truly global socialist and progressive agenda, not to mention a blank check required for trillions of dollars annually in development spending to achieve—if even achievable.
Russians tell US to remove warplanes from Syria, senior official says
The official told Fox News that Russian diplomats sent an official demarche ordering U.S. planes out of Syria, adding that Russian fighter jets were now flying over Syrian territory. U.S. military sources told Fox News that U.S. planes would not comply with the Russian demand.
Stone-throwing, riots and arrests in Jerusalem continue
Police on Tuesday arrested a number of Palestinians suspected of throwing stones, rioting, and attacking Jews, following two consecutive days of violent confrontations on the Temple Mount in Jerusalem.
The secret victories in the war against ISIS
Behind-the-scenes cooperation between CIA, Joint Special Operations Command, NSA create unprecented web of intelligence in Iraq, Syria, leading to victories that few realize are happening.
Israel has some true friends in Europe
As the BDS movement grows, there are people working hard to combat anti-Semitism and anti-Israelism within the European Union.
UN is an ‘entirely corrupt body’ – Pink Floyd’s Roger Waters to RT
British recording artist, Roger Waters of Pink Floyd fame, told RT that US media is entertainment used to sell soap powder and doesn’t give Americans the news of the world. He also claimed that the UN is a corrupt body, with the US controlling most voting decisions.
Pentagon to open ‘lines of communication’ with Russia over strikes in Syria
The US will open “lines of communication” with Russia to avoid “misjudgment and miscalculation” as a US-led coalition conducts strikes against ISIS in Syria. Moscow is assisting government forces in their fight against the terror group
Aden’s war devastation shows extent of Yemen’s human crisis
Even before the shells started to fall in Yemen early this year it was one of the poorest Arab states, suffering malnourishment, illiteracy, scant medical care, unemployment and weak infrastructure.
Putin wins parliamentary backing for air strikes in Syria
Vladimir Putin on Wednesday secured parliament’s unanimous backing to launch air strikes against Islamic State militants in Syria, paving the way for imminent Russian military intervention in its closest Middle East ally.
CHANCE OF FLARES
NOAA forecasters estimate a 70% chance of M-class solar flares and a 25% chance of X-flares on Sept. 30th.
UNSTABLE PROMINENCE
If sunspot AR2422 does not explode today, something else might. A spectacular prominence is dancing along the western limb of the sun…
World set for emerging market mass default, warns IMF
The International Monetary Fund (IMF) has issued a double warning over higher US interest rates, which it said could trigger a wave of emerging market corporate defaults and panic in financial markets as liquidity evaporates. The IMF said corporate debts in emerging markets ballooned to $18 trillion (£12 trillion) last year, from $4 trillion in 2004 as companies gorged themselves on cheap debt.
Liberals Sign Petition to Ban Talking About Politics & Religion in Public
Mark Dice’s latest ‘man on the street’ stunt…illustrates how people are…ignorant of their…right to free speech under the First Amendment. “We don’t really need people talking about politics or religion out in public,” Dice tells one man who signs the petition… “We’re just trying to mute people’s political and religious speech,” says Dice as the man’s partner signs the petition.
Palestinian flag to be raised at United Nations
The Palestinian flag is to be raised for the first time at the United Nations later in what the Palestinian leader says will be “a most emotional and proud day”. Earlier this month, the UN General Assembly passed a motion to raise the Palestinian and Vatican flags. Israel criticised the move and voted against it, along with the United States and six other countries.
New EU union could tap investor funds across Europe
Britain’s EU Commissioner, Lord Hill, believes his Capital Market Union (CMU) could free up investment across Europe. Most European companies rely on banks to provide capital. CMU aims to encourage alternatives, from crowd funding to investment funds. And this week 17 countries demanded that the European Commission accelerate progress towards a single market.
Taliban attack: Afghan forces struggle to retake Kunduz
Heavy fighting is continuing in the northern Afghan city of Kunduz, a day after government forces launched an attack to reclaim it from the Taliban. Two US air strikes on Tuesday halted an attempt by insurgents to seize the airport, the army’s stronghold. The Taliban deny the strikes killed their leader in the province and his deputy. An unspecified number of Nato special forces have now reached the city.
Russian parliament grants Putin right to use military force in Syria
The Russian parliament on Wednesday unanimously granted President Vladimir Putin the right to deploy the country’s military in Syria, a move a top Kremlin aide said related only to the air force. Russia has been building up its military presence in Syria, where it supports the government forces of President Bashar Assad in a conflict that pits him against Islamic State militants and Western-backed rebels.
Report: Russia demands that American planes stay out of Syrian skies
Russia has demanded that American warplanes exit Syrian airspace immediately, a US official told Fox News on Wednesday. The official said that Russian diplomats sent an official message to the US ordering American planes out of Syria, adding that Russian fighter jets were now flying over Syrian territory, according to the report.
The United Nations’ Green Economy Isn’t Sustainable Or Green!
The United Nations intends to replace Capitalism and Free Enterprise with its Green Economy, or Sustainable Development. However, its concepts of development and economy are deeply flawed and reminiscent of fringe ideas from the Great Depression era. (For a full discussion of Technocracy in the 1930s, see Technocracy Rising: The Trojan Horse of Global Transformation.) Sustainable Development, as most recently promoted by the UN’s 2030 Agenda Conference in New York at the end of September 2015, blatantly promises to end poverty everywhere, provide work with dignity and life-long education for all.
Major Afghan city falls to Taliban fighters during Obama UN address
At just about the same time the news media swooned over President Barack Obama’s speech at the United Nations on Monday, hundreds of Islamist terrorists from the group the President boasted about was on the decline during a bloody ambush that recaptured the city of Kunduz in northern Afghanistan.
President Obama Repeats His Failed Foreign Policy Mantra at the UN
President Obama delivered his annual speech to the United Nations General Assembly on September 28th. He spoke mostly in generalities, with his usual platitudes extolling the benefits of multilateral cooperation, diplomacy and international law rooted in what he called “universal,” “self-evident” truths. He condemned “the belief that power is a zero-sum game; that might makes right; that strong states must impose their will on weaker ones; that the rights of individuals don’t matter; and that in a time of rapid change, order must be imposed by force.”
Cruz Fights Alone to Stop Senate from Funding Planned Parenthood and Iran Nuclear Deal
Last night Ted Cruz couldn’t get his Republican Senate colleagues to back his proposed amendment to stop funding Planned Parenthood for one year and to prevent the Obama administration from using funds to implement the Iran nuclear deal until Congress can examine the additional agreements or “side deals” between the terrorist state and the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA).
Politician Says Homeless People Should Be Put Down By Lethal Injection
A Mexican councillor has provoked outrage after that homeless people should be put down like animals to keep the number of them on the streets down. Olga Gutierrez Machorro believes that beggars should be culled with lethal injection, believing it to be in their best interests.
“The rights of neutrality will only be respected when they are defended by an adequate power. A nation, despicable by its weakness, forfeits even the privilege of being neutral.” —Alexander Hamilton, Federalist No. 11
Russia’s parliament Wednesday unanimously gave Russian President Vladimir Putin the authority to use military force in Syria. Unlike the United States, Russia has committed to the conflict, which will result in the defeat of the U.S.-backed Syrian rebels — a Pax Russiana through Bashar al-Assad’s dictatorship — and less American influence in the Middle East. While the Obama administration hoped that moderate Syrian rebels would topple the Assad regime and defeat the Islamic State, Obama lacks the fortitude to play Putin’s diplomacy game. As Obama said Monday, “Ultimately, however, it is not going to be enough to defeat ISIL in the battlefield.” While Russia wants the defeat of the Islamic State, Putin told “60 Minutes” last Sunday the only way peace can come to the country is through the Kremlin-backed Assad regime. As commentator Charles Krauthammer said, “This isn’t about the Russians taking on ISIS; this is about the Russians taking over Syria and keeping Assad as a client in place. That’s what happened even as the administration sputters because it has no idea what to do.”
From Democrats and their political operatives to Hollywood glitterati and Miss America contestants, one of the more pervasive and oft-repeated myths about Planned Parenthood is that it provides mammograms. Whenever an abortion advocate defends the nation’s largest abortion provider — especially arguing that it should continue to receive half a billion taxpayer dollars every year — inevitably, they bring up all the great women’s services Planned Parenthood provides. Like mammograms. Except the organization doesn’t have a single mammogram machine in any of its offices. Don’t take our word for it. Planned Parenthood CEO Cecile Richards told Congress Tuesday, “There aren’t any Planned Parenthood clinics — I believe, to the best of my knowledge, not any have mammogram machines at their facility.” She was answering a question from Rep. Cynthia Lummis, who asked, “How many Planned Parenthood clinics have mammogram machines?” That question, in turn, followed the sycophantic cooing of Rep. Carolyn Maloney, who included mammograms in her list of the wonderful services provided. The U.S. Food and Drug Administration confirms that, out of more than 8,700 licensed mammogram facilities in the country, exactly zero are run by Planned Parenthood. So why is the myth so prevalent? First, abortion advocates are always fast and loose with the facts because abortion is so abhorrent it can’t be defended on the merits. Second, Planned Parenthood is perfectly content with the false narrative — it boasts of helping women “get access to mammograms” — because it makes the organization look like it just cares about women. Tell that to the 438 unborn baby girls Planned Parenthood kills every day.
Joining three other ObamaCare health care co-ops that already found themselves unable to operate in the current health care landscape, Health Republic, the co-op servicing the State of New York, started closing down its operation Friday, Sept. 25. “[A]fter coordinating with state and federal regulators, Health Republic will begin winding down operations in an orderly manner starting today,” CEO of Health Republic Debra Friedman wrote to the co-op’s members. “While we are deeply disappointed with this outcome, we believe it is in the best interests of our members. Starting a new insurance company is a daunting task in any environment, but the systemic challenges placed on us by the structure of the CO-OP program were simply too difficult to overcome.” In other words, ObamaCare’s worst enemy in this case was its own regulations. As The Daily Signal reported, the government loaned out $265 million to get the co-op off the ground. You shall know the program by its fruits: In this case, an effort by ObamaCare to provide more solutions and health care “competition” yielded government waste and failure. Surprise!
Recent events in Afghanistan indicate that Barack Obama seriously needs to reconsider his plans to withdraw all U.S. forces from the country over the next 16 months. (Not that he will reconsider…) Several major cities that were once held and governed by Afghan forces have been captured by the Taliban. All is not well and it would be foolish and irresponsible for the United States to withdraw too soon. Need evidence? Just look at Iraq.
On Monday, the city of Kunduz, Afghanistan’s sixth largest city, was overrun by the Taliban — the first city taken by the Taliban since it was ousted from Kabul in 2001. Afghan forces mounted a counteroffensive with the aid of U.S. airstrikes and special forces. Afghan forces have retaken the police station, but are still facing fierce resistance from approximately 500 Taliban fighters.
“Obviously, this is a setback for the Afghan security forces,” said Pentagon Press Secretary Peter Cook. “But we’ve seen them respond in recent weeks and months to the challenges they face, and they’re doing the same thing in Kunduz right now.” The fact that Afghan forces are fighting to take back Kunduz is a good thing — they are doing what the U.S. military trained them to do. But that’s all the more reason why pushing to draw down forces too soon would be catastrophic. Afghan forces still need U.S. backing if they are to be successful.
Rep. Mac Thornberry (R-TX), chairman of the House Armed Services committee, noted, “The fall of Kunduz to the Taliban is not unlike the fall of the Iraqi provinces to ISIL. It is a reaffirmation that precipitous withdrawal leaves key allies and territory vulnerable to the very terrorists we’ve fought so long to defeat.”
Afghan President Ashraf Ghani is optimistic about the Afghan forces’ success, but noted a particular problem that has plagued operations for the last 14 years. During a recent news conference Ghani said, “The treacherous enemy is using civilians as a human shield.” That’s why the government of Afghanistan cannot and will not simply bombard the cities.
Indeed, no responsible government would want to harm its own citizens in the quest for destroying the enemy, which is precisely why the U.S. military has been limited to targeted airstrikes and ground forces have been operating in a training and advisory role. To make matters even more difficult, the Taliban has taken to the streets and the mosques and told residents of Kunduz that they are safe. The residents are of course terrified — and torn between whether to trust the Taliban or risk being caught in the urban gun fire that will be coming soon.
The situation is more complex though. On the one hand we have the Taliban, which is notorious for looting, killing, enslaving and terrorizing the Afghan people. On the other hand, we have a morally bankrupt culture that is causing significant problems for our troops. One recent example is the revelation that there have been instances of “Bacha Bazi” — translated as “boy play” — being perpetrated by members of the Afghan armed forces.
Yes, sadly, the same Afghan forces that Americans have trained.
So what exactly is to be expected of U.S. military personnel who witness or discover the heinous act of a man raping a boy? Is the service member to do nothing, or is he to intervene?
One particular Green Beret, Sgt. 1st Class Charles Martland, chose to intervene — and was discharged from the Army for body slamming and beating an alleged child rapist. Martland’s team leader, Capt. Daniel Quinn, was also stripped of his command for being involved in the same incident.
We don’t know all of the facts about this incident — whether direct orders were disobeyed or whether these soldiers went too far (if there is such a thing when dealing with a child rapist). So what is U.S. policy for its service members to respond to such egregious acts?
One recent report reveals that U.S. Marines and Soldiers have been instructed not to intervene in cases of sexual abuse. Yes, you read that right.
Which brings up another point. Sharia law, which is practiced in Afghanistan, forbids sodomy and sex before marriage. Yet it’s happening and even being tolerated by the very people we have helped to put in positions of power. Is it any wonder the Afghan people can’t quite decide who to trust? The Taliban has cracked down on anyone engaging in “Bacha Bazi,” but the Taliban cracks down on everything to the point of severe oppression.
So our troops are put in harm’s way to fight the Taliban while simultaneously being asked to ignore child rape coming from those we are supposed to be fighting alongside. Quite the dilemma.
Where are Obama and the top brass in the military on this? Why are they turning a blind eye to those who have been punished for intervening on behalf of young boys? For a sitting commander in chief who frequently speaks out against human rights violations, he certainly has not backed up his words with decisive action. Nope, he is still more concerned about fighting climate change and making sure homosexuals can serve openly.
Perhaps the main question should be this: Where do we go from here? Do we continue to fight the Taliban while simultaneously propping up morally bankrupt officials? This president certainly hasn’t shown any indication that he is willing to intervene, which is why he wants to withdraw all troops before he leaves office. It’s better for him to leave it to the next guy. Thanks, Obama — said no Afghan citizen ever.
Terence Jeffrey: “In its latest annual report, Planned Parenthood revealed that it killed 327,653 unborn babies in its abortion clinics in fiscal 2013. It also stated that in the year that ended on June 30, 2014, it received $524.8 million — or 41 percent of its total funding — from the government. … For Americans who respect innocent life, one obvious question is this: Why is Congress taking hard-earned money from American families struggling to raise their own children in a safe and decent environment and handing it over to a group that kills hundreds of thousands of babies per year and sometimes cuts out their organs? … Planned Parenthood, right now, is waging a war against defenseless unborn girls and boys. It is denying these children their equal opportunity to enjoy what ought to be the blessings of being born in a nation founded on the principle that the right to life is God-given and unalienable. When Rep. Gerry Connolly was mocking members of his committee for questioning Cecile Richards for her salary at a government-funded organization, he did not mention what that salary was. She did: It is $523,000 per year. Thanks to Congress, if you pay taxes, you helped pay that salary.”
Insight: “Let every nation know, whether it wishes us well or ill, that we shall pay any price, bear any burden, meet any hardship, support any friend, oppose any foe to assure the survival and the success of liberty.” —John F. Kennedy (1917-1963)
Upright: “Leadership isn’t defined by polls or head counts. It is defined by principles and courage. If polls that reflect what happened yesterday are left to determine what happens tomorrow, why do we need leaders? If politics is the art of the possible, it is leadership that takes what seems impossible and brings it into the realm of the possible. Facts appear to bear out that it is not conservatives but the absence of principled leadership that has hurt the Republican Party.” —Star Parker
Non Compos Mentis: “I do not believe in a God who would consider abortion a sin. God created abortion. As he did all of us. God created choice for all to DECIDE.” —”comedian” Margaret Cho
Annals of the absurd: “I don’t think we do children a favor by forcing women to give birth.” —Rep. Gwen Moore
Braying Jenny: “[I]t’s terrible to see a woman, the only woman running for president, attack Planned Parenthood that helps so many millions of women. It’s a sad day, but it’s the way it is. Not all women are going to fight for women. Carly Fiorina does not.” —Sen. Barbara Boxer
Dezinformatsia: “On my Twitter feed yesterday there was a woman who tweeted at me that said thanks to Planned Parenthood I’m still alive.” —Washington Post editor Jonathan Capehart (“Jonathan, have you given any thought to the six million people who will never be able to tweet you because their lives were ended by Planned Parenthood abortions?” —Newsbusters’ Mark Finkelstein)
Good question: “If the videos were selectively edited, if this was entrapment, all untrue, then why did you apologize?” —Rep. Jim Jordan to Planned Parenthood president Cecile Richards during congressional testimony
Late-night humor: “Hillary Clinton went on ‘Meet the Press’ yesterday, and I saw that Chuck Todd actually showed her a video of all the times she’s flip-flopped on issues. At first Hillary said she felt bad about it, but now she says she feels OK about it.” —Jimmy Fallon
Semper Vigilans Fortis Paratus et Fidelis!
