What does it mean to live in awe of the Creator? Dr. John Crotts begins a powerful series on the essentials of the gospel, starting with the majesty, holiness, and authority of God. Discover how this foundational truth shapes our understanding of faith and life.
So, what is Christmas all about? Silent night, holy war!
The post Silent Night, Holy War first appeared on The Christ in Prophecy Journal.
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No man hath seen God at any time. If we love one another God dwelleth in us, and his love is perfected in us.
1 JOHN 4:12
In his earthly ministry, our Lord Jesus loved babies, publicans, harlots and sick people—and He loved them spontaneously and individually!
The person who claims to follow Christ cannot afford to do otherwise.
A peril always confronting the minister is that he may come unconsciously to love religious and philosophic ideas rather than saints and sinners. It is altogether possible to feel for the world of lost men the same kind of detached affection that the naturalist Fabre, say, felt for a hive of bees or a hill of black ants. They are something to study, to learn from, possibly even to help, but nothing to weep over or die for!
Where this attitude prevails it soon leads to a stilted and pedantic kind of preaching. The minister assumes that his hearers are as familiar with history, philosophy and theology as he is, so he indulges in learned allusions, makes casual references to books and writers wholly unknown to the majority of people who listen to him, and mistakes the puzzled expression on the faces of his parishioners for admiration of his brilliance!
Why religious people continue to put up with this sort of thing, as well as to pay for it and support it, is beyond me. I can only add it to the long list of things I do not and probably never will understand.1
1 Tozer, A. W., & Smith, G. B. (2015). Evenings with Tozer: Daily Devotional Readings (p. 366). Moody Publishers.
Nothing can satisfy the entire man but the Lord’s love and the Lord’s own self. Saints have tried to anchor in other roadsteads, but they have been driven out of such fatal refuges. Solomon, the wisest of men, was permitted to make experiments for us all, and to do for us what we must not dare to do for ourselves. Here is his testimony in his own words: “So I was great, and increased more than all that were before me in Jerusalem: also my wisdom remained with me. And whatsoever mine eyes desired I kept not from them, I withheld not my heart from any joy; for my heart rejoiced in all my labour: and this was my portion of all my labour. Then I looked on all the works that my hands had wrought, and on the labour that I had laboured to do: and, behold, all was vanity and vexation of spirit, and there was no profit under the sun.” “Vanity of vanities, all is vanity.” What! the whole of it vanity? O favoured monarch, is there nothing in all thy wealth? Nothing in that wide dominion reaching from the river even to the sea? Nothing in Palmyra’s glorious palaces? Nothing in the house of the forest of Lebanon? In all thy music and dancing, and wine and luxury, is there nothing? “Nothing,” he says, “but weariness of spirit.” This was his verdict when he had trodden the whole round of pleasure. To embrace our Lord Jesus, to dwell in his love, and be fully assured of union with him—this is all in all. Dear reader, you need not try other forms of life in order to see whether they are better than the Christian’s: if you roam the world around, you will see no sights like a sight of the Saviour’s face; if you could have all the comforts of life, if you lost your Saviour, you would be wretched; but if you win Christ, then should you rot in a dungeon, you would find it a paradise; should you live in obscurity, or die with famine, you will yet be satisfied with favour and full of the goodness of the Lord.1
1 Spurgeon, C. H. (1896). Morning and evening: Daily readings. Passmore & Alabaster.
Philippians 4
THEREFORE, my brethren dearly beloved and longed for, my joy and crown, so stand fast in the Lord, my dearly beloved.
2 I beseech Euodias, and beseech Syntyche, that they be of the same mind in the Lord.
He pleads with these two good women to end their differences. The worst results may arise from a quarrel, even when there are only two engaged in it, and those two are women.
3 And I entreat thee also, true yokefellow, help those women which laboured with me in the gospel, with Clement also, and with other my fellowlabourers, whose names are in the book of life.
4 Rejoice in the Lord alway: and again I say, Rejoice. (We cannot have too much holy rejoicing; we are to joy and re-joy, and then to rejoice again. See that this be done in this house all day long. Alas, none can truly rejoice but those who are in the Lord! Are we all in him?)
5 Let your moderation be known unto all men. The Lord is at hand.
6 Be careful for nothing; but in every thing by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known unto God.
Be not careful, but prayerful. Prayer is the cure for care.
7 And the peace of God, which passeth all understanding, shall keep your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus.
8 Finally, brethren, whatsoever things are true, whatsoever things are honest, whatsoever things are just, whatsoever things are pure, whatsoever things are lovely, whatsoever things are of good report; if there be any virtue, and if there be any praise, think on these things.
Here is a mass of matter for thought. Take each word and study it, and then put it in practice. Every member of the family should learn this verse by heart; it is much in little, a catalogue of the practical virtues.
9 Those things, which ye have both learned, and received, and heard, and seen in me, do: and the God of peace shall be with you.
10–13 But I rejoiced in the Lord greatly, that now at the last your care of me hath flourished again; wherein ye were also careful, but ye lacked opportunity. Not that I speak in respect of want: for I have learned, in whatsoever state I am, therewith to be content. I know both how to be abased, and I know how to abound: every where and in all things I am instructed both to be full and to be hungry, both to abound and to suffer need. I can do all things through Christ which strengtheneth me.
14 Notwithstanding ye have well done, that ye did communicate with my affliction.
Paul knew how to be poor, but he did not know how to be ungrateful. True ministers will work for the Lord, however badly their people may support them, yet it is well to treat them generously, and win their gratitude, for their Master is pleased when his servants are kindly used for his sake. Is there any deed of love which we can do for our pastor?
15, 16 Now ye Philippians know also, that in the beginning of the gospel, when I departed from Macedonia, no church communicated with me as concerning giving and receiving, but ye only. For even in Thessalonica ye sent once and again unto my necessity.
17 Not because I desire a gift: but I desire fruit that may abound to your account.
18 But I have all, and abound: I am full, having received of Epaphroditus the things which were sent from you, an odour of a sweet smell, a sacrifice acceptable, wellpleasing to God.
19 But my God shall supply all your need according to his riches in glory by Christ Jesus.
This is a grand assurance. God is the giver, his infinite glory is the store, Jesus is the channel, and the supply knows no limit. What more can the most expanded desires wish for? This promissory note from the Bank of Faith makes all believers rich beyond a miser’s dream.
20 Now unto God and our Father be glory for ever and ever. Amen.
21 Salute every saint in Christ Jesus. The brethren which are with me greet you.
22 All the saints salute you, chiefly they that are of Cæsar’s household.
23 The grace of our Lord Jesus Christ be with you all. Amen. (Thus with an affectionate wish this fragrant letter of love comes to its close. May more of the tender spirit which it breathes be found in each one of us.)1
1 Spurgeon, C. H. (1964). The Interpreter: Spurgeon’s Devotional Bible (p. 715). Baker Book House.
TODAY’S BIBLE READING CHALLENGE:
Daniel 11:36-12:13
1 John 4:1-21
Psalm 123:1-4
Proverbs 29:2-4
Daniel 11:36 — Between yesterday and today, we just leapfrogged the entire Church Age. Yesterday’s reading described events from 2,000 years ago. Today’s reading describes events in the future. From John Walvoord:
Beginning with verse 36, a sharp break in the prophecy may be observed, introduced by the expression the time of the end in verse 35.
Daniel 11:40 — From Jimmy DeYoung:
Verse 40 in our reading reveals how the alignment of Arab and Islamic nations, led by Russia, will begin to make their way into Israel to destroy the Jewish state. Almost in concert, the two nations, Egypt and Syria, will come “against him”, verse 40. Remember the “him” is the Antichrist.
Why would the text say that Syria and Egypt are going to attack the Antichrist? The answer is that before both Arab nations move against Israel, the Antichrist will have “confirmed” a peace agreement between Israel and her enemies, Daniel 9:27. So, to attack Israel is like attacking the Antichrist who has just guaranteed Israel’s peace.
Daniel 11:41 — Chuck Missler is one of many who note the connection between “Edom, and Moab, and the chief of the children of Ammon” (present day Jordan) with Petra, the desert fortress.
Daniel 12:1 — The “time of trouble” is also known as the Great Tribulation.
Daniel 12:2 — We read about the special book that Moses talked about (Exodus 32:32-33, Deuteronomy 9:14), that Paul wrote about (Philippians 4:3), and that John saw (Revelation 3:5, Revelation 21:27). Is your name written there?
Daniel 12:8-9 — Daniel could interpret dreams, could counsel Nebuchadnezzar, but he couldn’t understand God’s prophetic timetable. The promise was that at the “time of the end” the words would be unsealed.
There’s a fascinating history of eschatology (study of last things) at ChristInProphecy.org (Lamb & Lion Ministries). The key point is that eschatology is relatively new in theological studies, especially because of its interconnection with Zionism.
In 1878, “one of the first [statements of faith] to explicitly proclaim faith in the premillennial return of Jesus Christ to earth” was written at the Niagara Bible Conference.
Since Julian the Apostate’s attempt in 363 to rebuild the Temple was stopped by “fearful balls of fire,” there had been little movement to return Jews to Eretz Israel until Lord Shaftesbury’s Memorandum calling for “the restoration of the Jews to Palestine” in 1841. The Zionist Congress itself didn’t commit itself to Palestine until 1905 (for fun, read a fictional travel guide to “New Judea, East Africa” which has an alternative timeline history). In 1940, President Roosevelt considered moving the Jews to Alaska.
Daniel 12:12 — Apparently there is a 75-day transitional period between the Tribulation and the New Jerusalem (Walvoord).
1 John 4:3 — Speaking of antichrist, denial of the humanity of Jesus is a sign of a false teacher.
1 John 4:4 — Greater is He that is in me than he that is in the world!
1 John 4:9 — Notice the similarity between this verse and John 3:16.
1 John 4:16 — You’ve heard that “God is love,” which is only found in 1 John 4. Remember also, though, that the reverse is not true. Love IS NOT God.
1 John 4:19 — Thank God He loved us first!
Psalm 123:2 — Notice that the Psalmist identifies himself as a servant of the Master, the LORD Our God!
Proverbs 29:2 — Yes, that means you have to vote for good candidates!
Share how reading through the Bible has been a blessing to you! E-mail us at 2018bible@vcyamerica.org or call and leave a message at 414-885-5370.
I will not leave you comfortless: I will come to you.John 14:18
He left us, and yet we are not left orphans. He is our comfort, and He is gone; but we are not comfortless. Our comfort is that He will come to us, and this is consolation enough to sustain us through His prolonged absence. Jesus is already on His way: He says, “I come quickly”: He rides posthaste toward us. He says, “I will come”: and none can prevent His coming, or put it back for a quarter of an hour. He specially says, “I will come to you”; and so He will. His coming is specially to and for His own people. This is meant to be their present comfort while they mourn that the Bridegroom doth not yet appear.
When we lose the joyful sense of His presence we mourn, but we may not sorrow as if there were no hope. Our Lord in a little wrath has hid Himself from us for a moment, but He will return in full favor. He leaves us in a sense, but only in a sense. When He withdraws, He leaves a pledge behind that He will return. O Lord, come quickly! There is no life in this earthly existence if Thou be gone. We sigh for the return of Thy sweet smile. When wilt Thou come unto us? We are sure Thou wilt appear; but be Thou like a roe, or a young hart. Make no tarrying, O our God!
Are faith and reason opposing ideas? Can we follow the evidence and still say we have “faith” that Jesus is who he said he was? How does an evidential approach to Christian belief change the way we interact with others?