Managing Editor Nate Jackson
Join us in daily prayer for our Patriots in uniform — Soldiers, Sailors, Airmen, Marines and Coast Guardsmen — standing in harm’s way in defense of Liberty, and for their families.
Saudi Arabia is Not Our Friend :: Fatah in Toronto Sun
The elements of people control – the goal of all dictators, would-be dictators, and global socialists – are actually rather simple: 1) They must control all food and food production – a goal that the global socialists hope to achieve on a global basis via GMOs and the tight production and control of all food seeds (i.e., non-reproducible seeds). Even simple gardening is now being prohibited in some parts of America, and food storage (called “hoarding” by the socialists) may soon be outlawed. Total control of all water resources – which are dwindling on a global basis – is an essential part of total food control. If they control the water, they can control what you grow – even in your garden. No water – no growing of food or raising of livestock!
2) They must control all medical care and treatment – because sick people are much easier to control, and a 75% global depopulation is the stated goal of the globalists. Hence, the uber-socialist control of medical treatment in America, Europe and many parts of the world – especially the Western world. (i.e., think Obamacare). Hence, the government war against alternate medicine and its practitioners and against the health supplements industry (i.e., think CODEX). Hence, the unholy alliance (i.e., monopoly) between the government (i.e., the FDA), the giant pharmaceutical industry, and the AMA – that is working overtime to stamp out all natural medical treatment and natural substances that they do not completely control and to force vaccinations and inoculations on the public. Here we see an interesting parallel between the Fascist partnership between the Nazi government and IG Farben and other German chemical/pharmaceutical giants in the 1930s and ’40s, and the Fascist partnership between the US government and the large pharmaceutical and ag giants (including Monsanto) now in place here in America today.
[List of people control elements to be continued next week.]
(Excerpt from McAlvany Intelligence Advisor, May 2015
The Obama administration allowed 1,519 terror-stained foreign refugees into the U.S. last year because their crimes were allegedly committed “while under duress.”…………. Click here for full story
France is still very much interested in introducing such a resolution, but they are not going to do it unless they have the support of the United States. In other words, the fate of a UN resolution setting the parameters for a Palestinian state is in the hands of Barack Obama. ………….. Click here for full story
Hundreds of irate parents are planning to attend the Walton County, Georgia, school board meeting Oct. 10 to convey their outrage over their children being taught the religious beliefs of Islam in middle-school social studies. Perhaps most disturbing to Christian parents was the “correct” answer on a quiz given to students that the Muslim god Allah is the “same god” that is worshiped by Christians and Jews.
..…….. Click here for full story
A lot of people out there expected something to happen in September that did not ultimately happen. There were all kinds of wild theories floating around, and many of them had no basis in reality whatsoever. But without a doubt, some very important things did happen in September. As I warned about ahead of time, we are witnessing the most significant global financial meltdown since the end of 2008. All of the largest stock markets in the world are crashing simultaneously, and so far the amount of wealth that has been wiped out worldwide is in excess of 5 trillion dollars. In addition to stocks, junk bonds are also crashing, and Bank of America says that it is a “slow moving trainwreck that seems to be accelerating“. Thanks to the commodity price crash, many of the largest commodity traders on the planet are now imploding. I wrote about the death spiral that has gripped Glencore yesterday. On Tuesday, the stock price of the largest commodity trader in Asia, the Noble Group, plummeted like a rock and commodity trading giant Trafigura appears to be in worse shape than either Glencore or the Noble Group. The total collapse of any of them could easily be a bigger event than the implosion of Lehman Brothers in 2008. So I honestly do not understand the “nothing is happening” crowd. It takes ignorance on an almost unbelievable level to try to claim that “nothing is happening” in the financial world right now. (Read More….)
Russia has begun carrying out air strikes in Syria against opponents of President Bashar al-Assad.
“And I will turn thee back, and put hooks into thy jaws, and I will bring thee forth, and all thine army, horses and horsemen, all of them clothed with all sorts of armour, even a great company with bucklers and shields, all of them handling swords:”Ezekiel 38:4 (KJV)
EDITOR’S NOTE: Less than 24 hours after the Russian leader appeared to speak at the United Nations General Assembly in New York City, Vladimir Putin has ordered massive air strikes to begin in Syria. Interesting note, reports are coming in that Russia is not really attacking ISIS so much as they are the multiple enemies of the Assad regime. Is Putin defending Syria, or is he laying the groundwork to advance on Israel? Buckle up, kiddies, things are about to get crazy.
The strikes reportedly hit rebel-controlled areas of Homs and Hama provinces, causing casualties. The US says it was informed an hour before they took place. Russian defence officials say aircraft targeted the Islamic State group, but an unnamed US official told Reuters that so far they did not appear to be targeting IS-held territory.
Syria’s civil war has raged for four years, with an array of armed groups fighting to overthrow the government. The US and its allies have insisted that President Assad should leave office, while Russia has backed its ally remaining in power.
New satellite imagery shows that Russia’s air combat power in Syria has exploded over the last 48 hours, with 12 Su-25 Frogtfoots adding to the four Su-30SM Flankers and about a dozen or so combat helicopters already stationed at Latakia Air Base in Syria. A dozen Russian Su-24 Fencers are also said to be on the ground there now as well.
Russia’s decision to intervene with its air power greatly complicates the Syrian crisis while probably offering little additional chance of a diplomatic resolution.
Russian sources indicate that Sukhoi Su-24 warplanes were involved, operating out of an airbase near Latakia.
There are serious questions about who exactly the Russian aircraft are targeting. US officials believe that the initial Russian strikes are not in IS-held territory, raising the possibility that Russian air power is being utilised more in the form of close air support for Syrian government forces against the multiple enemies of the Assad regime.
The Bible Believer’s Guide To The Two Different Wars Of Ezekiel 38 And 39
Of course, many of these enemies are supported by the West’s Arab allies or Turkey. The warning time given by the Russians to the Americans announcing the start of their operations may also raise some eyebrows, suggesting that much more detailed co-ordination may be needed in future to avoid incidents in Syrian airspace.
The upper house of the Russian parliament granted President Vladimir Putin permission to deploy the Russian air force in Syria.
The Russian defence ministry said the country’s air force had targeted IS military equipment, communication facilities, arms depots, ammunition and fuel supplies. Syrian opposition activists said Russian warplanes had hit five towns – Zafaraneh, Rastan, Talbiseh, Makarmia and Ghanto – resulting in the deaths of 36 people, including children.
None of the areas targeted were controlled by IS, activists said. A US defence official said: “A Russian official in Baghdad this morning informed US embassy personnel that Russian military aircraft would begin flying anti-Isil [IS] missions today over Syria. He further requested that US aircraft avoid Syrian airspace during these missions.” source
At first glance, it stands out like a sore thumb. That blob of blue and purple on the map. One of the only places on the globe that is abnormally cold in a year that will likely shatter records as the warmest globally. It’s being called the Atlantic “blob.” It’s a large area in the North Atlantic that is seeing a pronounced cooling trend. The ocean surface is much cooler than normal and in fact record cold in some locations. Scientists began to notice it developing over the last couple of years, this cooling in the Atlantic is the complete opposite of the warming over in the Pacific.
Much of the warming is attributed to El Nino, a natural process where warm water sloshes over the Central Pacific and extends to South America, but scientists are unable to completely explain what has been dubbed the Pacific Blob. This pronounced warming over large areas of the entire Pacific basin has fueled a well above average season for hurricanes and typhoons over the entire Pacific, and could have contributed to everything from the California drought, impacts on the salmon industry, and even tropical sharks seen in waters further north than ever before. FULL REPORT
Washington’s decision to station 20 next-generation advanced nuclear bombs of Type B61-12 is threatening to turn the specter of WWIII into a terrifying reality, F. William Engdahl warns. Although the Pentagon has advertised its B61-12 as a life extended version of the standard strategic US nuclear bomb, it is in fact a brand new nuclear weapon with vastly improved military capabilities, and the most expensive nuclear bomb project ever, Engdahl, an American-German economic researcher, emphasizes, citing Hans M. Kristensen, Director, Nuclear Information Project at the Federation of American Scientists.
The deployment of new nuclear weaponry in Germany by Washington “is no minor affair as it brings the likelihood of nuclear war by miscalculation between the United States and Russia one giant step closer and it makes the German Republic a direct high-priority target in any such escalation. Ashton “Ash” Carter and the war-hawks running the US Defense Department appear to be losing all contact with reality,” Engdahl noted in his article for New Eastern Outlook. On July 1, 2015 the Pentagon tested its new B61-12 at Tonopah Test Range in Nevada, prompting sharp criticism Russia. FULL REPORT
The Russian Air Force has begun carrying out airstrikes against Islamic State targets in Syria, the country’s Defense Ministry said. “In accordance with the decision of the Supreme Commander of the Russian Armed Forces, Vladimir Putin, warplanes of the Russian Air Space Forces today [Wednesday] have started an aerial operation, involving pinpoint strikes on ground targets of Islamic State (IS, formerly ISIS/ISIL) terrorists in Syria,” spokesperson for the Russian Defense Ministry, Igor Konashenkov, said.
The Russia airstrikes are targeting military equipment, communication centers, vehicles, arms and fuel depots, belonging to IS terrorists, Konashenkov added. Earlier, a US official told Reuters that Moscow gave Washington one-hour advanced notice of its operations. The bombing is taking place in western Syria, near the city Homs, the official added. A Pentagon official also told Russia’s RIA Novosti that urged the US to clear the skies for the operation. FULL REPORT
Scientists have discovered a gene which can be traced from the Biblical figure of Aaron, the first High Priest (kohen) of the Jewish people, to a segment of the Jewish population today which carries the priestly lineage. The nation of Israel’s priestly class, which is passed down from father to son, began with Aaron (Exodus 28:1). Despite 2,000 years of diaspora, modern science has now proved that the Biblical concept of kohanim has genetic evidence which has allowed the priestly heritage to maintain its integrity, leading to speculation that when the Third Temple is built, modern-day kohanim will be fully qualified to preside over the rituals and rites of the Holy Altar.
Originally, the firstborn of Israel were intended to serve God after He saved them from the plague that killed all of the firstborn sons in Egypt (Exodus 11). When the firstborns participated in the sin of the Golden Calf in the desert (Exodus 32), they disqualified themselves from serving in the Jewish Temple. The tribe of Levi (the tribe of Moses and Aaron) refrained from the sin, so they took the place of the firstborns, serving in the Tabernacle and later in the Temple as musicians, guards, and in several other roles. FULL REPORT
The International Monetary Fund (IMF) has issued a double warning over higher US interest rates, which it said could trigger a wave of emerging market corporate defaults and panic in financial markets as liquidity evaporates. The IMF said corporate debts in emerging markets ballooned to $18 trillion (£12 trillion) last year, from $4 trillion in 2004 as companies gorged themselves on cheap debt. It said the quadrupling in debt had been accompanied by weaker balance sheets, making companies more vulnerable to US rate rises.
“As advanced economies normalise monetary policy, emerging markets should prepare for an increase in corporate failures,” the IMF said in a pre-released chapter of its latest Financial Stability Report. It warned that this could create a credit crunch as risks “spill over to the financial sector and generate a vicious cycle as banks curtail lending”. In a double warning, the IMF said market liquidity, or the ease with which investors can quickly buy or sell securities without shifting their price, was “prone to sudden evaporation”, particularly in bond markets, when the Federal Reserve started to raise interest rates. FULL REPORT
We may want to pay close attention to the Stock Market today as September has been tough for stock investors. But if history is any guide, the last day of September may deliver one more blow to already battered markets, according to the financial blog Bespoke. Looking at data as far as 1945, the S&P 500 has posted positive returns just 38% on the last day of September, making it one of the worst trading days of the year, according to Bespoke (as the included table illustrates).
Earlier this month, financial blogger Ryan Detrick pointed out that the 38th, 39th and the 40th weeks of the calendar—which fall in September—tend to be the weakest of the year dating back to 1950. September has marked a particularly rough stretch for the S&P 500 SPX, +0.12%with only the week of Sept. 11 closing higher as China’s slowdown, global economic uncertainties, and lack of clarity on the timing of the Federal Reserve’s expected interest-rate hike have shaken investor confidence. According to FactSet, weekly performance in 2015 for the S&P 500 was among the worst in September. FULL REPORT
Joaquin may converge with another slow-moving storm in the East to add to a serious flooding situation into early next week. According to AccuWeather Chief Meteorologist Elliot Abrams, “The dry spell and local drought conditions will be washed away by heavy rain and flooding.” Small stream and urban flooding are a given in this case.
How significant river flooding becomes will depend on duration, intensity and location of the subsequent rounds of rain. The nearly week-long pattern has the potential to put some neighborhoods of major cities under water and can flood some communities along streams. According to AccuWeather Meteorologist Brett Rathbun, “Very heavy rainfall fell across a large portion of the East on Tuesday, causing localized flash flooding.” FULL REPORT
Pope Francis allegedly met with embattled Rowan County court clerk Kim Davis during his recent visit to the United States, according to Davis’ attorney Mat Staver. Staver said the two had a brief, private meeting Thursday in Washington, D.C. Staver said the pope told Davis to “stand strong.” The attorney said the pope gave Davis and her husband rosaries that he blessed. The Vatican has not yet confirmed the meeting. CONTINUE WITH FULL STORY
God made everything out of nothing, including you and me. His main purpose in creation was to bring him pleasure.
The chief way in which we as humanity do this is through loving, obeying, and enjoying him perfectly.
Instead of this, we have sinned against our loving Creator and acted in high-handed rebellion.
God has vowed that he will righteously and lovingly judge sinners with eternal death.
But God, being merciful, loving, gracious, and just, sent his own son, Jesus Christ, in the likeness of man to live as a man; fulfilling his perfect requirements in the place of sinners; loving, obeying, and enjoying him perfectly.
And further, his son bore the eternal judgment of God upon the cross of Calvary, as he satisfied the eternal anger of God, standing in the place of sinners. God treated Jesus as a sinner, though he was perfectly sinless, that he might declare sinners as perfect.
This glorious transaction occurs as the sinner puts their faith (dependence, trust) in the Lord Jesus Christ as their substitute. God then charges Christ’s perfection to the sinner, and no longer views him as an enemy but instead an adopted son covered in the perfect righteousness of his son.
God furnished proof that this sacrifice was accepted by raising Jesus from the dead.
God will judge the world in righteousness and all of those who are not covered in the righteousness of Christ, depending on him for forgiveness, will be forced to stand on their own to bear the eternal anger of God.
Therefore, all must turn from sin and receive Christ Jesus as Lord.
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.
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.
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.
(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
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A forensic analysis of undercover videos about Planned Parenthood’s abortion practices are “authentic and show no evidence of manipulation or editing,” according to a report released Tuesday by Alliance Defending Freedom.
The analysis was completed by Coalfire, a digital security and forensics firm that has worked on civil and criminal investigations. The firm had access to all audio and video investigative footage recorded by the Center for Medical Progress.
“The Coalfire forensic analysis removes any doubt that the full length undercover videos released by Center for Medical Progress are authentic and have not been manipulated,” said Casey Mattox, senior counsel at Alliance Defending Freedom. “Analysts scrutinized every second of video recorded during the investigation and released by CMP to date and found only bathroom breaks and other non-pertinent footage had been removed.”
According to the report, the videos only omit footage…
Recently, I was stunned when reading the present Pope’s declaration concerning his upcoming ‘Year of Mercy’. Accordingly during that period Pope Francis will give priests a special dispensation of power to forgive those who have committed the sin of abortion.
A line from W.C. Fields sprang to my mind, “Hour of mischief, what kind of skulduggery is this?”
In his statement, the Pope expressed compassion for those who have aborted their babies. Furthermore, during the Holy Year of Mercy, he will permit priests to absolve penitent women of the sin of having had their pregnancies terminated.
How sweet of him, but who in the name of thunder does he think he is to give permission to anyone to forgive sins? Only God can forgive sins…and He doesn’t limit His forgiveness to a 12-month window of opportunity.
This entire Papal proposal reeks of arrogance from start to finish. It is another…
Churchiness and programs occupy large space in the thoughts, writings and discourses of many professing to be Christians.