To see more interview videos with J. Warner Wallace, visit the YouTube playlist.
For more information about the nature of Biblical faith and a strategy for communicating the truth of Christianity, please read Forensic Faith: A Homicide Detective Makes the Case for a More Reasonable, Evidential Christian Faith. This book teaches readers four reasonable, evidential characteristics of Christianity and provides a strategy for sharing Christianity with others. The book is accompanied by an eight-session Forensic Faith DVD Set (and Participant’s Guide) to help individuals or small groups examine the evidence and make the case.
The post Why You Need Evidence to Defend the Faith (Video) first appeared on Cold Case Christianity.
The same Jesus who arrived humbly at Bethlehem will return from heaven in majesty and glory. Today, Sinclair Ferguson explains the importance of giving thought to our Lord’s second advent in addition to His first.
Hear more from Things Unseen with Sinclair B. Ferguson: https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PL30acyfm60fWgA8zL6TjP3KtLhRFNHfxi
Source: Looking to Christ’s Return: Things Unseen with Sinclair B. Ferguson
When reflecting on over forty years of pastoral ministry carried out in numerous forms and contexts, two recurring realities emerge as most prominent in my experience. First, people are often profoundly troubled and deeply hurting amid the moral chaos and cultural decay of a sin-stricken world, resulting in a brokenness that reaches the deepest recesses of the human mind and heart.
Second, the gospel—the hopeful proclamation of the now-and-not-yet kingdom of God as manifested in the deity, death, and resurrection of Jesus Christ—is the greatest source of healing for individuals, families, churches, and cultures.[i]
“The gospel—the hopeful proclamation of the now-and-not-yet kingdom of God as manifested in the deity, death, and resurrection of Jesus Christ—is the greatest source of healing for individuals, families, churches, and cultures.”
In a word, the world is profoundly out of sorts and only Jesus can set it to rights. It is the concomitance of these two concerns that provides much of the context and content of what has become a focus in my ministry, namely biblically based, gospel-centric pastoral counseling.
Bearing this in mind, the following is a brief introduction to a model of pastoral counseling I developed utilizing the acrostic HOPE (Hear the Pain; Optimize Passional Reason: Proclaim the Gospel; Emphasize the Resurrection). Of particular significance for this model is that it gives central place to the resurrection in the caregiving process.
My goal is to demonstrate the HOPE model through a notional scenario derived from real counseling experiences, thereby highlighting how the resurrection provides a key component in helping broken people experience transformation and lasting wholeness.
Scenario: Randy walked into the pastor’s office with a look of consternation on his face and a certain slowness in his step. The appointment was scheduled the prior Sunday after Randy asked for prayer at the conclusion of the service. The pastor had heard a certain familiar pain in Randy’s voice, so he offered to not only pray that day, but to meet in person for a follow-up counseling discussion. Randy was happy to accept the offer, and now he stood in the office.
“Sit down, Randy,” said the pastor, “and tell me what’s on your mind.” Randy sat opposite the pastor’s desk and, after an opening prayer by the pastor, began to share his story. Moment by moment, hurt by hurt, Randy recounted his experience with Post Traumatic Stress precipitated by several tours of combat in Iraq.
The pastor listened intently, careful not to interrupt and trying to avoid anything like a leading question; his concern was to give Randy ample space and time to tell his story, and it was quite a story.
At one point the emotion in Randy’s voice heightened and he burst into tears as he recounted the loss of dear friends during a combat operation gone awry. It was clear that Randy was hurting, and the pastor was glad Randy was able to get the hurt out into the open in the safety of a counseling session.
Discussion: All counseling begins with listening, or at least it should.[ii] It is when the pastor listens without leading or stifling responses, that the counselee can paint the picture of the problem that brought them to seek help.
As the counselor listens, there are two goals: 1) establish with the counselee that the pastor wants to hear before responding, to listen before counseling; and 2) to give the pastor a sense of the depth of the pain involved in the situation and what related matters may need to be addressed later and/or may justify a referral to caregivers with relevant expertise.
Further, hearing the person’s pain may involve more than one session where the counselor offers little input, opting to show support by listening intently and for as long as it takes to get the counselee to the place where their burden is sufficiently expressed and understood.[iii] Again, counseling begins with listening, with hearing the pain.
Scenario: After talking for nearly an hour without interruption, Randy began to quiet himself, finally coming to a point of asking, “Pastor, what can I do to get through this pain?” After a thoughtful pause before answering, the pastor replied with a question of his own. “Randy, what do you think would help you?” Seeming a bit frustrated, Randy responded, “I’m not sure. That’s why I’m talking to you, pastor. I need your help.”
After another pause, the pastor stated, “Randy, thank you for trusting me with your pain. What I heard as you recounted losing your friends was two things.
First, your emotions are up and down, high and low, and I suspect you are unable to find a balance most of the time. Second, there are a few areas in your explanation and evaluation of what you are going through that are a bit out of sorts with what is true.” Randy looked intently at the pastor, nodding slightly.
The pastor continued, “Randy, getting to the place of wholeness involves both how you think and how you feel—not one or the other, but both. My goal is to help you think and feel your way through this issue. I want you to learn to check your feelings with your reason, and to allow your reason to be properly informed by your feelings.”
Discussion: Much of what constitutes a counselee’s burden is a mismatch between facts and feelings, between reason and emotions. However, the counselor must not assume that feelings are always wrong, or that the answer to the counselee’s problem is simply a matter of clearer thinking.
It is imperative to recall that humans form beliefs based on a combination of reason and emotion, with both coming together and each informing the other so that the whole person comes to a particular conviction or position with their head and their heart. This confluence of reason and emotions in relation to forming beliefs is called passional reason, and counselors who learn to optimize it in the counseling process are more likely to see holistic transformation encompassing noetic and affective capacities in the counselee.[iv] Thus, when a counselor begins to engage the counselee’s story, he should look for instances of misshapen thoughts and feelings and explain to the counselee that both areas will be addressed during the counseling process.
Lest this point seem to call for some type of specialized knowledge on the part of the pastor, consider that with or without the nomenclature of passional reason there is an intuitive sense that thinking and feeling are fundamental aspects of being human. Thus, optimizing passional reason is simply another way of inviting the counselee to experience wholeness as a “whole” person, beginning with their thoughts and feelings.
Scenario: Randy sat for a moment, then asked, “So what you’re saying, pastor, is that my head and my heart need healing?” “Correct,” replied the pastor, “and that healing begins with hearing one more time something I know you already believe with all your mind and heart.” After sitting quietly for another moment, Randy replied, “What do I need to hear, pastor?”
Looking intently at Randy, the pastor spoke with passion and clarity, “Randy, Jesus is Lord. He died and rose again. He loves you, and because he rose again and overcame death, he can and will help you overcome your pain and grief.” After letting those words of the gospel settle onto Randy for a moment, the pastor continued, “Randy, am I right? Do you believe the gospel with all your heart and mind? Do you believe that Jesus is Lord, and that he died for you, rose again for you, and is right now at his Father’s right hand, praying for you?”
With tears in his eyes, his voice breaking, Randy replied, “Yes, pastor, I do believe those things.” “Good, Randy,” replied the pastor, “because the Jesus’ resurrection is essential to your wholeness and healing.”
Discussion: What makes Christian counseling unique is not method but focus. The Christian counselor’s ultimate point of reference from beginning to end of the caregiving process is the message of the gospel.[v] While the pastor’s counsel may include more than the gospel, it certainly should never leave out the gospel.
“What makes Christian counseling unique is not method but focus. The Christian counselor’s ultimate point of reference from beginning to end of the caregiving process is the message of the gospel.”
In this sense, pastoral counseling is evangelical counseling, which is to say that it is counseling through the lens of the evangel, the good news, the gospel. Thus, in the notional scenario the pastor has laid the groundwork by hearing the pain of the counselee and optimizing passional reason as the epistemic pathway to wholeness.
Now enters the gospel, which encapsulates all the hope the counselee seeks. While there may be varied approaches to proclaiming the gospel and different points of emphasis by its proclaimers, what is fundamental to the Christian path to remedy is the declaration of the deity, death, and resurrection of King Jesus.
It is not enough to assume that because counseling is Christian that the gospel is clear. Rather, the pastor has the privilege and necessity to proclaim the gospel to his counselee, thereby giving center place to the lordship of Jesus over death and the grave as his resurrection is highlighted as the ultimate demonstration of victory in place of defeat.
Scenario: Randy continued to listen as he leaned forward in his chair and drew a bead on the pastor with his eyes. The pastor continued, “Randy, the healing you seek in your mind and heart will take time, but it is possible because of Jesus’ victory over the grave. What we will do going forward is sort of like taking a tube of antibiotic cream and applying and reapplying it to an open wound, except in this instance the wound is your Post Traumatic Stress, and the antibiotic cream is the resurrection.”
Randy thought for a moment, then asked, “Pastor, exactly how does that work? I mean, how do I apply the resurrection to my situation?” After a pause, the pastor replied, “Think of it like this. You told me that lately you struggle most with a feeling of hopelessness when you think of how your heart seems to know only an aching sense of despair. You wonder if it is possible to ever get past the hurt and loss.”
Romans 8:11
Randy nodded in agreement. “Your homework is to write down on a card that you will carry with you at all times the following: ‘But if the Spirit of Him who raised Jesus from the dead dwells in you, He who raised Christ from the dead will also give life to your mortal bodies through His Spirit who dwells in you.’ That is Romans 8:11, and it is a powerful reminder that the Spirit is at work in you giving you the life—the same life—that brought Jesus from the dead.
His resurrection is your victory, and as often as you find yourself struggling with the thoughts of despair you must apply the hope of the gospel to your situation. Over time you will come to experience a change in your outlook as your mind learns that the hopeless thought is a trigger to the hope of the resurrection. This is how you can do what Paul said later in Romans 12:2, ‘be transformed by the renewing of your mind.’”
A smile came to Randy’s face, the first one the pastor had seen since the session began. “Pastor,” Randy said with confidence, “I know I have a long way to go, but I’m starting to think and feel like I can get there with your help…with Jesus’ help. His resurrection is my hope.” “You are right, Randy, there is hope because of Jesus’ resurrection.”
Discussion: As an example of the blending of methods from cognitive behavioral therapy and the hope of the Christian gospel that flows from the resurrection, what the pastor offers is an approach to healing the mind and emotions with the truth of Scripture that capitalizes on neuroplasticity and trigger thoughts/words.[vi]
Again, just as with passional reason, so with this aspect of pastoral counseling there is no need for the pastor to be an expert in various counseling modalities. Rather, through a simple and consistent process of learning to correct thoughts and feelings with the hope of the resurrection, the pastor can lead the counselee along the path of a renewed mind and heart.
In the notional scenario discussed here, the pastor would continue to help Randy apply the truths of God’s Word, and especially the message of Jesus’ resurrection to the thoughts and feelings that are out of sync with the Spirit’s work in sanctification. This would happen over numerous counseling sessions and periodic checkups thereafter.
By utilizing the HOPE acrostic, the notional scenario illustrates how a Christian counselor may combine elements of cognitive behavior therapy with the gospel message of the deity, death, and resurrection of Jesus. The counselor hears the counselee’s pain, optimizes passional reason, proclaims the gospel, and emphasizes the resurrection in ways that help the counselee apply the truth of Jesus’ victory over death to their struggles and shortcomings. Indeed, because of the resurrection hope lives in a tangible and powerful way through the work of pastoral counseling.