While luxuries of world, the empty pride of life, and selfish interests in all of its multiple forms, grow as rank weeds, and overrun the surface of the church, they in fact, choke not the lively interest in religiosity. Notwithstanding the chilling blasts of infidelity, and the enervating malaria of superstition, today’s Christian zeal for the ‘outward forms of devotion’ conspicuously holds its ground.
To look around gives proof. Is money not solicited to multiply and enlarge churches and schools, to endow districts, to embellish fabrics, to deck protrusive choirs in emulation of rock groups? And abundance generally responds to the appeal.
But the truth of the matter is, that this unprecedented liberality also includes the cold reality of indifference to the holy things of God in sacred matters. Hope, ever joying…
4 Abide in me, and I in you. As the branch cannot bear fruit by itself, unless it abides in the vine, neither can you, unless you abide in me. 5 I am the vine; you are the branches. Whoever abides in me and I in him, he it is that bears much fruit, for apart from me you can do nothing. 6 If anyone does not abide in me he is thrown away like a branch and withers; and the branches are gathered, thrown into the fire, and burned. 7 If you abide in me, and my words abide in you, ask whatever you wish, and it will be done for you. 8 By this my Father is glorified, that you bear much fruit and so prove to be my disciples. 9 As the Father has loved me, so have I loved you. Abide in my…
“The world has watched and witnessed the targeted persecution of Christians, suffering violence, displacement, rape, enslavement, and even death,” said Kirsten Evans, executive director of IDC. “Do these crimes constitute genocide under international law, and if so, what the so what are the options the international community has in order to respond?”
“The challenge of a growing suspicion toward metanarratives is that Christianity is unavoidably a metanarrative. Christianity is the one story that rules them all. It is the one narrative that explains mankind’s origins, miseries, death and ultimate destiny. Our faith testifies to an ontological and metaphysical reality that applies to all men – past, present and future.”
“The only way out of this bondage is fairly well known: desire being desired less, and desire God more. To desire less is done through confession and repentance. What could you confess? Narcissism, self-worship, fear of aloneness, a conviction that God is not so good—when possible, reach for something that is ruthlessly accurate.”
“The engine of capitalism is the God-given drive, ability, and responsibility to create, to innovate, to conquer and subdue. When humans make something out of nothing, or when we make the same something more efficiently, we show forth the image of God in us.”
Even as Germany has introduced “temporary” border controls in the past few days, the estimates for the actual number of migrants expected continues to grow. Vice Chancellor Sigmar Gabriel now tells his party that, “There are many indications that in this year we will not see 800,000 refugees, as predicted, but a million.”
The first stumbling block to any Evangelical cave-in is the Bible. Evangelicals are not “fundamentalists” in the way many have come to use the term—characterized by uniformity on secondary or tertiary doctrines along with a fighting sectarian spirit. But conservative Evangelicals are—and always have been—“fundamentalists” in the original meaning of the term, within the context of the Fundamentalist-Modernist controversy of the early twentieth century.
Why “Strategic Ministry” Makes Me Deeply Uncomfortable
“It is easy for Christians to find themselves thinking that if only we could get a sports star, or celebrity, or high-profile leader converted, then it would be a great coup for the gospel. Such people, by virtue of their position, are deemed to be more strategically valuable than others, and so resources are apportioned accordingly.”
What Is a Christian’s Responsibility to Government?
“We are told to bend over backwards to honor the king or be obedient to the civil magistrates. That doesn’t mean a slavish obedience to the civil magistrates. There are occasions on which Christians not only may but must disobey the civil magistrates.”
This past weekend at the same hotel where the Values Voter Summit was happening, an alarm was sounding about the flood of attacks on religious liberty across the country.
10 Steps to Immediate Church Renewal (That Most Churches Won’t Take)
Posted on September 29, 2015 by Crosswalk
What if I gave you a list of ten things that any church could do that would bring almost immediate renewal and growth. Would you be interested in the list? Most would be.
John Piper Says Hollywood Makes Sex Sinful, but It Isn’t
Posted on September 29, 2015 by Christian Post
The portrayal of sex by Hollywood might lead many to believe that sex is sinful and that it undermines the beauty of Christ’s holiness, but Christians should not think this way, says theologian John Piper in his latest blog post, which states that sex in marriage belongs to Believers.
Thousands of Christian Counselors Gather in Nashville to Discuss ‘Epidemic’ of Suicide in Church, Race and Refugees
Posted on September 29, 2015 by Christian Post
Close to 7,000 Christian counselors and other mental health professionals have gathered for a three-day meeting in Nashville to discuss the &epidemic& of suicide in the church and other contentious issues, such as race and refugees.
PCUSA Appoints First-Ever Openly Gay Executive Director to Legally Embattled Mission Agency
Posted on September 29, 2015 by Christian Post
The largest Presbyterian denomination in the United States has for the first time appointed an openly gay individual to serve as interim executive director for one of its agencies.
Brave new world: Obama says gay rights trump religious liberty
Christian Examiner reports:
Should gay rights come into conflict with religious belief, religious liberty will lose, President Barack Obama told an audience of lesbian, gay, bi-sexual and transgender activists at the Democrat National Committees annual LGBT Gala in New York Sept. 27.
“We affirm that we cherish our religious freedom and are profoundly respectful of religious traditions,” Obama said. “But we also have to say clearly that our religious freedom doesn’t grant us the freedom to deny our fellow Americans their constitutional rights.”
As Pope Francis flew back to Rome, President Obama issued a stern warning to Christians, warning them their attempts to assert their religious liberty to oppose gay rights would fail.
“And ye shall cry out in that day because of your king which ye shall have chosen you; and the LORD will not hear you in that day.”1 Samuel 8:18 (KJV)
EDITOR’S NOTE: Obama’s war on Christianity continues unabated and with a newly-discovered sense of purpose and fervor. That Obama is not a Christian is painfully obvious to even the most casual observer. At every possible turn, he supports, funds and fosters legislation that spits in the face of the God of Abraham and the Holy Bible. Never in the history of America has there ever a been a president who was as anti-Christian as this president. This man is the very judgement of God upon us for rejecting Him as a nation, and as such, God has given us the king that we deserve.
“We affirm that we cherish our religious freedom and are profoundly respectful of religious traditions,” he insisted during a dramatic speech at a LGTB fundraiser in New York City on Sunday night, praising the progress made on gay rights under his administration. “But we also have to say clearly that our religious freedom doesn’t grant us the freedom to deny our fellow Americans their constitutional rights.”
The fundraiser for the Democratic National Committee was specifically billed as an “LGBT gala” held in New York City in coordination with Obama’s trip to the United Nations Assembly.
During his speech, Obama asserted that his administration was respecting what he described as “genuine concerns” of religious institutions but suggested that Republicans were using the issue just to earn more votes, as they did in 2004.
“America has left the leaders of the Republican Party behind,” he declared proudly.
He ridiculed Ben Carson for suggesting that “prison turns you gay” and added that another Republican candidate had boasted of his introduction of a constitutional amendment to ban same-sex marriage, likely referring to Sen.
Alluding to Gov. Mike Huckabee, Obama mocked a candidate who said that “Americans should just disobey the Supreme Court’s ruling entirely.”
“I’m sure he loves the Constitution — except for Article III,” Obama said mockingly. “And maybe the Equal Protection Amendment. And 14th Amendment, generally.”
Debbie Wasserman Shultz was in attendance at the fundraiser, and Star Trek’s George Takei also was expected to attend.
Obama proudly told the audience that he would not back down in his efforts to make progress for the LGBT community, and called for all of them to remain vigilant to hold the line on important legal gains in the country.
“What makes America special is, is that though sometimes we zig and zag, eventually hope wins out,” he said. “But it only wins out because folks like you put your shoulder behind the wheel and push it in that direction.” source
From Antichrist to Brother in Christ: How Protestant Pastors View the Pope
This is stunning news in light of the fact that the apostate Roman Catholic Church teaches that Salvation is found in the Roman Catholic Church alone. Any person who’s not a Catholic is considered anathema — condemned to hell. Here is the RCC’s official stance: OUTSIDE THE CHURCH THERE IS NO SALVATION, – …it means that […]
Why Evangelicals and Catholics Cannot be “Together”
Jordan Standridge of The Cripplegate covers the many reasons evangelicals must not unit with the apostate Roman Catholic Church (RCC) even though some of our leaders are doing everything in their power to bring evangelicals and Catholics together under one big tent. Think: Rick Warren, who seems to have forgotten about the Protestant Reformation. But, thankfully, […]
Some high profile Baptists, including Albert Mohler, president of Southern Baptist Theological Seminary and Russell Moore of the Ethics & Religious Liberty Commission, had a lot to say about a Roman Catholic pope’s address to Congress….as a pastor, by the way, not as a political leader. Mohler makes an excellent point: “Well, let’s just state […]
Pope praises contemplative pioneer Thomas Merton before Congress
For those who missed it, Pope Francis gave high praise to a Trappist Monk who had an affinity for unbiblical contemplative prayer. John Lanagan of My Word Like Fire has the report: This is how it seems to be going: People are being encouraged into contemplative prayer by men and women such as Rick Warren, […]
Tim Challies reviews “Eve” written by the author of “The Shack”
On the positive side, I think [William] Paul Young has become a markedly better writer since The Shack. On the negative side, he continues to use his writing to undermine and redefine Christian theology. By my reckoning, that’s a net loss. Where The Shack was meant to revolutionize our understanding of God, his new novel […]
Climate Change, Planned Parenthood and Witch Doctors
Lee Duigon, contributing editor with the Chalcedon Foundation, draws some apt comparisons between liberals and witch doctors. Here’s Lee’s piece: If someone has to die, in order for you to get what you want, are you okay with that? If that someone is only “fetal tissue,” well, that’s how progress is made in medicine, as […]
Phyllis Tickle, who championed a church paradigm shift, is dead
It was lung cancer. Sadly, the emergent-New Ager clung to her teachings that Christendom must evolve. She frequently appeared with Brian McLaren, Tony Jones, Doug Pagitt and those of other faiths to ring in a new era in the modern Church. (See “Emerging Towards Convergence”) Tickle believed that throughout history, the Christian Church evolves every […]
Transgendered Catholic meets Pope at the White House
Did you ever imagine a headline like this? The celebration of sin at our own White House, with our president and the so-called “Holy Father” is stunning to those of us who know what the Bible teaches. See Marsha West’s article, “GLAAD-handing: Obama invites gay rights activists to meet Pope Francis“. With that as the […]
ISIS is planning to target Europe, intelligence officials say
Christian Today reports:
ISIS is developing a foreign policy to strengthen its influence abroad, including carefully planned attacks in Europe, intelligence officials have said.
Islamic State has, until now, focused on perpetuating sectarian violence on its neighbours and minority groups such as Christians, Yazidis and Shia Muslims. The new assessment suggests the organisation is looking beyond its borders, in keeping with its pretension of being a state according to the Financial Times.
When Will the Gospel Be Preached in All the World?
Therefore, we must ask the question, “When will the gospel be preached to all the world?” We ask because those of us who hold to the pre-mil, pre-trib position of the end times routinely preach that there are no prophecies yet to be fulfilled before Jesus comes to take His church out of the world. Since He said the gospel would be preached to the world before He comes, how does that fit?
I realize that this is a bold claim here, but it is this writer’s belief, that Dispensationalism saved Evangelical Christianity and extended its stay for another 185 years in the West. Dispensational thought opened up for the first time in millennia, an explosion of new understanding by reconciling all of God’s word in perfect harmony. This wasn’t new revelation as many critics charge Dispensationalism with (i.e…the old and debunked Margaret MacDonald accusation), but by new illumination, by way of rightly dividing the Word that has always been there.
Attempts to Blend Christianity with Other Religions
by Maria Kneas, 9/13/15
Numerous attempts have been made to blend Christianity with other religions on a world-wide scale. You can read about them in Carl Teichrib’s article “Unveiling the Global Interfaith Agenda.” There are also other attempts to merge Christianity with different religions. For example, Chrislam tries to combine Christianity with Islam. There are people who call themselves Christian witches (i.e., combining Christianity with Wicca). There are attempts to mix Christianity with Hinduism, and with Buddhism, and with Shamanism. (A shaman is a Native American medicine man.) Some people claim to be Christian witch doctors or Christian sorcerers. You can even buy a book about Christian Voodoo. Nominal Christians are people who are Christians in name only. They call themselves Christians, but they really aren’t. They don’t have a relationship with Jesus Christ, they ignore or deny foundational Christian doctrines, and they don’t try to live the way God has instructed us as described in the Bible. Such people can fit in with other religions. However, born-again Christians aren’t able to do that because they have God’s Spirit living inside them Who convicts them of sin and enables them to trust and obey the Lord. And because God is living inside them, He gives them the grace and strength to abide in Him. Simply put, biblical Christianity cannot mix with other religions.
What it comes down to is the preaching of the higher self versus the preaching of the Cross. The New Age is saying that God is the higher self in man-that God is just a meditation away.
The political author, Joel Rosenberg, said on his blog on August 27, 2015, the following: “From mass shooters… to the genocidal acts of the Islamic State… to the unchallenged rise of a nuclear Iran… to the Planned Parenthood videos about the selling of baby hearts and lungs and livers over a salad and Chardonnay… to corrupt governments and corrupt leaders… to rampant marital unfaithfulness… to an epidemic of suicide and drug use… to the persecution and slavery of people all over the world… to so many other horrifying acts, it is easy these days to feel deeply discouraged and even depressed.”…
WVW-TV Presents: How Muslims Forced The Pact of Omar on Jews & Christians in Egypt & What That Means For Religious Liberty. Watch this program now before it rolls into the Situation Room for members only.
the principal acts of saving faith are accepting, receiving, and resting upon Christ alone for justification, sanctification, and eternal life, by virtue of the covenant of grace. —Westminster Confession of Faith 14.2
To say that our faith saves us means that we do not save ourselves even in the slightest measure. Very different would be the case if our salvation was said to be through love…. J. Gresham Machen, What Is Faith? (1946), 173–4.
Evangelical involvement in politics has perhaps never been more intense. The George W. Bush administration had an office of faith-based initiatives. The Obama administration continues to hold prayer breakfasts and regularly invokes the Christian faith when it serves favored policy goals. The national media cover the scandals of evangelical leaders because those evangelicals have political […]
Every church and ministry has one; but it may not be what it seems to be. We’re talking about “Statements of Faith” or “What We Believe” professions for organizations professing Christianity. Virtually every Christian church or ministry will state “We believe the Word of God is eternal truth”…yet some of these organizations approve of homosexuality, […]
From Antichrist to Brother in Christ: How Protestant Pastors View the Pope
From Berean Research:
This is stunning news in light of the fact that the apostate Roman Catholic Church teaches that Salvation is found in the Roman Catholic Church alone. Any person who’s not a Catholic is considered anathema — condemned to hell. Here is the RCC’s official stance:
OUTSIDE THE CHURCH THERE IS NO SALVATION, – …it means that all salvation comes from Christ the Head through the Church which is his Body: – Basing itself on Scripture and Tradition, the Council teaches that the Church, a pilgrim now on earth, is necessary for salvation. C of the C C 846
It is in the Church that the fullness of the means of salvation has been deposited. C of the C C 824
Obviously the pastors who believe the Pope is their brother in Christ have no clue what the head of the RCC believes about them — unless they join the RCC, they’ll spend eternity in hell. And this includes high profile evangelical pastors, including Rick Warren, T.D. Jakes and Joel Osteen, who “expressed their excitement and support for the papal pomp and circumstance.” Many pastors, including our so-called leaders, seem to have forgotten that the Protestant Reformation was named for protesting Roman Catholicism!
What the survey reveals is that a substantial number of the pastors who took the time to respond were unaware of the pope’s 2014 proclamation in which he stated…
In this episode of Equipping Eve, Erin talks to Phil Johnson, Executive Director of Grace to You. It’s a potpourri discussion, covering topics such as women’s ministries, Bible study, and the apparent doctrinal downgrade within the visible church. Click here to listen to this latest episode of Equipping Eve. Click here for a list of articles referenced in this episode of Equipping Eve.
Over the years we have observed a wide variety of groups who outright reject the Jesus of Scripture but somehow feel the need to attach His name to their group or cause in order to give them an air of legitimacy. It happens with world religions, cults, social causes and politics. Some years ago we […]
The burning lust for women is a passion bordering on insanity. To gratify this sense we languish, grow angry, throw ourselves about with joy, indulge envy, engage in rivalry, are filled with anxiety, and when we have terminated the pleasure with more or less repentance, we once more take fire, and want to do that which we again regret doing.
Take heed, single males! [NB- I suppose in these times of ours I should add the word ‘heterosexual’ but I’m not going to. Just out of principle].