[i] Cf. 1 Cor. 15:3-4. Unless otherwise noted, all Scripture quotes are from The Holy Bible: New King James Version (Nashville: Thomas Nelson, 1982).
[ii] For a discussion of the importance of listening to the counselee, see Harry Shields and Gary Bredfeldt, Caring for Souls: Counseling Under the Authority of Scripture (Chicago: Moody, 2001), 179-180.
[iii] Charles Allen Kollar, Solution-Focused Pastoral Counseling: An Effective Short-Term Approach for Getting People Back on Track, 2nd ed. (Grand Rapids: Zondervan, 2011), 79-88.
[iv] William J. Wainwright, Reason and the Heart: A Prolegomenon to a Critique of Passional Reason (Ithaca, NY: Cornell University Press, 1995), 1-6.
[v] Gary R. Collins, The Biblical Basis of Christian Counseling for People Helpers: Relating the Basic Teachings of Scripture to People’s Problems (Colorado Springs: NavPress, 2001), 3-11.
[vi] Shields and Bredfeldt, Caring for Souls, 193-223.
If God, Why Evil? (DVD Set), (MP3 Set), and (mp4 Download Set) by Frank Turek
Reflecting Jesus into a Dark World by Dr. Frank Turek – DVD Complete Series, Video mp4 DOWNLOAD Complete Series, and mp3 audio DOWNLOAD Complete Series
Why does God allow Bad Things to Happen to Good People? (DVD) and (mp4 Download) by Frank Turek
Relief From the Worst Pain You’ll Ever Experience (DVD) (MP3) (Mp4 Download) by Gary Habermas
Dr. Thomas J. Gentry II (aka T. J. Gentry) serves as the Senior Pastor of First Christian Church of West Frankfort, Illinois, the Assistant Vice President of Publishing and Communications, and the Assistant Editor of Bellator Christi Ministries. He formerly served as the Executive Editor of MoralApologetics.com. Dr. Gentry earned his Ph.D. in Theology and Apologetics (Liberty University); Ph.D. in Theology with Missiology (North-West University, South Africa); and Ph.D. in Biblical Studies, Ph.D. in Leadership, and D.Min. in Pastoral Counseling (Carolina University). Additionally, he is the President of Illative House Press (illativehousepress.com), having previously published Pulpit Apologist: The Vital Link between Preaching and Apologetics (Wipf and Stock, 2020) and Absent from the Body, Present with the Lord: Biblical, Theological, and Rational Arguments against Purgatory (Wipf and Stock, 2019). Additionally, Dr. Gentry proudly served his country, both enlisted and officer, in the United States Army Chaplain Corps, and he has taught martial arts as a Christian ministry platform since the late 1990s. He is an adjunct professor at Carolina University (carolinau.edu). He and his wife are blessed with five children and two grandchildren. His daily Bible teaching and devotions can be heard at tjgentry.net.
Originally posted at: https://bit.ly/3Z9VanC
The post Pastoral Counseling and the Resurrection of Jesus appeared first on Cross Examined.
https://crossexamined.org/pastoral-counseling-and-the-resurrection-of-jesus/
The Apostle Paul’s letter to the Church in Colossae is refreshing to both mind and soul, being not merely informative regarding the character and nature of Jesus but also a refreshing breath for those who find their peace in him. Colossians 1:9-14 is no exception. Herewithin, Paul writes to the faithful, telling them of how he prays unceasingly for them (v.9). It is, however, vital to our own Christian walks that we remember that though the letter was written to the Colossians, it is also written and preserved for us. So what does Paul say to the Colossians?
[9] And so, from the day we heard, we have not ceased to pray for you, asking that you may be filled with the knowledge of his will in all spiritual wisdom and understanding, [10] so as to walk in a manner worthy of the Lord, fully pleasing to him: bearing fruit in every good work and increasing in the knowledge of God; [11] being strengthened with all power, according to his glorious might, for all endurance and patience with joy; [12] giving thanks to the Father, who has qualified you to share in the inheritance of the saints in light. [13] He has delivered us from the domain of darkness and transferred us to the kingdom of his beloved Son, [14] in whom we have redemption, the forgiveness of sins. (ESV) – Colossians 1:9–14.
Paul writes that he prays ceaselessly that the saints in Colossae may grow in knowledge, spiritual wisdom, and understanding. It would be foolish to assume this desire for others’ godly growth is exclusive to this one specific church, for each of Paul’s letters is written with this aim, and each to a different church. As a part of the unified Church of Christ (the whole body of believers), we may assume that Paul wants the same for us. But what is it that Paul wants for us? It is for us to live godly lives—“to walk in a manner worthy of the Lord, fully pleasing to him…” [v.10a]—it is for us to live in a manner pleasing to the Lord, a lifestyle that will result in the discovery of our own pleasure in him. The question then begs itself: How can we live in a manner pleasing to God?
In the aforementioned passage, Paul gives us a list of four steps to live a life pleasing to God. “So as to walk in a manner worthy of the Lord, fully pleasing to him: bearing fruit in every good work and increasing in the knowledge of God…” [10] The first step is to bear fruit in every good work. To provide a comprehensive explanation of what it means to bear good fruit, I would have to write a multi-volume series of very long books. To spare you and me both that trouble, I will say it in the briefest terms: doing good for the glory of God. The first step to pleasing God is by doing his will in his name, offering him total glory for our successes; indeed, they already belong to him.