Many Christians define Hell as eternal separation from God. However, I wonder if this is born out by Scripture. It seems that a lot of people go to Jesus Christ’s cry on the cross to prove this point: “My God, my God, why have You forsaken me?” If Christ experienced Hell on the cross, as most Reformed believers rightly believe, then Hell seems to be defined here as being forsaken by God.
Another argument that seems to point in this direction is the relationship of Revelation 20 to Revelation 21. In Revelation 20, the dragon and the two beasts are thrown into the lake of fire, along with Death, Hades, and everyone whose name is not written in the Lamb’s book of life (Revelation 20:15). When one reads on into Revelation 21, it says that God will dwell with His people, which seems to suggest that He is not dwelling with those who are in the lake of fire.
To answer the first argument, it is not true that God the Father abandoned God the Son at the cross. The cross did not result in a rift in the Trinity. The abandonment consists of the God-man suffering the full wrath of God the Father. It is a giving up of Jesus to the judicial wrath, not an ontological abandonment. This becomes clear when the judgment context of Psalm 22 is taken into account, from which Jesus’ cry comes.
To answer the second argument, I wonder Who keeps the lake of fire hot? Who throws Satan into it? Who torments Satan day and night forever? Are these not divine passive constructions? Who can administer the justice but God alone? How would we ever trust that the punishment fits the crime perfectly unless it is God who punishes?
A passage that gives a bit more light on this is Revelation 14:6-13. In this passage, those who worship the beast, and receive the mark of the beast will drink the cup of the wrath of God, poured full strength (verse 10). This torment is eternal (verse 11). Therefore, John is talking about eternal punishment in Hell in these verses, not a temporal punishment. The key phrase, then, for our purposes, is the last part of verse 10: “in the presence of the holy angels and the presence of the Lamb.” It is the torment that will happen in the presence of the Lamb and of the angels, a torment that lasts forever. It is, therefore, true that the torment will last eternally in the presence of the angels and of the Lamb.
Another argument can be deduced from the principle of God’s omnipresence. If God is everywhere (see Psalm 139 for an extensive proof of God’s omnipresence), then God is present in Hell as well. Some of us might be uncomfortable saying that, as if God shouldn’t be involved in the punishment of Hell, as if it would dirty His holy hands. I would counter by saying that I wouldn’t want anyone BUT an omniscient God administering punishment for eternity! How else could permanent justice be assured?
I conclude that the formulation of Hell being eternal separation from God needs a bit of tweaking. Hell is eternal separation from the grace and mercy of God. It is not eternal separation from God entirely. I believe that people will fervently wish that they could escape the judging presence of God! Hell is a place where God is present only to judge and punish. Heaven is the place where God is present only to love and cherish.
Carly Fiorina’s big moment at the last Republican debate occurred when she described one of the videos exposing Planned Parenthood’s sale of baby parts. Since the debate, critics have claimed that the video she describes doesn’t exist. Fiorina’s campaign responded with the ad above showing that the video does in fact exist (WARNING: The video is graphic).
Still, the critics have been piling-on as if Fiorina’s claims are completely fabricated. Just yesterday I saw Chuck Todd rake her over the coals about it on “Meet the Press.” Fiorina stood by her guns. So who’s telling the truth here? Fiorina or the fact-checkers?
The best article I’ve seen on this so far is the one published today by Ross Douthat. He shows that the video obviously does exist, even if Fiorina conflated and jumbled some details in her description of it. Douthat also shows that the fact-checkers have yet to undermine her underlying claim–that Planned Parenthood sometimes delivers live babies in an effort to harvest organs to sell to third-party buyers.
Bottom line: The fact-checking boils down to parsing Fiorina’s words while ignoring the bone-chilling inhumanity of Planned Parenthood. And so the fact-checking turns out to be just one more piece of the propaganda propping-up the tax-payer funded butchery of our nation’s leading abortion provider.
If Americans are so indifferent that they can’t see through this cynical distraction from the main issue, God help us. Fiorina is right. This is about the character of our nation.
News you can use
And now for an important public service announcement:
One of my favorite things is to hear my kids tell me they love me. Hannah, my middle girl, always wants me to be home. Always. In fact, after coming home from one trip, she told me in tears that I should never go away again. I should just stay home, and go to work, and then come back home again at night. When I get home from work, Hudson excitedly shouts, “Hey guys! Dad’s home!” and then rams his head into my pelvis while giving me a hug. Abigail loves nothing more than to cuddle, whether it’s convenient or not.
I am indeed, a much loved and very blessed man, friends. I try to do lots of fun things with the kids whenever possible, but they don’t love me because I’m the “fun” dad. They love me because, along with their mom, I help provide stability to their world. That’s what we do with schedules, routines and even discipline. And because they have a stable home, they are free to be themselves.
Strangely, we don’t seem to look at God the same way. While it’s understandable for the non-Christian, sure, but even many believers struggle to be thankful that God is on his throne. Many seem to want him to be anywhere but. Many would prefer a god of love—a god who is love, but who wields no authority. What they want, though, is god they can control. And when they’re reminded that this god doesn’t exist, they lash out.
Spurgeon reminded his hearers—and us today—of this truth when he preached,
Men will allow God to be everywhere except on his throne. They will allow him to be in his workshop to fashion worlds and to make stars. They will allow him to be in his almonry to dispense his alms and bestow his bounties. They will allow him to sustain the earth and bear up the pillars thereof, or light the lamps of heaven, or rule the waves of the ever-moving ocean; but when God ascends his throne, his creatures then gnash their teeth; and when we proclaim an enthroned God, and his right to do as he wills with his own, to dispose of his creatures as he thinks well, without consulting them in the matter, then it is that we are hissed and execrated, and then it is that men turn a deaf ear to us, for God on his throne is not the God they love. They love him anywhere better than they do when he sits with his sceptre in his hand and his crown upon his head. But it is God upon the throne that we love to preach. It is God upon his throne whom we trust.
We don’t want a God who has authority in our lives. We want one we can control. We think it’s easier. We think it’s even possible. But it’s not. Even if we believe in a toothless god, we don’t really love it, because we know in our hearts it doesn’t exist. And we don’t have any confidence in such a god anyway, because we’re left without any real sense of stability. We merely have what seems right in our own eyes. And that is an unstable foundation for even the most consistent person.
But we do have something, or rather, someone, better: the true God—the maker of the heavens and the earth, and Father of our Lord Jesus. The one does sit on his throne, and who does what is right and just, whether we like it or not. This is the God we ought to run to because he is the only one worthy of love.
What role do trials play in the Christian life? In this lab, John Piper explains a hard, but beautiful truth. God writes hardship and suffering into every believer’s story for the sake of their faith. He wants to secure and deepen our joy in himself, and so he carries us through various trials.
Anyone paying attention to the news last week could not have missed Pope Francis’s historic visit to the United States. Perhaps the most alarming aspect of his visit was the way in which some evangelical leaders enthusiastically embraced him. Today’s article addresses one of the many reasons why evangelicals should neither endorse nor applaud the office of the papacy.
The Popularity of the Papacy
Francis is unarguably one of the most popular popes in recent memory. That popularity has been fueled, largely, by his unexpected message of tolerance toward those who have historically been condemned by the Catholic Church.
In last few months, Francis has even shocked many Catholics with statements he has made about homosexuality, divorce, abortion, capitalism, climate change, and how he views of people in non-Catholic religions. Some of his comments have been so surprising, in fact, that it leads one to wonder about the continuing validity of the rhetorical question: “Is the Pope Catholic?” With Francis, it’s getting harder and harder to say for sure.
In spite of all of that, the pope has never been more popular. Type the words “pope Francis souvenirs” into Google and over 1.8 million results show up. There are Pope Francis bobble heads, coffee mugs, commemorative buttons, key chains, wall art, collectible stamps, prayer cards, throw pillows, and a whole lot more.
Incredibly, the pope’s popularity has even spilled over into some Protestant circles—enticing a number of evangelical leaders to embrace him as a brother in Christ, rather than to reject him as a false teacher. In the words of one well-known television preacher, regarding Francis: “I love the fact that’s he’s made the Church more inclusive. Not trying to make it smaller, but to try to make it larger—to take everybody in. So, that just resonates with me.”
But the fact of the matter is that the popularity of this pope or any other pope represents the tragic reality that there are more than a billion people today caught in the clutches of a false religious system. The Roman Catholic church is not the true church. It is an apostate movement that has undermined the gospel by elevating the traditions of men above the Word of God.
[Note: This article continues on the Preachers and Preaching blog.] Click here to Continue reading . . .
This is the second of a three-part series on God’s name, “I AM.” Be sure to read Part One (“‘I AM’ shows us how we encounter God”), and to check back tomorrow for Part Three (“‘I AM’ transforms our identities”).
When God appears to Moses at the burning bush and says, “I am who I am,” that implies, “I am not who you define me to be.” Obvious enough, right? Yet one of the consistent blunders of our generation is that we’d rather remake God into our image than accept him as he is. But he won’t have it. God is not the result of democratic processes. He’s not the puppet of our polls. God is. And in saying, “I am,” God gives us the ground rule for knowing him at all.
Theologians talk about two types of theology—the “theology from above” and the “theology from below.” Theology from below is the result of philosophical speculation. We get together, share ideas about what we think God is like, and after a spirited debate, we make our conclusions. This is, after all, the ideal for how we should make decisions in our contemporary pluralistic society, so it’s natural to think that we can do the same with religion. Let’s bring all of our ideas to the public square and see which God-ideas are best.
Theology from above, on the other hand, isn’t the result of philosophy. It’s not a matter of debate. It’s revealed, and we only have two options—accept it or reject it. The analogy that Plato uses of the cave is a helpful one here. In Plato’s Republic, he uses the image of a cave to describe our pursuit of truth. All of us are in a cave, and as light comes in from outside, we can’t see what’s going on outside, but we can see shadows. So we guess at what the shadows represent. The point, as Plato explains, is that our pursuit of God is largely fruitless…unless someone from outside could come in and tell us what life is like out there. That’s precisely what Christians believe about Jesus.
Which type of theology do you believe in? Is it a theology that arises from below, one that you can modify and adjust as you see fit? Or is it theology from above, a revelation of who God truly is? Most of us Christians would like to say that we believe in a theology from above. But here’s a trick to let you know if you actually believe in it: when theology comes from above, you don’t argue with it.
Do you edit God’s word when it bothers you? Do you ignore the ethical parts that seem too restrictive? Is there any room in your life for God to actually contradict you? If God can never contradict you, then whatever else you say, you’re constructing theology from below. Real people surprise us. They challenge us. They often offend us. God is (in this way) no different. If you believe in a God who never surprises you, challenges you, or offends you, that’s not a real person. That’s a figment of your imagination.
God’s revelation comes down from above. It begins not with us putting our heads together, but with his flat assertion: I am. That’s a revelation that we can receive. It’s a revelation we can reject. But if God is truly alive, then that’s not a revelation we can debate, edit, reshape, or refashion. God is. Receive him for who he is, or just be honest about it and reject him wholesale. There isn’t a third option.
Prayer is not easy. I find that true myself, but others whom I respect have also given testimony to the difficulty of prayer. Some chaps make it sound easy; if they spend hours a day in the tent of meeting, they probably have their computer in the tent with them.
Consider the following testimonies, which are filled with thoughts that one ordinarily doesn’t hear when people give their public testimonies, oddly enough:
“Everything we do in the Christian life is easier than prayer.” Martyn Lloyd-Jones
“There is nothing that we are so bad at all our days as prayer.” Alexander Whyte
“There are times in my life when I would rather die than pray.” Thomas Shepard
Imagine Thomas Shepard saying those words as he is brought to the front of the church to “speak about the wonderful things God has done in his life.” Whatever the case, I find those words from the aforementioned men somewhat comforting. In fact, read this from John Bunyan:
“May I but speak my own Experience, and from that tell you the difficulty of Praying to God as I ought; it is enough to make you poor, blind, carnal men, to entertain strange thoughts of me. For, as for my heart, when I go to pray, I find it so reluctant to go to God, and when it is with him, so reluctant to stay with him, that many times I am forced in my Prayers; first to beg God that he would take mine heart, and set it on himself in Christ, and when it is there, that he would keep it there. In fact, many times I know not what to pray for, I am so blind, nor how to pray I am so ignorant; only (blessed be Grace) the Spirit helps our infirmities [Rom. 8:26].”
That’s a Puritan – ahem – who obviously struggles, as most of us do, with prayer.
Sometimes Christians get in a “prayer rut” and find it difficult to break out of that rut. It isn’t that they give up praying altogether, but they do seem to give up spending time alone with the Lord in what the Puritans called “private, fervent prayer” (see Heb. 5:7).
Of course, there is no rule set down how often and how long we should pray. Yet, we pray without ceasing (1 Thess. 5:17); we are to pray at all times (Eph. 6:18); and we pray suddenly based on need and occasion (Neh. 2:4).
The Bible also gives us examples of those who seemed to have set times or specific times where they devoted themselves to prayer (Matt. 6:6). Consider Daniel, who prayed three times daily, “as he had done previously” (Dan. 6:10). “Peter went up on the housetop about the sixth hour to pray” (Acts 10:9). And our Lord Jesus “would withdraw to desolate places and pray” (Lk. 5:16).
Given that prayer is difficult, how does Christ motivate us to pray? In Matthew 6:6 he promises his disciples their Father will reward them for what they do (i.e., pray) in secret. Notice how often the word “reward” appears in that chapter alone.
We do have to ask ourselves whether we adequately believe the words in Matthew 6:6. Do we really believe, as we should, that God will reward us? If we did, we would indeed spend a lot more time in secret prayer than we do. We do not have because we do not ask! We do not ask because we lack faith (Matt. 21:22).
Faith is the hand that begs from God: “And without faith it is impossible to please him, for whoever would draw near to God must believe that he exists and that he rewards those who seek him” (Heb. 11:6).
Christ, the man of faith par excellence, certainly grasped this concept in his own prayer life. In fact, he prayed for his reward: “And now, Father, glorify me in your own presence with the glory that I had with you before the world existed” (Jn. 17:5).
I don’t know precisely how the Lord will reward us for what we do in secret. Sometimes the answers to prayer are either obvious or immediate. Sometimes he rewards us by not giving us what we (sometimes wrongly) ask for. And there are prayers which may not even be answered in our own lifetime (see Stephen’s prayer in Acts 7:59-60, which may have resulted in the conversion of Saul of Tarsus; or notice how Moses’ prayer to see God’s glory in Ex. 33:18 was answered at the Transfiguration).
But I do know this:
The rewards from our Father are of grace: “It is called a reward, but it is of grace, not of debt; what merit can there be in begging?” (Matthew Henry)
And, he has promised to reward his children when they pray in secret, and that motivation alone should be enough to get us into our “prayer closets” where we ask in order to receive.
Lots of people, probably many in your own life, are curious about the Bible or maybe even want to read it, but don’t know where to start. Many of us woke up this morning ourselves wanting to start reading the Bible again, but not sure where to turn today. In two minutes, Ben Stuart gives us a few places to turn when we’ve never read the Bible before or when we don’t know where to turn.
Happiness by Randy Alcorn. Although I have a couple of reservations about this book, which I’ll explain in my upcoming review, on the whole I am very positive about it.
If the Spirit does not come in power then not even the best of preacher is strong enough to wield the sword—we are but children playing with daddy’s weapons. But when God uses His Word through us—He can wield it and accomplish the purpose He has set for it.
When I was an intern preparing for ministry at Tenth Presbyterian Church in Philadelphia, I asked Dr. Paul Tripp, “If you could give any one piece of advice to young men preparing for ministry, what would it be?” Speaking from years of pastoral experience, Paul responded, “Don’t become the fourth person of the Trinity for people.” What he obviously meant was, “Don’t try to stand in the place of God and do what only God the Father, Son and Holy Spirit can do in someone’s life.” You can’t effect the change that you labor so diligently to help bring about in the lives of those entrusted to your care–only the Lord can produce real and lasting change (1 Cor. 3:6-8). There are real dangers that pastors face when they function as if they are the fourth person in the Trinity.
At some point, we have all witnessed the devastation of an affair. On the one hand, it is shocking just how much can be destroyed by the act of one person sharing sexual intimacy with another. But on the other hand, it is not shocking at all when we consider how much meaning God has packed into marriage and into the sexual relationship within marriage.
I am all for innovation. But it should be used as means to better contextualize the gospel, not simply for its own sake. We need to evaluate where that line is, so that we do not cross it and lose the very reason God has placed us here.
Ditching the note-taking preaching ethos both elevates sermons and properly diminishes them. It treats a sermon as proclamation aided by the Spirit, which gives the sermon a supernatural weight. On the other hand, by treating all words in a sermon as expendable to memory, it puts the preacher’s words in the right place compared to the Scripture’s words. It diminishes the impact of a well-turned phrase and magnifies real revelation.
I think this is a tremendously helpful collection of wisdom for the young man pursuing the young lady. My favorite line: “Whether she’s your future wife, or someone else’s, her body is not for your touch and your touch is not ready for her body.”
McDonald’s all-day breakfast is pretty much the best thing ever. Except for the part about it not being available in Canada! Anyway, this article explains how it came to be.
Marvin Olasky: “Publications in the 17th century usually put out only news that would make the king or his officials look good, but New England Puritans encouraged the reporting of bad news because they saw everything, good and bad, as a message from God.”
ARTICLES I LIKE FROM AROUND THE WEB: (Click title to go to full article)
Accidental Saints – “I read it because it was on the New York Times list of bestsellers. That is not only a significant accomplishment for an author but an indication that her work resonates with a wide audience. So I read the book. And, oh my.”
Making Money From End of the World Fears – “I was going to write a book about ‘Why Unbelievers Hate Us’, but not only was I busy with my creation science ministry, but so many examples would make the book so huge, it would fill up a saddlebag and make your horse list to one side.”
Evolution and Original Sin – “The BioLogos website has continued its series on a variety of views of the atonement in light of their belief in molecules-to-man evolution. Previously, we critiqued two posts written by Dr. Joseph Bankard, who argued that the atonement had far more to do with Christ’s life than with His sacrificial death. In this article we will examine two posts on the topic written by George Murphy, a retired Lutheran pastor with a PhD in theoretical physics.”
A Tale of Two Churches – For certain people have crept in unnoticed who long ago were designated for this condemnation, ungodly people, who pervert the grace of our God into sensuality and deny our only Master and Lord, Jesus Christ.
SERMON:
The Gay Revolution – Durbin, White, & Brown
VIDEOS:
Life Begins At Conception?
The Atheist Double Standard
“All death can do to the believer is deliver him to Jesus. It brings us into the eternal presence of our Savior.” – John MacArthur
TEXTS AND APPLICATION: The book of Nehemiah begins with Nehemiah’s extended prayer of brokenness over Jerusalem (Neh. 1:2-11), and it ends with a simple prayer of blessing: “Remember me, my God, with favor” (Neh. 13:31). In between are the several prayers we noted in the devotion, “Praying on the Way,” plus additional prayers in chapter 13. Without question, prayer was in Nehemiah’s DNA.
Nehemiah shows us so much about doing God’s work. He began his work in prayer, grieving over the condition of the fallen holy city. He prayed to God before he asked the king’s assistance (Neh. 2:5). He prayed spontaneously whenever petition and intercession were in order. He worked hard and challenged the people to work hard, asking God to remember his “deeds of faithful love” (Neh. 13:14, 22). In the end, he knew he still needed God to remember him with favor.
So, when should we pray? At the beginning of a task, during the task, and when the task is finished. Nehemiah the leader modeled that pattern, and through him we learn that, “A man who approaches God on his knees will stand tall in any generation.”*
PRAYER: “Father, let me not start a project without praying. Let me not take a step without praying. Let me not end a task without praying. If I stand tall, let it be on my knees.”
TOMORROW’S READING: Malachi 1-4
*Smith, J. E. (1995). The Books of History (Ne 13:30–31). Joplin, MO: College Press.
God made everything out of nothing, including you and me. His main purpose in creation was to bring him pleasure.
The chief way in which we as humanity do this is through loving, obeying, and enjoying him perfectly.
Instead of this, we have sinned against our loving Creator and acted in high-handed rebellion.
God has vowed that he will righteously and lovingly judge sinners with eternal death.
But God, being merciful, loving, gracious, and just, sent his own son, Jesus Christ, in the likeness of man to live as a man; fulfilling his perfect requirements in the place of sinners; loving, obeying, and enjoying him perfectly.
And further, his son bore the eternal judgment of God upon the cross of Calvary, as he satisfied the eternal anger of God, standing in the place of sinners. God treated Jesus as a sinner, though he was perfectly sinless, that he might declare sinners as perfect.
This glorious transaction occurs as the sinner puts their faith (dependence, trust) in the Lord Jesus Christ as their substitute. God then charges Christ’s perfection to the sinner, and no longer views him as an enemy but instead an adopted son covered in the perfect righteousness of his son.
God furnished proof that this sacrifice was accepted by raising Jesus from the dead.
God will judge the world in righteousness and all of those who are not covered in the righteousness of Christ, depending on him for forgiveness, will be forced to stand on their own to bear the eternal anger of God.
Therefore, all must turn from sin and receive Christ Jesus as Lord.
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.
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.
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.
(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
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In the end, the handshake happened. Just not with Hassan Rouhani. In the lead-up to the United Nations General Assembly, speculation ran rife about whether President Obama and his Iranian counterpart would cap the success of a nuclear deal by shaking on it. In the end, it was Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif who savored the historic gesture, according to a U.S. Administration official who asked not to be identified, citing the sensitivity of the issue.
Home prices in 20 U.S. cities rose 5 percent in July from the same month a year earlier, propelled by improving demand and limited supply. The increase in the S&P/Case-Shiller index of property values followed a 4.9 percent advance in June.
Tesla Motors, the smallest publicly held U.S. automaker, hands over the first of its Model X sport utility vehicles Tuesday evening amid growing scrutiny of Volkswagen AG.
Germany pared bond issuance for the second time this year, signaling that Chancellor Angela Merkel has leeway for emergency spending on the refugee crisis.
A typhoon that killed two people forced Taiwan to close its markets Tuesday and left hundreds of thousands of travelers stranded at the height of the Mid-Autumn Festival holiday.
The Treasury market is signaling inflation expectations in the U.S. are tumbling, even as Federal Reserve officials stick to forecasts for a pickup. The difference between yields on five-year notes and similar-maturity Treasury Inflation Protected Securities, a gauge of expectations for consumer prices, fell below 1 percentage point Tuesday. The so-called break-even rate is the lowest in six years, after dropping the most in more than eight months on Monday.
AP Top Stories
Volkswagen said Tuesday that 1.8 million commercial vehicles are among those affected by the emissions-rigging scandal, while Spanish unit SEAT said 700,000 of its cars were fitted with the diesel engine in question.
Afghan troops backed by US air support launched a counter-offensive Tuesday to retake Kunduz, a day after Taliban insurgents overran the strategic northern city in their biggest victory since being ousted from power in 2001.
Germany toughened rules Tuesday for asylum seekers from the Balkans as Europe struggled to cope with a record surge in migrants, with those crossing the Mediterranean exceeding the half a million mark.
A man watching a 4-year-old autistic boy for his live-in girlfriend severely beat the child, including pulling three of his teeth out, and left him bleeding and crying overnight, authorities in Pennsylvania alleged Monday.
Six Palestinians came to Washington to secure support against Israeli plans to raze their tiny West Bank village of Susiya, and at the last minute found assistance from US Senator Dianne Feinstein.
For anyone who doubts that education in the U.S. has become overrun by testing, consider this. My daughter’s first day of kindergarten — her very first introduction to elementary school — consisted almost entirely of assessment. She was due at school at 9:30, and I picked her up at 11:45. In between, she was assessed by five different teachers, each a stranger, asking her to perform some task such as cutting, coloring in the lines, reciting her address and phone number, identifying letters and their sounds, and counting. She then had to wait two days, while all the other incoming kindergartners were assessed, to learn of her teacher and begin the school year in earnest.
Poland’s army said Monday it has begun inspecting the southwestern area where two men claim to have discovered an armored Nazi gold train buried at the end of World War II.
BBC
Officials from several countries have said that more than 1,000 people died in last week’s stampede near Mecca during the annual Hajj pilgrimage. The last figure given by the Saudi authorities was 769.
President Obama is set to chair a UN gathering of world leaders to discuss counter-terrorism.
Russia is considering whether to follow the US and its allies in conducting air strikes against Islamic State (IS) targets, President Vladimir Putin said.
Cuban President Raul Castro has told the UN that normal relations with the US will only be possible if America takes a number of measures including the abolition of its trade embargo.
Panama’s murder rate has dropped by 21.4% in the first nine months of 2015 compared to the same period last year, official figures suggest. Officials say a program to rehabilitate gang members has been key in driving the figure down.
India’s central bank has cut its key interest rate for the fourth time this year, and by more than expected. The Reserve Bank of India (RBI) reduced its repo rate to 6.75% from 7.25%, with economists having forecast it would trim rates to 7%.
Bangladesh police are investigating the murder of an Italian aid worker who was shot on Monday night. The Islamic State group says it carried on the attack.
The death toll from a suspected air strike on a wedding party in Yemen on Monday has risen to at least 130, the United Nations and local medics said.
WND
In an apparent attempt to justify the retreat of the United States from international leadership, President Obama praised the United Nations Monday, arguing that global governance has helped spread democracy.
President Obama said at the Democratic National Committee’s LGBT Gala in New York that the Constitution’s protections for “gay” rights trump the protection for religious rights.
A sophomore student in Polk County, Georgia, walked through his high school’s cafeteria Sept. 23 with the Confederate flag on his backpack. The school went on lockdown status just hours after the white teenager had an altercation with two black students.
Top News – 9/29/2015
Obama has turned Putin into the world’s most powerful leader
The baton was officially transferred Monday to the world’s new sole superpower — and Vladimir Putin willingly picked it up. President Obama (remember him?) embraced the ideals espoused by the United Nations’ founders 70 years ago: Diplomacy and “international order” will win over time, while might and force will lose.
Miyako, Japan 5M Earthquake, Tuesday Sep. 29 2015
The USGS has reported a 5 magnitude earthquake has struck Miyako, Japan at 08:46:53 Tuesday Sep. 29, 2015 GMT, at a depth of 35 km that was felt locally and in surrounding areas.
Shattered Syria May Never Be Put Back Together
The government, dominated by President Bashar al-Assad’s Alawite sect, controls Damascus, the Alawite heartland along the Mediterranean coast, other cities, and connecting corridors in between. Kurds run their own affairs in the northeast. ISIS controls much of the Sunni heartland in the east. Other Sunni rebels control pockets in the north and south.
Polish Army Securing Nazi Gold Train Area
Polish Soldiers and explosives experts on Monday launched a six-day operation to secure the area where authorities suspect a Nazi-era train loaded with looted gold is buried, news agencies are reporting. The soldiers are searching some three feet below the surface, checking for mines or any other dangerous objects, before municipal workers begin excavations come Oct. 3.
Tropical Storm Joaquin forms in Atlantic Ocean
Tropical Storm Joaquin formed in the Atlantic on Monday, becoming the 10th named storm of the season, while Hurricane Marty ambled toward the south-central coast of Mexico in the eastern Pacific.
Putin ‘worried’ by Israeli strikes in Syria
Russia “must respect Israeli interests” in Syria, but is also “worried” regarding Israeli strikes in Syrian territory, said Russian President Vladimir Putin early Tuesday morning at a press debrief.
Commodity rout hits traders, emerging markets
Shares in commodity trading firms took another tumble on Tuesday, driving global stocks to their lowest in more than two years as pressure built on raw materials prices and emerging markets.
DARK LUNAR ECLIPSE
“It was one of the darkest lunar eclipses I have ever seen,” Other observers (see the gallery) also remarked on the darker hue of this lunar eclipse, compared to others in recent years.
SOLAR FLARE AND RADIO BLACKOUT
a strong M7-class solar flare erupted in the magnetic canopy of sunspot AR2422. Extreme UV radiation from the flare ionized the top of Earth’s atmosphere and caused a brief low-frequency radio blackout over South America and the Atlantic ocean:
Marty becomes a hurricane, nears Mexico’s Pacific coast
Hurricane Marty formed on Monday, rolling northeast toward Mexico’s Pacific Coast and threatening to dump heavy rain on the southwest of the country, the US National Hurricane Center (NHC) said. The hurricane, which is around 145 miles (233 km) west of the beach resort of Acapulco, was heading northeast at about 6 miles per hour (10 kilometers per hour) and producing maximum sustained winds of 80 mph (129 kph), the Miami-based NHC said.
El Niño persists as positive IOD emerges in a warm Indian Ocean
The tropical Pacific ocean and atmosphere are reinforcing each other, maintaining a strong El Niño that is likely to persist into early 2016. Tropical Pacific sea surface temperatures are more than 2 °C above average, exceeding El Niño thresholds by well over 1 °C, and at levels not seen since the 1997–98 event.
Obama Confronts Russia, China and Iran In Speech to UN
Obama took on a confrontational tone in his speech this morning to the United Nations General Assembly, specifically calling out Russia, China and Iran for destabilizing activities in various world conflicts.Obama opened his speech directly decrying “strong states that seek to impose their will on weaker ones,” then alluded to Russian support for Syrian President Bashar al-Assad.
while Israel can’t depend on the United States with Barack Obama as its president, Israel can work with Russia’s Vladimir Putin…we need to recognize that Russia is not the Soviet Union. Yes, Russia has superpower aspirations, which include projecting its power in the Middle East. But unlike the Soviet Union, Russia’s actions are not informed by an overarching world view that is inherently anti-Semitic.”
Al-Sisi: Palestinian state would remove pretext for terror
The creation of a Palestinian state with East Jerusalem as its capital would remove one of the most problematic issues in the region, Egyptian president Abdel Fattah al-Sisi said in his speech to the UN… Al-Sisi added that such a move would also effectively eliminate one of the most dangerous pretexts for extremism and terror, stressing that “the recent events at al-Aqsa emphasize the need for a comprehensive solution.”
Obama’s Global Warming, Syria Push at United Nations Skips Congress
At the United Nations Monday, President Barack Obama touted what are probably the two biggest items left on his to-do list before leaving office — a global warming agreement later this year in Paris and a settlement to the Syria conflict. Congress barely got a mention. The Paris accord, like the Iran deal before it, will be strictly an executive agreement, given that Obama wouldn’t have the votes to pass anything in either chamber.
Syria conflict: Russia considers joining anti-IS air strikes
Russia is considering whether to follow the US and its allies in conducting air strikes against Islamic State (IS) targets, President Vladimir Putin says. Mr Putin spoke after meeting Barack Obama on the sidelines of the UN General Assembly (UNGA). But the meeting, and the leaders’ speeches at the UNGA, also highlighted splits about how to end the Syrian war.
Bangladesh: IS claims it killed Italian aid worker
Dhaka police say they are investigating the murder of an Italian aid worker who was shot on Monday night. The Islamic State group says it carried on the attack, shooting dead Cesare Tavella, 50, in the city’s diplomatic quarter. Police Commissioner Asaduzzaman Mia said Tavella was jogging when two attackers fired at him from behind.
Afghan forces launch bid to retake Kunduz from Taliban
Afghan forces have begun an operation to retake the city of Kunduz, after suffering a major military reverse when it was seized by the Taliban on Monday. Security forces have cleared the area around the central prison and the police headquarters, officials said. The US said it carried out an air strike on the city early on Tuesday.
‘Israel concerned with build-up of Iranian forces in Syria near Golan border’
Israel is concerned with the build-up of Iranian forces in Syria, near the border with Israel… Steinitz’s comments came amid the recent addition of Russian troops to Syria to bolster President Bashar Assad in his fight against Islamic State and other rebel groups challenging his rule in Syria. However, the Likud minister was more concerned with the infusion of troops from Assad’s other central backer, Iran.
Hajj stampede death toll climbs to 1,100
The death toll from one of the worst stampedes during Hajj pilgrimage has hit 1,100, among them 42 Pakistani pilgrims, officials confirmed on Monday. The revised tally came a day after Pakistan’s Religious Affairs Minister Sardar Yousaf told a news conference in Saudi Arabia that 36 Pakistanis were among the stampede victims.
Rouhani says Iran ready to help bring democracy to Syria, Yemen
Iranian President Hassan Rouhani said on Monday that Tehran was ready to help bring democracy to war-torn Syria and Yemen, and blamed the spread of terrorism in the Middle East on the United States.
Putin does not rule out Russian strikes in Syria
President Vladimir Putin said Monday that Russia had not ruled out air strikes in support of Syrian leader Bashar al-Assad’s forces in their battle against jihadist rebels.
Feds returning to local crime fight
Mounting concern over recent violent crime surges in some U.S. cities has prompted the Justice Department to call a meeting next month of more than a dozen local law enforcement officials to deal with persistent public safety threats, ranging from criminal gangs to domestic violence, Deputy Attorney General Sally Yates told USA TODAY in an interview.