Verse 10 also gives us our second step toward pleasing God: getting to know him. “increasing in the knowledge of God…” [v.10c] There are many ways we can increase our knowledge of God, whether through the study of scripture, prayer, testimonies, or even pulling that dusty theology book off the shelf and giving it a read. God delights in our getting to know him. Though we will never be able to comprehend God in his entirety (due to the infinitude of his nature), he gives us opportunities to catch glimpses into his very heart—to know who he truly is. Why does God do this? Why does an infinite and holy God offer frail, finite minds the ability to understand him? The short answer: he does this because he loves us, and it pleases him to do so. If I want to climb a mountain because I like the sight, sound, and feel of the crisp air flowing through the needles of swaying evergreens, I do it because it pleases me. If I curl up on the sofa, wrapped in a warm, fuzzy blanket on a chilly winter evening, it is because it pleases me. How much more is God pleased when we turn our eyes to him?
Our third step comes from verse 11. “Being strengthened with all power, according to his glorious might, for all endurance and patience with joy…” [v.11] God is pleased to strengthen us—he is pleased to give us all power according to his glorious might, for all endurance and patience with joy. When the woes of life stack up against you and leave you unable to take another step, God is there, pleased to carry you. When your burdens are too heavy, God is there, pleased to bear them. When your sins buried you in the vile mire of your guilt, staining you beyond self-redemption, God is there, pleased to take those sins upon himself and offer you that redemption you could not earn yourself. Moreover, he gives us joy to go with that power in those hard times. God delights in comforting us when we fall on him in hard times. This is in the very heart of Jesus, to bear our burdens and to give us a new, easy yoke.
The fourth step comes from Colossians 1:12. “Giving thanks to the Father, who has qualified you to share in the inheritance of the saints in light.” [v.12] God delights in our gratitude. Whatever we have been given, we ought to thank our God. In Jesus Christ, we have already received an inheritance of the saints of light—to dwell in the rich and loving presence of God for eternity—to be with the same God who is pleased to take our burdens and replace them with joy. This is the inheritance to which the Father has qualified us, declaring us righteous and deserving, though we are weak and sinful. By grace was it given to us, for we did not deserve it, and for such grace, we ought to be grateful.
Lastly, Colossians 1:13-14 offers the reader of Paul’s letter the answer to the question “Why?” Why are we to be grateful? Why are we to trust in his power for endurance and joy? Why would we get to know him? Why should we give him our glory? Why should we live a life pleasing to God? “He has delivered us from the domain of darkness and transferred us to the kingdom of his beloved Son, in whom we have redemption, the forgiveness of sins.” [v.13-14] Paul points us to Jesus, the beloved Son, for our answer. Because of Christ’s work on the cross, we have not merely been saved from darkness, sin, and the just wrath of God, but we have also been brought into the light, redeemed and forgiven through Jesus’ blood on the cross. He is pleased to receive rightful glory for our good works because we could do no good without him. He is pleased by our faithful company, for he is our creator. He is pleased to deliver us because his heart is set toward us in love. And when we walk with him in gratitude, he is pleased.
–Mark Eaton – Author of the book And I Heard the Mourner Say.
“From The Patriot Post (patriotpost.us)”.
Editor’s Note: This one got “fact-checked” by Facebook…
“From The Patriot Post (patriotpost.us)”.
Fox News contributor Andy McCarthy and ‘Outnumbered’ co-host Kayleigh McEnany joined ‘America’s Newsroom’ to discuss their reactions to the president’s pivot on Hunter’s pardon. #FoxNews
Source: Kayleigh McEnany: There is a HUGE disparity with this.
‘The Five’ co-host Judge Jeanine Pirro joined ‘Fox & Friends’ to discuss her reaction to President Biden’s decision to pardon his son Hunter and the latest on closing arguments in Daniel Penny’s New York City manslaughter trial. #FoxNews
Joe Biden discussed pardoning his son Hunter 6 months ago while he was publicly claiming he would not issue Hunter a pardon or commute his sentences.
On Sunday, outgoing White House resident Joe Biden issued a full and unconditional pardon to his son, Hunter Biden, absolving him of any federal crimes committed between 2014 and 2024.
Hunter was facing federal tax fraud charges in California and felony gun charges in Delaware.
Last December Hunter Biden was hit with a 9-count indictment filed in the Central District of California: Tax evasion, failure to file/pay taxes, and false/fraudulent tax return.
The charges were handed down by Special Counsel David Weiss after a sweetheart plea deal on tax charges fell apart in summer of 2023.
The indictment detailed a “four-year scheme” to avoid the $1.4+ million tax obligations he owed between 2016 and 2019 and to file false returns.
According to NBC News, Joe Biden discussed pardoning Hunter back in June when Hunter was convicted, however, he told his aides he would lie to the public about his pardon plans.
Biden lied to the public (shocker).
“The president has discussed pardoning his son with some of his closest aides at least since Hunter Biden’s conviction in June, said two people with direct knowledge of the discussions about the matter. They said it was decided at the time that he would publicly say he would not pardon his son even though doing so remained on the table.” NBC News reported.
Karine Jean-Pierre repeatedly confirmed Joe Biden would not pardon his own son.
“From a presidential perspective, is there any possibility that the president would end up pardoning his own son?” a reporter asked Karine Jean-Pierre in 2023.
“No,” KJP replied.
“I just said no!” KJP shouted as the reporter tried to ask a follow-up question.
WATCH:
The post Biden Discussed Pardoning Hunter In June, Told Aides He Would Lie to the Public About Pardon Plans appeared first on The Gateway Pundit.
By Wayne Allyn Root
President Trump’s inauguration cannot come too soon.
I know you’re busy. I am too.
I have a wife, 4 children, 2 dogs, 3 TV shows, nationally-syndicated radio show, podcast, newspaper column, new book out, and another book on the way.
And like everyone else, there’s Thanksgiving leftovers, and shopping, and Christmas gifts to buy for everyone in my life, and the amazing array of football games to watch (and bet on) this holiday season.
I get it. We’re all busy. We all have lives to live, family, work and holiday parties to attend.