WES VERNON, RA ANALYST — Help! Somebody rescue Madame Hillary! She is learning big-time what it’s like to be on the wrong end of a presidential attack machine… (more)
ALAN KEYES — As my readers know, I’ve been working on a column that details a strategy for the 2016 election with which the American people can reclaim leadership initiative they are supposed to have in America’s political life. That strategy involves, first of all, taking the Constitution as it is written as the basis for understanding our duty as citizens… (more)
WASHINGTON TIMES — With John Boehner now departing as House speaker, an influential Republican Party official is now seeking the ouster of another GOP leader who has frustrated conservatives: Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell…. (more)
NEWSMAX — Barely 48 hours after John Boehner announced his bombshell resignation as speaker of the House Friday, discussion mounted that House Majority Leader Kevin McCarthy, R-Calif., was poised to wrap up enough votes from fellow House Republicans to take the speaker’s gavel when Boehner leaves at the end of October…. (more)
CLIFF KINCAID — Socialist Bernie Sanders (I-VT) is ecstatic over the pope’s address to Congress. In a message to his supporters titled “Why we must listen to Pope Francis,” he was particularly pleased with the fact that in his address to Congress, “Pope Francis spoke of Dorothy Day, who was a tireless advocate for the impoverished and working people in America…. (more)
NEWSMAX — Texas Sen. Ted Cruz Saturday won the straw poll of presidential candidates for the third straight year at the Family Research Council’s Values Voter Summit in Washington. The Republican presidential candidate took 35 percent of the votes cast by those attending the three-day summit, which also ended Saturday, The Washington Times reports…. (more)
ANDREW C. MCCARTHY — Does Charles Krauthammer get Islam wrong because he gets the Constitution wrong? Or does he get the Constitution wrong because he gets Islam wrong?… (more)
WASHINGTON EXAMINER — House Speaker John Boehner’s surprise resignation Friday will not necessarily help House conservatives pass their agenda, but it will enable Boehner to garner the Democrat votes he needs to pass legislation that is deeply unpopular with the Republican base, House conservatives told the Washington Examiner…. (more)
NEWSMAX — House Speaker John Boehner’s resignation Friday was proclaimed as a “good day” for conservatives, the Heritage Foundation said. “Americans deserve a Congress that fights for opportunity for all and favoritism to none,” said Michael Needham, CEO of the foundation’s Heritage Action lobbying arm. “Too often, Speaker Boehner has stood in the way…. (more)
THE GUARDIAN — John Boehner, the speaker of the House of Representatives, will resign from Congress next month, he announced on Friday, in a stunning move that follows intense pressure from conservatives in the House…. (more)
NEWSMAX — House Speaker John Boehner announced in a Friday meeting with his fellow Republicans that he will resign his seat in Congress at the end of October, putting down the speaker’s gavel he took up in 2011, The New York Times reported…. (more)
WASHINGTON POST — House Speaker John Boehner (R-Ohio) announced his resignation Friday at a time of record personal unpopularity, after leading Congress through a period where public approval of the body hit new record lows…. (more)
NEWSMAX — Dr. Ben Carson tells Newsmax TV that House Speaker John Boehner’s attempts to get along with everybody on Capitol Hill did not serve the interests of conservative voters. “I appreciate the fact that he has worked so hard for so many years. I know that he is a person who is kind and tries to get along with a lot of different factions,” Carson said Friday to J.D. Hayworth on “Newsmax Prime.”… (more)
BREITBART — According to those sources, outgoing House Speaker Rep. John Boehner (R-OH) and Minority Leader Rep. Nancy Pelosi (D-CA) agreed that her Democratic caucus would join Boehner along with a handful of Boehner loyalists and moderate establishment Republicans to continue Planned Parenthood funding, along with a few other budget items President Obama says were must-haves, in order to avoid a Government shutdown…. (more)
POLITICO — Speaker John Boehner’s resignation has set off an intense round of jockeying for all four House leadership slots, setting up what’s expected to be a hypercompetitive internal party battle in the middle of a key stretch of the legislative session this fall…. (more)
NEWSMAX — The Republican next in line to succeed U.S. House Speaker John Boehner owes his success, in part, to the same grassroots conservatives who have pushed his boss to the exit. California Representative Kevin McCarthy vaulted to the No. 3 leadership position in the House of Representatives after his party won control of the chamber in 2010 by harnessing the conservative Tea Party movement…. (more)
GARTH KANT — “Christmas came early,” was the dry but joyous first reaction of former Rep. Steve Stockman, R-Texas. “Speaker Boehner correctly read the tea leaves,” was the succinct summation of former Rep. Michele Bachmann, R-Minn…. (more)
NATIONAL REVIEW ONLINE — Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell (R., Ky.) will be the next target of conservatives frustrated with party leadership, according to one of the conservative representatives who pressured House speaker John Boehner in the weeks leading up to his resignation…. (more)
WORLDNETDAILY — The infamous “Ground Zero mosque” debate is officially over. A “market maker” 70-story skyscraper will soon break ground at lower Manhattan’s 45 Park Place, ending any possibility of resurrecting plans for the religious building…. (more)
NEWSMAX — On the same week that House Speaker John Boehner is savoring one of the coups of his career – -an historic Thursday visit by Pope Francis to the U.S. Capitol that the Ohio Republican engineered – -some members of his own party were pressing to score a coup of their own. Against Boehner…. (more)
WASHINGTON TIMES — Republican Sen. Ted Cruz cued up the GOP’s opening bid Thursday to avert a government shutdown by accusing his own party’s leaders of surrendering before the fight, saying they’ve allowed President Obama and his Democratic allies to pull the strings in Washington despite a “tidal wave” of Republican success in the 2014 mid-terms…. (more)
WASHINGTON EXAMINER — Pope Francis on Thursday gave an historic address to a joint meeting of Congress that delivered big applause lines for Democrats on issues like the need to end armed conflict, welcoming immigrants, and taking steps to stop climate change…. (more)
TOP RIGHT NEWS — How to be an instant celebrity – – be one of liberals’ favored minority victim classes. Put the guts of an old digital clock in a case that looks like one Jack Bauer would be rushing to diffuse… (more)
LEO HOHMANN — Ben Carson’s comment that he would not support a Shariah-compliant Muslim for president because Islamic law is incompatible with the U.S. Constitution led to the former brain surgeon’s roasting among media talkers and politicians of all stripes…. (more)
Daily Digest
September 29, 2015
THE FOUNDATION
“Hence as a private man has a right to say what wages he will give in his private affairs, so has a community to determine what they will give and grant of their substance for the administration of public affairs.” —Samuel Adams, 1772
A pro-Planned Parenthood rally before the U.S. Capitol. Photo courtesy Michael M. S., Flickr
The clock is winding down to 11:59 p.m. Wednesday and Congress is on its last lap before it approves a temporary spending measure for the new fiscal year that will keep government running until Dec. 11. On Monday, the Senate approved 77-16 the clean spending bill that keeps federal funds flowing to Planned Parenthood. The legislation has been sent to the House, and, if Republicans there don’t halt the process, it will end up on Obama’s desk. While some Republican lawmakers want to block the $500 million that the government gives to Planned Parenthood, there are other political strategies that are less politically fraught. House Speaker John Boehner, despite his flaws, announced that the House will form a special committee to investigate the organization’s trafficking of baby parts. It’s a compromise: As we learned with the House Select Committee on Benghazi, a bulldog-like lawmaker in the vein of Rep. Trey Gowdy can do much to keep focus on an issue. But as for the talk of grinding the government to a halt over Planned Parenthood, unfortunately, it’s become little more than a political fundraiser for both sides. Of course we shouldn’t be funding Planned Parenthood — because there’s no constitutional authority for doing so. While federal money going to the nation’s largest abortion provider is a particular abomination, nothing in the Constitution empowers Congress to take money from taxpayers and redistribute it to special interests of any sort. But there are thousands of such expenditures in every budget. If we’re going to shut down government, let’s do it to stop all of this unconstitutional spending.
After learning that the FBI was able to recover some of the emails that she deleted, Hillary Clinton launched into damage control, explaining that she didn’t determine which emails were public and which were private. Instead, she claims, she let her lawyers sift through the tens of thousands of emails to weed out any reference to yoga class. “I didn’t look at them,” Clinton now says. “I wanted them to be as clear in their process as possible. I didn’t want to be looking over their shoulder. If they thought it was work-related, it would go to the State Department. If not, then it would not.” But knowing Clinton’s track record in telling the truth regarding this scandal, this statement could be disproven before long. After all, what reason do we have to trust her ever-changing story? Self-preservation is on her brain. As Judge Andrew Napolitano said Monday, “Her most recent troubles show that when she certified under oath, ‘under penalty of perjury,’ to a federal judge that she had surrendered all her emails to the State Department, in fact she had not.” As a result, Napolitano believes the FBI will recommend indicting Clinton over her email use to the State Department. For the first time, Clinton is very clearly saying, “Hey, I was just a bystander here and my lawyers did all of it.” This is a huge shift, the kind of shift you see when she’s really concerned about a felony indictment — and not just for perjury. We can’t see how she avoids an indictment at this point, other than to lay it all on her attorneys. How willing are the Clinton lackeys to fall on a sword for their crumbling political machine?
Donald Trump offered his tax plan Monday, and it has quite the populist appeal. His plan says, “If you are single and earn less than $25,000, or married and jointly earn less than $50,000, you will not owe any income tax. That removes nearly 75 million households — over 50% — from the income tax rolls. They get a new one page form to send the IRS saying, ‘I win,’ those who would otherwise owe income taxes will save an average of nearly $1,000 each.” On top of that, he’d lower the top rate from 39.6% to 25%, and reduce corporate taxes from the current highest-in-the-world rate of 35% to 15%. On the other hand, he wants to eliminate deductions that help people like hedge fund managers pay a lower rate than many Americans. We suppose their tax forms will say, “I lose.” Indeed, “eliminating most deductions and loopholes available to the very rich” is how he proposes to keep the plan “revenue neutral.” Fat chance of that. His proposed four brackets of 0%, 10%, 20% and 25% will “simplify the tax code,” he said. “It’ll grow the American economy at a level that it hasn’t seen for decades.” It’s worth noting, as Trump does, that there are already millions of Americans who pay no income tax, though they do have to fill out complex tax forms to reach that conclusion. Thus, they have no “skin in the game,” and everyone should bear some of the burden, even if it’s just 1%. But Trump would expand the numbers paying nothing — smart politics. On the other hand, these same workers pay a disproportionate share of the payroll tax, which supposedly funds the biggest drivers of our debt: Major entitlements.
In dueling speeches at Monday’s UN General Assembly meeting, Barack Obama and Russian President Vladimir Putin sounded off in the latest round of tense relations between the U.S. and Russia. Unfortunately, because of Obama’s thoughtless foreign policy America looks weak and clueless on the world stage.
Obama continued to rail against Moscow for its actions in Ukraine. “We cannot stand by when the sovereignty and territorial integrity of a nation is flagrantly violated,” he declared. “If that happens without consequence in Ukraine, it could happen to any nation gathered here today.” Of course, “stand by” is precisely what Obama has done with regard to Ukraine and Crimea.
“Stand by” has also been Obama’s “plan” with regard to Syria. And Putin has used the opportunity to bolster Russia’s presence in the Middle East. In a one-two punch this month, the Kremlin provided military support to bolster longtime Syrian ally Bashar al-Assad, and then — just in time for the UN confab — announced an intelligence sharing agreement with Syria, Iraq and Iran to combat the Islamic State.
The Wall Street Journal explains the significance of that move for Iraq: “It’s hard to fault Prime Minister Haider al-Abadi for the decision. He’s watched for a year while the U.S. coalition has made little progress against Islamic State. His decision risks putting Baghdad further under Tehran’s sway, and pushing more Iraqi Sunnis into Islamic State’s arms. But desperate leaders will act in desperate ways.”
One Iraqi militia leader put it this way: “We believe that Russia and Iran are serious about defeating ISIS while the U.S. doesn’t want to defeat ISIS. We wish that the Iraqi government wouldn’t trust or depend heavily on the U.S. because we’ve had a bad experience with the U.S. in this regard.”
So Obama has not only abandoned Iraq to the Islamic State, but to Iran and Russia.
Russia’s pledge to help Assad catches the U.S. flatfooted after Obama’s own pathetic attempts to combat ISIL in Syria have come to nothing. The haphazard air campaign against the Islamic State in Syria and Iraq has had little impact on stopping the terror group’s territorial gains. And the embarrassing $500 million training program that led to a half-dozen pro-Western boots on the ground in Syria didn’t do much more to instill confidence in America’s abilities. In fact, the program has been suspended.
On the positive side, Obama in his remarks promoted the Islamic State from “JV team” to “apocalyptic cult.” Baby steps.
Fox News’ Brit Hume surmised, “Obama’s speech at the UN [Monday] encapsulated perfectly notions that have long driven his foreign policy. He looks upon the behavior of America’s adversaries as not simply self-interested or even evil but mainly outdated, old-fashioned. … Obama warns America against ‘a notion of strength that is defined by opposition to old enemies, perceived adversaries, a rising China or a resurgent Russia, a revolutionary Iran or Islam that is not compatible with peace.’ While those may sound like the very threats we face, Obama further warns against ‘the idea that the only strength that matters for the United States is bellicose words and shows of military force.’ … Does it even occur to him that the problem is not ‘bellicose words’ but following them up by backing down?”
Putin clearly holds the upper hand right now. He has been resolute, bold and committed — all the qualities that Obama has lacked from the beginning. In the name of political expediency, Obama created a power vacuum in Iraq and Syria, allowing the Islamic State to grow and prosper. Now, Russia, which has alternated between being America’s strategic competitor to outright opponent, is stepping in to fill the void.
This is a dangerous situation that will only give Russia (and Iran) a stronger foothold in a region where Obama has steadily ceded U.S. influence and leadership. Regaining the respect of our allies and enemies alike will only get tougher as time goes by. The fact that Putin felt confident enough to call out America at the UN is a prime example of what lies ahead if the U.S. does not regain the mantle of leadership in world affairs.
Thomas Sowell: “Nowhere has there been so much hand-wringing over a lack of ‘affordable housing,’ as among politicians and others in coastal California. And nobody has done more to make housing unaffordable than those same politicians and their supporters. A recent survey showed that the average monthly rent for a one-bedroom apartment in San Francisco was just over $3,500. Some people are paying $1,800 a month just to rent a bunk bed in a San Francisco apartment. … One of the first things taught in an introductory economics course is supply and demand. When a growing population creates a growing demand for housing, and the government blocks housing from being built, the price of existing housing goes up. … Housing prices in San Francisco, and in many other communities for miles around, were once no higher than in the rest of the United States. But, beginning in the 1970s, housing prices in these communities skyrocketed to three or four times the national average. Why? Because local government laws and policies severely restricted, or banned outright, the building of anything on vast areas of land. This is called preserving ‘open space,’ and ‘open space’ has become almost a cult obsession among self-righteous environmental activists, many of whom are sufficiently affluent that they don’t have to worry about housing prices. … How ‘complex’ is it to figure out that letting people build homes in some of that vast expanse of ‘open space’ would keep housing from becoming ‘unaffordable’?”
Insight: “Equality, rightly understood as our Founding Fathers understood it, leads to liberty and to the emancipation of creative differences; wrongly understood, as it has been so tragically in our time, it leads first to conformity and then to despotism.” —Barry Goldwater (1909-1998)
Upright: “Every Republican tax-reform plan should be rooted in this reality: If you are going to have federal spending that is 21 percent of GDP, then you can have a.) taxes that are 21 percent of GDP; b.) deficits. There is no c. If, on the other hand, you have a credible program for reducing spending to 17 or 18 percent of GDP, which is where taxes have been coming in, please do share it.” —National Review’s Kevin Williamson
For the record: “Most of the 193 countries that belong to the U.N. are not run by representative governments, but rather by thugs of various hues. … The rules of human history were not suspended with the arrival of the U.N. seven decades ago, and the prevention of a third world war has nothing to do with anyone being dissuaded from aggression by peacekeeping troops sporting sky-blue helmets, or by speeches before the General Assembly.” —Investor’s Business Daily
Braying Jackass: “[C]hanting ‘death to America’ does not create jobs or make Iran more secure.” —Barack Obama at the UN (We can hear Iranians quivering in their boots from here.)
Make America grate again: “Everybody’s got to be covered. … I am going to take care of everybody. I don’t care if it costs me votes or not. … They’re going to be taken care of. I would make a deal with existing hospitals to take care of people. And … the government’s gonna pay for it.” —Barack Obama Donald Trump offering ObamaCare 2.0 (“Government’s gonna pay for it” is called Medicaid, which was greatly expanded under ObamaCare.)
Admit nothing, deny everything, make counter allegations: “It is clear that [the Center for Medical Progress] acted fraudulently and unethically — and perhaps illegally. Yet it is Planned Parenthood, not [CMP head David] Daleiden, that is currently subject to four separate congressional investigations. … Planned Parenthood is proud of its limited role in supporting fetal tissue research.” —Planned Parenthood CEO Cecile Richards in congressional testimony
The meaning of “is”: “I think we did the right thing in the right way. We are, even our critics say [the Clinton Foundation is] much more transparent than most similar foundations.” —Bill Clinton (That’s like saying Planned Parenthood is more transparent than most other abortion providers.)
And last… “How about that? A robot will be one of the featured speakers at a Clinton Foundation event. Must’ve figured they needed someone with more warmth and sincerity than Hillary.” —Fred Thompson
Semper Vigilans Fortis Paratus et Fidelis!
Managing Editor Nate Jackson
Join us in daily prayer for our Patriots in uniform — Soldiers, Sailors, Airmen, Marines and Coast Guardsmen — standing in harm’s way in defense of Liberty, and for their families.
Barack Obama extends his hand to Vladimir Putin during their meeting at the United Nations General Assembly. Photo: Reuters
he baton was officially transferred Monday to the world’s new sole superpower — and Vladimir Putin willingly picked it up.
President Obama (remember him?) embraced the ideals espoused by the United Nations’ founders 70 years ago: Diplomacy and “international order” will win over time, while might and force will lose.
Putin, too, appealed to UN laws (as he sees them), but he also used his speech to announce the formation of a “broad international coalition” to fight ISIS in Syria and Iraq.
“Similar to the anti-Hitler coalition, it could unite a broad range of forces” to fight “those who, just like the Nazis, sow evil and hatred of humankind,” he said.
The baton was officially transferred Monday to the world’s new sole superpower — and Vladimir Putin willingly picked it up.
President Obama (remember him?) embraced the ideals espoused by the United Nations’ founders 70 years ago: Diplomacy and “international order” will win over time, while might and force will lose. Putin, too, appealed to UN laws (as he sees them), but he also used his speech to announce the formation of a “broad international coalition” to fight ISIS in Syria and Iraq.
“Similar to the anti-Hitler coalition, it could unite a broad range of forces” to fight “those who, just like the Nazis, sow evil and hatred of humankind,” he said. And who’d lead this new coalition? Hint: Moscow has always celebrated the Allies’ World War II victory as a Russian-led fete.
Putin? Nobody applauded him. He’s more interested in being feared than liked. Then again, his words, at most, are meant to explain forceful action. That’s how Putin seized leadership from America.
Oh, and if anyone wondered which Syrian players the coalition would rely on as allies, Putin made it clear: “No one but President [Bashar al-]Assad’s armed forces and Kurd militia are fighting the Islamic State.”
That, of course, isn’t Obama’s view. America’s president said he opposed the “logic of supporting tyrants.” After all, Assad “drops barrel bombs on innocent children.” But Putin has troops in Syria, is arming Assad to the teeth and signed a pact of anti-ISIS intelligence-sharing with Assad, Iran and the leaders of Iraq (the ones America fought to put in power).
Meantime, if Obama has any realistic Syria plan of his own — beyond having Assad magically “transitioned” out of the country and simultaneously fighting ISIS — he failed to present it during his UN speech. Or any other time.
Instead, he scolded an “isolated” Putin for using force to annex Crimea and other parts of Ukraine. “Imagine if, instead, Russia had engaged in true diplomacy,” said Obama. “That would be better for Ukraine, but also better for Russia, and better for the world.”
Then again, imagine if Obama’s eloquence were backed by, say, American-led NATO. Would Putin so easily be able to eat up Ukraine and take over Syria? Not likely. But even as he chided Russia, China and even Iran for being steeped in the policies of the past, it was Obama who at times sounded like a throwback to days of yore.
His celebration of the United Nations was reminiscent of scenes from 1950s movies that portrayed it as a place where problems are actually resolved. In reality, along the decades (and even more so in the last six years), the UN became so paralyzed that it can no longer serve as arbiter of global security.
Obama’s speech was, as ever, full of promise. His turn from using “might” to claiming to have “right” on his side and relying on diplomacy have led to America’s opening up to Cuba and a key deal with Iran on nukes. But these are yet to yield positive results. “If this deal is implemented,” he said of Iran, “our world is safer.” Big if.
By contrast, Putin’s deployment of forces in Syria and arming of Assad create facts on the ground. They have also propelled him to the top by taking initiative on today’s most consequential world fight.
Although Obama received much less applause during his Monday speech than in past years, he’s still well-liked at the world body. Yet those who count, the ones he scolded in his speech — Putin, Assad, China’s Xi Jinping and even Iran’s President Hassan Rouhani — weren’t in their seats to hear his words.
Because as forceful as Obama’s words are, they’re rarely backed by action.
Putin? Nobody applauded him. He’s more interested in being feared than liked. Then again, his words, at most, are meant to explain forceful action.
That’s how Putin seized leadership from America. And that, to borrow from Obama’s speech, is bad for Syria, where the war will continue as long as Assad remains in power. It’s bad for Europe and Syria’s neighbors, which have no idea what to do with that war’s refugees.
And it’s bad for America. Because sooner or later, after more bloodshed and under even worse conditions than now, our next president will be called upon to retake the leadership baton from Putin. And that could prove tricky. source
Trump’s tax plan would make socialism more popular
Donald Trump announced his tax plan, which would raise taxes on some people and lower them on others. But the one group that deserves the closest scrutiny are those who would be taken off the income tax rolls entirely. Trump promises to remove 75 million households – more than 50% – from the tax rolls. That would be those individuals making $25,000 or under and families making $50,000 or under.
Obama argues for global governance in last U.N. address
By Jerome Corsi
Urges working together ‘under the mantle of international law’
NEW YORK – In an apparent attempt to justify the retreat of the United States from international leadership, President Obama praised the United Nations Monday, arguing that global governance has helped spread democracy.
“The world is bigger than five,” Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan famously warned the UN General Assembly in his speech before the global body in 2014. Pressure has been building for years to change the status quo regarding the US, Britain, France, China, and Russia’s ability to have veto power over UN Security Council decisions…………. Click here for full story
With a potential 6.4 million Muslims living in the United States by 2030 due to high birth rates and immigration – are we underestimating the speed by which this nation could develop substantial and influential populations of Islamic extremists or even the impact from moderate Muslims who support the idea of being governed by Sharia Law? ………….. Click here for full story
Remarks made by Pope Francis at St. Patrick’s Cathedral in Manhattan have sparked a firestorm of criticism from those that do not believe that Christians and Muslims worship the same God. Many have taken the Pope’s remarks as a major step in the direction of a one world religion, and the truth is that the Pope has made other such statements in the past..…….. Click here for full story
Speculation continues to abound as to what Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas will say during his speech at the United Nations General Assembly on Wednesday. Mahmoud Habbash, Abbas’s confidant and a former minister of religious affairs, had previously threatened a “bombshell” would be dropped at the UN by Abbas..……….. Click here for full story
Stephen Colbert, Facebook Chairman and CEO Mark Zuckerberg and Rep. Debbie Wasserman Schultz (D-FL), the Chair of the Democratic National Committee, were among those appearing at the Global Citizen Festival on September 26, broadcast by cable channel MSNBC. Incredibly, despite the left-wing slant of the event, Republican Senators Thad Cochran (MS) and Bob Corker (TN) lent their names to the Honorary Congressional Host Committee for the gathering, while Republican Rep. Charlie Dent (PA) was listed as a participant. Labeled as an effort to eradicate poverty by 2030, the movement to create…
This month marks the seventh anniversary of the bursting of the housing bubble and the subsequent economic meltdown. The mood in Congress following the meltdown resembled the panicked atmosphere that followed the September 11th attacks. As was the case after September 11th, Congress rushed to pass hastily written legislation that, instead of dealing with the real causes of the crisis, simply gave the government more power.
Just as few understood the role our interventionist foreign policy played in the September 11th attacks, few in Congress understood that the 2008 meltdown was caused by the Federal Reserve and Congress, not by unregulated capitalism. Not surprising to anyone familiar with economic history, the story of the 2008 meltdown starts with the bursting of the Fed-created tech bubble.
Following the collapse of the tech bubble, the Fed began aggressively pumping money into the economy. This money flooded into the housing market, creating the housing bubble. The Bush Administration and the Republican Congress also added fuel to the housing bubble. These so-called “free-market” conservatives expanded federal housing programs in hopes of creating an “ownership society.”
If Congress understood the Austrian theory of the business cycle, it would have allowed the recession that followed the housing bubble’s inevitable collapse to run its course. Recessions are the economy’s way of eliminating the distortions caused by the Federal Reserve. Attempts by Congress and the Fed to end a recession via inflation and government spending will only lead to future, and more severe, economic downturns.
Have you heard of “the global goals”? If you haven’t heard of them by now, rest assured that you will be hearing plenty about them in the days ahead. On September 25th, the United Nations launched a set of 17 ambitious goals that it plans to achieve over the next 15 years. A new website to promote this plan has been established, and you can find it right here. The formal name of this new plan is “the 2030 Agenda“, but those behind it decided that they needed something catchier when promoting these ideas to the general population. The UN has stated that these new “global goals” represent a “new universal Agenda” for humanity. Virtually every nation on the planet has willingly signed on to this new agenda, and you are expected to participate whether you like it or not. (Read More….)
Are we about to witness the most important global financial event since the collapse of Lehman Brothers in 2008? Glencore has been known as the largest commodities trading company on the entire planet, and at one time it was ranked as the 10th biggest company in the world. It is linked to trillions of dollars of derivatives trades globally, and if the firm were to implode it would be a financial disaster unlike anything that we have seen in Europe since the end of World War II. Unfortunately, all signs are pointing to an inescapable death spiral for Glencore at this point. The stock price was down nearly 30 percent on Monday, and overall Glencore stock has plunged nearly 80 percent since May. There are certainly other candidates for “the next Lehman” (Petrobras and Deutsche Bank being two perfect examples), but Glencore has definitely surged to the front of the pack. Right now many analysts are openly wondering if the firm will even be able to survive to the end of next month. (Read More….)
Because nothing happened in the days immediately following the start of the 70th session of the UN General Assembly on September 15th, most people seem to think that we are not going to see a UN resolution formally recognizing a Palestinian state any time soon. But according to the Jerusalem Post, such a resolution is still very much in play. France is still very much interested in introducing such a resolution, but they are not going to do it unless they have the support of the United States. In other words, the fate of a UN resolution setting the parameters for a Palestinian state is in the hands of Barack Obama. (Read More…)
U.S. defense officials have confirmed that military equipment issued by the United States to Syrian rebel fighters has been funneled to an al Qaeda offshoot, raising new questions about the ways in which the Obama administration is safeguarding U.S. arms in the war-torn Middle Eastern country.
EDITOR’S NOTE: Obama has no plan to deal with anything in the Middle East, which is why Vladimir Putin has stepped up to take control of the region. Obama thought it would be a great idea to give money and weapons to a “Syrian rebel” group to fight ISIS. Today the Pentagon confirms that those weapons have just been handed over by the “rebels” to the Nusra Front. Look like the “JV Team” is now varsity. Now that’s a plan.
A commander in the New Syrian Forces (NSF), a group being trained and equipped by the United States, was found to have distributed at least 25 percent of the force’s U.S.-provided hardware to the Nusra Front, a terrorist organization affiliated with al Qaeda.
The equipment, which included U.S.-issued ammunition and pick-up trucks, was “surrendered” to a Nusra Front affiliate in order to ensure that the rebel fighters could pass freely through territories controlled by the terrorist group, the Pentagon said.
A Syrian opposition commander who was leading a group of NSF recruits “self-reported to coalition forces that under threat from al Nusra, they surrendered six trucks and ammunition to a suspected al Nusra Front intermediary to secure safe passage after being told that unless he surrendered some of his NSF equipment, his unit would be ambushed en route to their new location,” according to Col. Patrick Ryder, a spokesman for U.S. Central Command, who provided on Monday with a timeline of what took place.
“We will look at what we can do to prevent such a situation in the future, but given the complexity of the battlefield it is not possible to eliminate all risk,” Ryder added. “We are using all means at our disposal to look into what exactly happened and determine the appropriate response.”
The arms exchange occurred after a group of around 70 NSF graduates crossed into Syria on the morning of Sept. 20, according to the Pentagon.
The following day, the Syrian commander relocated the NSF fighters to a new location inside Syria.
“The Syrian commander began to relocate his NSF fighters to a different town,” the Pentagon said. “According to information provided by the Syrian commander to the Coalition, he had been contacted by a suspected al Nusra Front intermediary and told that unless he surrendered some of his NSF equipment, his unit would be ambushed en route to the new location.”
At that point, six vehicles were transferred to a Nusra Front intermediary. This commander later “provided a portion of the ammunition that had been issued to his NSF fighters to the suspected Nusra Front intermediary,” the Pentagon said.
Ryder said that while U.S. and other collation forces do all they can to prevent this type of incident, they cannot “control every situation.”source
The Name of Jesus Christ, of whom Francis claims to be the “vicar” of, was never mentioned one time in any way, shape or form
“I receive not honour from men. But I know you, that ye have not the love of God in you.” John 5:41,42 (KJV)
Pope Francis says some amazing things, but he rarely says them in an amazing way. He speaks with a low, weak voice, mostly in Italian, and can be hard to follow even through the interpreter. So like all of you, I did not latch onto to the explosive thing he said in his opening remarks of his speech at the United Nations. From a prophecy perspective, which is the only angle we really are concerned with, his words are literally off the charts.
While surfing around today on the official UN site of the Holy See, I found an article called Address Of His Holiness Pope Francis To The General Assembly Of The United Nations, and clicked on it. There I found the official Vatican transcript, prepared and approved by the Vatican, of the remarks Francis made in his UN speech over the weekend. When I read the first few lines, I thought I was dreaming, there is no way he actually said that. But, there it was, officially transcribed and approved at the highest level of Vatican authority.
Jesus in the fifth chapter of John, is talking about the difference between the true representative of God on Earth, Himself, and the Satanically-produced counterfeit of the Antichrist and the False Prophet. In verse 43, Jesus utters these astounding, prophecy-packed words:
“I am come in my Father’s name, and ye receive me not: if another shall come in his own name, him ye will receive.” John 5:43 (KJV)
He is ultimately referring to a time, far in the future, when someone would come claiming to represent God, but actually coming in his own name, with his own unGodly agenda. Now, listen to what Pope Francis said as he said these words on Rosh Hashanah, in front of a gathering together of nations of the world:
“Thank you for your kind words. Once again, following a tradition by which I feel honored, the Secretary General of the United Nations has invited the Pope to address this distinguished assembly of nations. In my own name, and that of the entire Catholic community, I wish to express to you, Mr Ban Ki-moon, my heartfelt gratitude. I greet the Heads of State and Heads of Government present, as well as the ambassadors, diplomats and political and technical officials accompanying them, the personnel of the United Nations engaged in this 70th Session of the General Assembly, the personnel of the various programs and agencies of the United Nations family, and all those who, in one way or another, take part in this meeting. Through you, I also greet the citizens of all the nations represented in this hall. I thank you, each and all, for your efforts in the service of mankind.” source
Pope Francis said that “I come in my own name” and that of the “entire Catholic community”. Not as a representative of Jesus Christ, not as an ambassador of the Gospel, but Francis stated that he came in his own name, his own power, and that of his Roman church. Rome the place and people that killed Jesus on the cross. The same cross that Francis said “ended in failure.” The Name of Jesus Christ, of whom Francis claims to be the “vicar” of, was never mentioned one time in any way, shape or form. What on Earth could possibly possess him to say that he “comes in his own name”? Then I read the end of the transcript, and it all clicked in.
Francis ended his speech with these words:
“Upon all of you, and the peoples you represent, I invoke the blessing of the Most High, and all peace and prosperity.”
Which “most high” was the Pope referring to? When I read my Bible, I see another “most high” lurking in the pages of Scripture:
“I will ascend above the heights of the clouds; I will be like the most High.” Isaiah 14:14 (KJV)
I see the counterfeit “most high”, you know, the one that “comes in his own name”.
Open up your Bible, find a blank spot next to John 5:43, take a pen and write “FULFILLED” in margin.
Not with a bang, but a whimper…The Islamic Refugee Trojan Horse
by Bill Randles, 9/11/15
This is the way the world ends, This is the way the world ends, This is the way the world ends, Not with a bang but a whimper. TS Eliot, The Hollow Men To any thinking person, the spectacle of hundreds of thousands of “refugees” from Africa, and the horrors of the Syrian civil war, spilling out onto the shores of Italy, and forcing themselves over the barriers erected in Hungary is both heartbreaking and ominous. Who wouldn’t be moved at the plight of frightened women and children packed into rust ships, desperate to get away from the wanton slaughter occurring in their Syrian homeland? The apocalyptic warfare taking place in Syria spares neither the elderly, the weak, women nor children. Mind numbing atrocities are being committed on both “sides”of the conflict. (Ishmael cannot find peace, He even fights His brothers). Photos of precious children washed up on the shores, having drowned en-route to European shores tear at the western heart, which had once been softened by centuries of Christian teaching. But a closer examination reveals troubling details. Eyewitnesses report that the vast majority of those seeking asylum are single males of military age. These ‘poor souls’ are already rioting, and demanding their own food, upon arrival at their generous host countries . Whoever heard of a houseguest demanding his own food be served him at the expense of the host?