And of course, 77 million of us (at least) are relieved President Trump was elected and will be back in charge soon. Adults and patriots will be running America once again. All good news!
But don’t lose sight of a crucial question for the next 50 days (to be exact)…
“WHO IS RUNNING THE COUNTRY RIGHT NOW?”
Because we all know there are huge problems inside our country and around the globe. Here are just a few…
*The Ukraine-Russia conflict which could burst into World War 3 at any moment.
*The China-Taiwan pending disaster.
*The Middle East powder-keg starring Israel-Iran-Hamas-Hezbollah and a cast of millions of radical Muslim terrorists, killers, Jew haters and America haters.
*Inside the USA, our own open border is a catastrophe overrun by a foreign invasion worse than Russia invading Ukraine.
*The US economy, which as we all know is far worse than advertised by four years of lies, fraud, gaslighting, and Soviet-level propaganda.
*Inflation, which is destroying the formerly great American middle-class quality of life. Few can afford the bills anymore. Our citizens are in crisis.
*The massive crime wave enveloping big cities run by Democrat politicians, bleeding-heart liberal judges, and Soros-funded prosecutors who let every violent criminal out, without bail, while trying to defund the police, and focus resources on putting Republicans in prison.
*The retail apocalypse that is putting thousands of stores out of business and turning big cities into ghost towns, created by Democrats passing laws weakening punishment for retail theft and shoplifting.
*And here’s the one that keeps me up at night: It’s too quiet. I know something is wrong. I know communists NEVER willingly and peacefully give up power. Ever.
The Deep State, DC Swamp, and dangerous, vile, violent, Trump-hating, radical nutjob communists (the base of Democrat Party) are planning something very bad for the next 50 days. I’m betting for the three weeks between January 2nd and Trump’s inauguration.
*I expect anarchy, civil unrest, riots like the BLM summer of 2020, looting, torching, and attempts to stop Trump from taking office. I expect Antifa and the 20+ million illegal alien invaders (mostly military age males) to be the army chosen to carry out this attack from within- all coordinated and funded by the Deep State and our enemies around the world.
So, back to my all-important, life-and-death question…
“WHO IS RUNNING THE COUNTRY?”
We know it’s not Joe Biden. He’s a brain-dead old man with dementia, who belongs in a nursing home.
We know it’s not Kamala Harris. She’s a lazy, dumb-as-a-doorknob, incompetent drunk.
We know this administration is filled with radical communists who are intentionally destroying our country- like Alejandro Mayorkas, the open borders zealot running Homeland Security; and Attorney General Merrick Garland, who has weaponized government to go after PTA moms, Pro Life grandmas, religious Catholics, peaceful patriot protestors like the J6ers, and President Trump and his supporters.
And of course, we have all the creeps and traitors who run the DOJ, FBI, CIA and other Big Brother government agencies.
But none of them have the power to run the whole country and give orders to the U.S. military in case of a nuclear attack, invasion, declaration of war, or deadly anarchy within our country.
So, who is in charge for the next 50 days? Who is giving the orders?
Is it Barack Obama? George Soros? The unaccountable Deep State? Globalists like the WEF (World Economic Forum), the WHO (World Health Organization), or the UN? Is it our worst global enemies like China and the CCP, Iran, and the Mexican Drug Cartels?
I’m guessing it’s some combination of all of them.
I’m guessing Obama is the one who is carrying out the orders.
And I’m guessing Satan is at the top of the food chain giving the final orders.
So, in between your cooking, eating, shopping, preparing for Christmas, and daydreaming about President Trump once again making America great again…
Stay frosty.
We have big problems for the next 50 days. And either there is no one in charge, or very evil people (who were not elected) in charge. And my educated guess is…
They hate America, hate Trump, hate you and me, and are working on some very violent plans.
Can you feel it in the pit of your stomach?
ABOUT THE AUTHOR: Watch Wayne’s new TV Show, “The ROOT Reaction” weeknights at 10 PM ET/7 PM Pacific on Real America’s Voice TV, and Wayne’s weekend “America’s Top Ten Countdown” on Saturdays at Noon ET/9 AM PT on Real America’s Voice TV. Watch at RealAmericasVoice.com, or at Rumble, Roku, Pluto, Apple, Dish TV Ch 219, or go to RootforAmerica.com to watch. Read Wayne’s latest fun book, “How Democrats Have Made America Great.” It’s 140 blank pages! The joke is on Democrats!
The post WAYNE ROOT: Happy Thanksgiving & Merry Christmas. I Know You’re Busy. But Don’t Forget the Most Important Life-and-Death Question in America: “Who is Running the Country?” appeared first on The Gateway Pundit.
by Edward Gray
Information Warfare is an integral – and largely misunderstood – part of conflict. The use of terms like “misinformation” by politicians and pundits does nothing to help dispel this misunderstanding. And government responses that hinge on censorship – such as Australia’s Combatting Misinformation Bill – aid adversaries in their campaigns.
Information Warfare is the weaponisation of communication – be it true, false, factual or fictional – to shape the behaviour of target audiences to support broader goals. This does not happen in isolation but is part of a broad suite of economic, military, and other operations.
You can see Information Warfare as a specialised form of marketing. Marketing is about communicating a particular message to get you to buy a particular product. Marketing is an instrumental use of communication to persuade the target audience to take a particular action; usually, to purchase a product. Information Warfare is the same – except it’s not trying to persuade you to buy something, but to do something.
Furthermore, most information operations are not premised on single, simple messages. Instead, they rely on a range of separate, seemingly unrelated messages that work together to shape the behaviour of an entire target group. This includes the actions of subgroups within the target group reacting against the messaging – and can even include messaging on both sides of an issue.
As such, Information Warfare operations often rely on exploiting real injustices and pointing to real problems to give their messaging legitimacy and build trust. The point is not the injustice or the truth of the message, but to weaponise that in ultimate support of strategic objectives. Like Iago in Othello, information warriors take whatever facts they can and spin them to suit their designs.