Russia continues to position itself to potentially launch airstrikes in Syria — but their movements suggest that their targets are something other than ISIS, according to U.S. officials. Russia did not move significantly more weapons into Syria over the weekend, two U.S. officials told CNN, but the country did make several moves to put itself in the position to launch airstrikes.
Though Russia has also spoken out against ISIS, which the U.S. is already fighting in Syria, the Russian military movements indicate that combating the terror group may not be Moscow’s primary objective for joining the fight in the country.Defense officials have previously told CNN that the U.S. believes Moscow may fear that Syrian President Bashar al-Assad may not be able to retain power in the war-torn country and wants to be in position to be able to support a proxy should the situation collapse. FULL REPORT
(Charisma) Weeks before his 95th birthday, Billy Graham said, “I am ready to start my next book!” We had recently completed work on his book The Reason for My Hope—Salvation. It was the fall of 2013. Thinking he would want a break from going through drafts of another manuscript, I was stunned at his drive and asked: “Would you like to take a little break and start work on a new book after Christmas?” “No,” he said, “I might not be here next year!”
Oh, but he was—and still is. Nearly two years later, at almost 97 years old, his 33rd book will be released. He had remarked about the contemporary books that had been written on heaven and hell. There was still a book he wanted to write on this subject because, he said, “Many people today do not understand the fundamental truths about mankind’s eternal destinations and that each person has a choice to make concerning the most critical matter of life—where they will spend eternity after death.” “Mr. Graham,” I replied, “you have written and preached on heaven and hell for nearly 80 years.” “Well,” he quipped, “I don’t feel quite that old.”
In spite of his weak eyesight he said with a twinkle, “I just may live until my 100th birthday! … The more I listen to the news of what is going on in the world, and in the church, there is great confusion about the end times. Some people wonder how to get to heaven and others don’t seem to care if they wind up in hell. God has a lot to say about this, and He has not kept His promises hidden, but few pastors preach on it today. I would like to shed some light on what the Bible has to say about the subject of eternity for today’s generations.” FULL REPORT
You can hardly pick up a newspaper, go to a news website or turn on the television without some mention of conflict in the Middle East, and more specifically, conflicts involving Israel. Why is this? The answer is quite simple: Israel is in the eye of the hurricane of the great events of the end times. Israel occupies center stage in God’s drama of the ages. She and other players are behind the prophetic curtain, and they are hitting their marks. The curtain on this drama has not yet opened, but it will soon. It all was predicted long ago by the Hebrew prophets.
One of the signs of the end, a supersign, if you will, is the miracle of Israel, the regathering of the Jewish people back to their homeland. In the Old Testament book of Ezekiel, God instructed the prophet to go to a graveyard. As Ezekiel stood there, bodies burst of out of graves, bones came together, muscle was attached to bone, and flesh was attached to muscle. Then God told Ezekiel what it all meant: “Then He said to me, ‘Son of man, these bones are the whole house of Israel. … “Pay attention, O My people, I will open your graves and cause you to come up out of your graves and bring you into the land of Israel. Then you shall know that I am the Lord, when I have opened your graves, O My people, and brought you up out of your graves. And I shall put My Spirit in you, and you shall live, and I shall place you in your own land. Then you shall know that I the Lord have spoken and performed it, says the Lord”‘” (Ezek. 37:11-14). FULL REPORT
In 2011, Nita and I released a book called Forbidden Gates, which outlined the future of humanity in light of a dangerous collection of scientific disciplines we call GRIN technology. The acronym refers to Genetics, Robotics, Artificial Intelligence and Nanotechnology, a quartet of scientific imperatives that seek to reshape what it is to be human. Yet even though the book was a best-seller, most Christians I meet are still unaware of the shifting genetic sands beneath our collective feet. But ignorance is no excuse. Every believer should know what their children and grandchildren are about to face, and we have a duty to stand against it.
In his letter to the church at Ephesus, Paul explains the church’s responsibility as the agent of God’s wisdom, concluding this was by divine intention. “His intent was that now, through the church, the manifold wisdom of God should be made known to the rulers and authorities in the heavenly realms” (Eph. 3:10). Making known the “righteous” and manifold wisdom of God must include human-affirming virtues of Christian morality that are intrinsic to His divine order and the Great Commission. FULL REPORT
While everyone was distracted by the Pope and the blood Moon this month the UN has been working right in the midst of us to develop something most of you have probably never heard of. Have you heard of “the global goals”? If you haven’t heard of them by now, rest assured that you will be hearing plenty about them in the days ahead. On September 25th, the United Nations launched a set of 17 ambitious goals that it plans to achieve over the next 15 years. A new website to promote this plan has been established, and you can find it right here. The formal name of this new plan is “the 2030 Agenda“, but those behind it decided that they needed something catchier when promoting these ideas to the general population.
The UN has stated that these new “global goals” represent a “new universal Agenda” for humanity. Virtually every nation on the planet has willingly signed on to this new agenda, and you are expected to participate whether you like it or not. Some of the biggest stars in the entire world have been recruited to promote “the global goals”. Just check out the YouTube video that I have posted below. This is the kind of thing that you would expect from a hardcore religious cult…If you live in New York City, you are probably aware of the “Global Citizen Festival” that was held in Central Park on Saturday where some of the biggest names in the music industry promoted these new “global goals”. The following is how the New York Daily News described the gathering… FULL REPORT
In a new shocking report, Saudi Arabia has withdrawn as much as $70 billion from global asset managers as OPEC’s largest oil producer seeks to plug its budget deficit, according to financial services market intelligence company Insight Discovery. “Fund managers we’ve spoken to estimate SAMA has pulled out between $50 billion to $70 billion from global asset managers over the past six months,” Nigel Sillitoe, chief executive officer of the Dubai-based firm, said by telephone Monday. “Saudi Arabia is withdrawing funds because it’s trying to cut its widening deficit and it’s financing the war in Yemen,” he said, declining to name the fund managers.
Saudi Arabia is seeking to halt the erosion of its finances after oil prices halved in the past year. The Saudi Arabian Monetary Authority’s reserves held in foreign securities have fallen about 10 percent from a peak of $737 billion in August 2014, to $661 billion in July, according to central bank data. The government is accelerating bond sales to help sustain spending. “Foreign-exchange reserve depletion, rather than accumulation, is the new reality for Saudi Arabia,” Jason Tuvey, Middle East economist at Capital Economics, said in an e-mailed note Monday. “None of this should come as much surprise,” given the current-account deficit and risk of capital flight, he said. FULL REPORT
Stocks tumbled Monday to kick off the new week in the red, as Wall Street reacted to fresh data showing China’s economy is in slowdown mode, overshadowing a big deal in the hard-hit energy patch. The Dow Jones industrial average ended down 313 points, or 1.9%. The Standard & Poor’s 500 index fell 2.6% and the Nasdaq composite index plunged more than 143 points, or 3%. Blue chips comprising the Dow temporarily ducked below 16,000 at one point, the first time the index has fallen below that mark since Aug. 25. The U.S. stock market is still coping with its first market correction, or drop of 10% or more, since 2011.
The latest hit to investor sentiment was a continued drop in Chinese Industrial Profits, which fell 8.8% in August vs. the same period a year ago. This is just the latest data point out of the world’s second- biggest economy that suggests economic softening. Another headline putting investors in a risk-off mode are reports that Volkswagen’s ex-CEO is being investigated for criminal charges by German authorities as part of the investigation into the emissions-cheating scandal that has engulfed the carmaker in recent weeks. FULL REPORT
The Military, The Government and now Scientists are warning humanity of the next “Blackout” that will grip the Nation! It has been well over a century since the last major solar storm hit the earth, but sooner or later, it will happen again. It’s only a question of when, and many scientists believe that the recurrence of such an event is overdue. In fact, scientists claim that the likelihood of a coronal mass ejection on the scale of the 1859 Carrington Event – the most devastating solar storm on record – is around one percent annually, which means that it should have already happened, statistically speaking.
As previously reported by Natural News, the Carrington Event fried telegraph networks in several countries and lit up the sky with auroral displays so bright they could be seen even near the equator. When a solar storm of this magnitude hits the earth again, the consequences will be far more disastrous given our complete dependence on electronic devices, electronic systems and the power grid – all of which will almost certainly be wiped out. This will include items such as cell phones, toasters, automobile ignition systems, and the electrical power that we take for granted and rely on more heavily than most of us would care to imagine. FULL REPORT
God made everything out of nothing, including you and me. His main purpose in creation was to bring him pleasure.
The chief way in which we as humanity do this is through loving, obeying, and enjoying him perfectly.
Instead of this, we have sinned against our loving Creator and acted in high-handed rebellion.
God has vowed that he will righteously and lovingly judge sinners with eternal death.
But God, being merciful, loving, gracious, and just, sent his own son, Jesus Christ, in the likeness of man to live as a man; fulfilling his perfect requirements in the place of sinners; loving, obeying, and enjoying him perfectly.
And further, his son bore the eternal judgment of God upon the cross of Calvary, as he satisfied the eternal anger of God, standing in the place of sinners. God treated Jesus as a sinner, though he was perfectly sinless, that he might declare sinners as perfect.
This glorious transaction occurs as the sinner puts their faith (dependence, trust) in the Lord Jesus Christ as their substitute. God then charges Christ’s perfection to the sinner, and no longer views him as an enemy but instead an adopted son covered in the perfect righteousness of his son.
God furnished proof that this sacrifice was accepted by raising Jesus from the dead.
God will judge the world in righteousness and all of those who are not covered in the righteousness of Christ, depending on him for forgiveness, will be forced to stand on their own to bear the eternal anger of God.
Therefore, all must turn from sin and receive Christ Jesus as Lord.
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.
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.
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.
(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
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In 1 Thessalonians 4:9–10 Paul encourages the church at Thessalonica to pursue “brotherly love.” What is brotherly love? The noun used here (φιλαδελφία) was only used for literal family relationships before the Christian community began to use it as a metaphor for members of their community (EDNT, 4:434). The only exception appears to be 2 Macc 15:14, the word appears to refer to a fraternal relationship of all Israel. In 4 Macc 13:23, 26, 14:1 the word refers to the mutual love between seven brothers who all suffer instead of reject their Jewish traditions.
The Greeks considered the relationship between brothers to be of primary importance, Plutarch used the term “brotherly love” to describe the proper relationship between brothers.
Plutarch, De fraterno amore 2 …where there is an unanimous accordance amongst brothers, the family thrives and flourishes, and friends and acquaintance, like a well furnished choir, in all…
Atmospheric temperature measurements though April 2015
This article from Investors Business Daily. It talks about Obama’s plan to save the planet from global warming. The plan is called the “Clean Power Plan”.
Excerpt:
Unveiled in August, this sweeping regulation will force states to slash their carbon dioxide emissions by between 7% and 48%, potentially costing families and businesses some $366 billion in higher electricity costs over the next 15 years. Yet EPA-funded models show that it will have no detectable impact on climate, if it has any impact at all.
E&E Legal unearthed documents showing systemic collusion to promote this scheme. The coordination involves the White House, state governors and attorneys general, and a host of nongovernmental organizations affiliated with “major environmental donors” — especially billionaire Tom Steyer.
The campaign quietly began in December 2013, when the White House met with aides to Gov. Jerry Brown, D-Calif.; Gov. Jay Inslee…
Taken and adapted from, “THE MISCELLANEOUS WORKS OF THE REV. MATTHEW HENRY” Volume I Published in 1833.
Lewd, obscene, and filthy talk, is another of the vile evidence of an unsanctified, ungoverned tongue.
It is a thing to be greatly lamented, that this impudent sin, which bids open defiance to virtue and honor, and wages war with them, like a spreading leprosy, stains the beauty of our land, turns a Canaan into a Sodom, and is become an epidemical disease. For the relief of those who are infected with it, and who are not incurably unclean, I would in a few words show you the evil of it.
1 Consider what an offence it is to the pure and holy God, who takes notice of, and is much displeased with, the uncleanness of your lips, as well as of your hearts and lives. It is a violation even…
Martin Luther’s commentary on Galatians is indeed one of the finest expositions of this epistle of Paul as well as one of the finest discussions of justification through faith alone by grace alone in Christ alone. Luther’s introduction is also a gold mine. In it, he talks about active righteousness (our attempts at obedience) and passive righteousness (receiving righteousness as a gift). Here are a few excerpts:
…Human weakness and misery is so great that in the terrors of conscience and danger of death we see nothing but our works, our unworthiness, and the law. And when we are shown our sin, in time we remember the evil of our past life. Then the poor sinner groans with great anguish of spirit and thinks, “Alas, what a dreadful life I have lived! Would to God I might live longer; then I would amend my life.” Thus human reason cannot restrain…
This is from the UK Daily Mail. A good article, that shows what happens when people make decisions with their hearts, and don’t use their heads to ask “what are the consequences for every group, going forward?” I actually thought that Merkel had backed off of her plan, but I guess I was wrong…
Excerpt:
Mrs Merkel’s offer last month to accept all refugees from war-ravaged Syria opened the floodgates. More than a million migrants are expected this year alone, the bulk of them far from genuine asylum seekers. There is now deepening disquiet in this Christian country, dotted with churches, that it is being overwhelmed by people of a different religion and culture.
[…]Police in the Bavarian town of Mering, where a 16-year-old girl was reportedly raped this month, have warned parents not to allow their children outside unaccompanied.
Is your soul troubled? Are you messed up on the inside? Do you feel cold, distant, and could you use some old-fashioned, Holy Spirit revival?
How about your mind? Is it spinning? Could you use some aid in evaluating options and making wise decisions today?
Wouldn’t you love to skip the loving but painful discipline of the Lord today and enjoy the wonderful consequences of walking in wisdom and obedience?
Friends, King David wishes to be of assistance to you. Listen to his inspired guidance:
The law of the LORD is perfect, reviving the soul; the testimony of the LORD is sure, making wise the simple; the precepts of the LORD are right, rejoicing the heart; the commandment of the LORD is pure, enlightening the eyes; the fear of the LORD is clean, enduring forever; the rules of the LORD are true, and righteous altogether. More to be desired are they…
35 But someone will say, “How are the dead raised? And with what kind of body do they come.” (1 Corinthians 15:35 NASB)
Eternity is the true reality, not this physical life in the temporal. At the heart of our Christian faith is our blessed hope of a bodily resurrection. Many mistakenly believe that all Christians who die are given their eternal body right then, but the Bible is clear that our eternal bodies are resurrected by God from our physical bodies that we have now. There will be an interim between our death and the resurrection before we are given our resurrection bodies, but this post is about what will be after our Lord returns in victory and glory.
I was actually thinking of going to this annual Washington conference of value voters, because the speakers line up so closely with my values. You might think that it’s all social conservatism, but this is actually a really good place to find good talks on the free market system, as well as peace through strength foreign policy.
Anyway, they took a poll of the values voters, and Ted Cruz won:
Sen. Ted Cruz won the Values Voter Summit straw poll for the third year in a row on Saturday, a strong showing of support from evangelical voters for his 2016 presidential bid.
The firebrand Texas senator won a whopping 35 percent in the poll of summit-goers, ahead of runner-up Ben Carson’s 18 percent. That margin is significantly wider than last year, where he edged out Carson by just 5 percentage points.
I’ve been enjoying Herman Witsius’ discussion of antinomianism and neonomianism in Britain during the 17th century. The full title is a mouthful: Conciliatory or Irenical Animadversions on the Controversies Agitated in Britain. Below is a section near the end where Witsius talks about a believer’s good works and why they cannot be part of or count in our justification:
If you have been united to Christ, Jesus has broken the curse and brought us into fellowship with God. The bondage of sin has been broken. When as Christians we sin, we are acting in unbelief – not believing that our actions are being openly beheld by God and others. It is to forget our identity and the gift of the Holy Spirit and to live as if we were still under sin’s dominion. Living genuinely and transparently, then, means by the grace of God, to consciously live every moment with the belief that all of our thoughts and life are truly open before God and man. It means to walk in the light (
What role do trials play in the Christian life? In this lab, John Piper explains a hard, but beautiful truth. God writes hardship and suffering into every believer’s story for the sake of their faith. He wants to secure and deepen our joy in himself, and so he carries us through various trials.
Lots of people, probably many in your own life, are curious about the Bible or maybe even want to read it, but don’t know where to start. Many of us woke up this morning ourselves wanting to start reading the Bible again, but not sure where to turn today. In two minutes, Ben Stuart gives us a few places to turn when we’ve never read the Bible before or when we don’t know where to turn.