This means that Information Warfare communications do not need to be coherent or consistent. They are not fundamentally about whatever specific argument the communication is making. The argument is irrelevant to the information warrior. What matters is its impact – not just on those who hear it, but also those who oppose it.
Russian operations since 2016 are instructive here. The Russians did not have a preferred U.S. presidential candidate, nor did they influence the election’s outcome. However, they made it seem like they did through “implausible deniability”, as Allon Uhlmann and Stephen McCombie of Macquarie University’s Department of Security Studies and Criminology have shown.
The Russian objective was to give anti-Trump elements enough evidence to oppose him – not because they are anti-Trump but because a divided and polarised America would be a less effective adversary. They have continued with this.
The Hunter Biden laptop scandal plays into this approach. By all accounts, the laptop and its contents are now accepted as completely genuine. The reaction of serving and former intelligence officials, and the press at the time, was to call the laptop Russian disinformation and suppress it.
Moscow would have been gleeful at this because it reinforced its own messaging of untrustworthy U.S. elites censoring the truth to maintain power. The Russians wanted a distracted and dysfunctional American polity so they could prepare for their military invasion of Ukraine – and that is exactly what they got.
Early in the Cold War, Western intelligence agencies realised it was foolish to rely on censorship to counter communist propaganda. The whole point of the Western Alliance was that liberal democracy was superior to communist totalitarianism – and free speech and free association are fundamental to liberal democracy.
However, propaganda – the unrestricted political psychological warfare of the communists – did pose a real threat if not countered. The Alliance’s solution was simple – double down on free speech with the view that malicious propaganda could be drowned out.
To this end, they funded public broadcasters, independent publications, think tanks and academic scholarship, artists and writers. They used tax breaks, direct funding, and existing mechanisms to promote as many voices as they could.
The individual’s politics did not matter. The objective was not to determine the message, but to ensure multiple messages got out. It did not even matter if this led to messages that were critical or questioning of government policies. Democracies are meant to question their governments, after all.
The outcome was striking. While some communist-backed messages had an impact in the West, for the most part their campaign failed. The strategic objectives of communist Information Warfare – the collapse of liberal democracies and the downfall of the capitalist democratic West – did not happen.
By adopting an open approach to fighting Information Warfare on home soil, democratic nations were better able to respond to the problems communists were preying on to get their way. By being more democratic, they undercut the lure of revolution and tyranny.
The key to fighting information wars as democracies is to understand that there are no shortcuts. There is no legislation that will make misinformation go away. The price of victory is eternal vigilance.
____
Republished with thanks to News Weekly. Image courtesy of Pexels.
The post The Dark Art of Influence: Psy-Ops and Information Warfare Redux appeared first on The Daily Declaration.
Following the news on Sunday night that Joe Biden granted his son, Hunter Biden, a blanket pardon in the federal gun and tax cases against him, Scott Jennings joined a CNN panel and unleased on
Scott Jennings: “Joe Biden is leaving office, making the strongest possible case for Donald Trump that anybody could possibly make it.”
“And that’s that our government and our justice system is of, by, and for the elites and nobody else.”
“He ran to banish Trumpism from our political system in this country, and he has left it politically and now institutionally, the strongest possible political force in this country.”
“It is a complete and utter failure by the head of the Democratic party, and the President of the United States.”
“Never again do I want to hear ‘Oh, Donald Trump’s a liar, you can’t believe anything he says.’ ‘Donald Trump will abuse his power.’ ‘Donald Trump will only use the system to benefit himself and his family,’ and so on and so forth.”
“Never again.”
“I have one question for Karen. And that is why did he need an 11-year blanket pardon going back to 2014 when Joe Biden was the vice president?”
“We are sitting on the biggest coverup of who-knows-what crimes, and Joe Biden amazingly knows exactly, roughly, when it started. He knows just about when it all started.”
“He’s leaving office in complete and total disgrace. He is a liar and there is no other way to spin this today.”
“This has nothing to do with Trump and everything to do with the character of Joe Biden.”
Watch:
https://twitter.com/VigilantFox/status/1863598068039655604
The post Scott Jennings Torches CNN Panel on Joe Biden Pardoning Hunter: “He’s Leaving Office in Complete and Total Disgrace. He is a Liar and There is No Other Way to Spin This” (Video) appeared first on The Gateway Pundit.
NORTH POLE — As operations at the North Pole ramped up in preparation for Christmas, Santa Claus confirmed that Hunter Biden was still on the “naughty” list despite receiving a full presidential pardon.
Though President Joe Biden officially pardoned his son of any crime committed or prosecuted in the last decade, Santa’s team revealed that it would have no bearing on how Hunter Biden would be classified for all Christmas gift purposes this year.
“Yeah, he’s been a permanent fixture on the bad list for a long time,” said Dave, a spokeself for Santa’s Workshop. “We were made aware of the pardon he received from his father late last night, but our policy is to keep really awful degenerates on the ‘naughty’ list regardless of any official act on the part of the government. This is Santa Claus we’re talking about here. He’s not subject to the laws of the United States. Once the big man says someone’s on the ‘naughty’ list, they’re on the ‘naughty’ list.”
Sources within the workshop revealed that even a late-night phone call from President Biden was not enough to sway Santa. “He wasn’t having it,” one high-ranking elf said under the condition of anonymity. “Santa saw those pictures from Hunter’s laptop. Those were not the type of ‘ho, ho, hos’ we wanted anything to do with. Trust me, once you get on Santa’s bad side, he’s not so jolly anymore.”
At publishing time, sources also confirmed that President Biden himself, his entire cabinet, and a majority of the U.S. Congress were also on the “naughty” list.
There’s lots to be thankful for, libs!
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