I Wonder If MY Feelings & Opinion Count

I feel like Kelly Ripa this morning as I do a rare thing- write on the Sabbath.  Each morning when I get up I read the different news sources to have an idea of what is happening in the world. What I saw made me as disgusted or more so than Ms. Ripa feels about those terrible shows,The Bachelor and The Bachorlette. The first story I saw is found at the following link

https://news.yahoo.com/house-set-approve-sweeping-bill-expand-gay-rights-041653126–politics.html

House approves sweeping bill to expand gay rights

While it is basically a meaningless bill, the nature of the content, the attitude of the ‘lawmakers’ and the direction of the bill make me disgusted.  It is clear that the Democratic Party has left God and has embraced evil, calling it good. To quote one passage

Democrats in the House approved sweeping anti-discrimination legislation Friday that would extend civil rights protections to LGBT people by prohibiting discrimination based on sexual orientation or gender identity. The protections would extend to employment, housing, loan applications, education, public accommodations and other areas.

Called the Equality Act, the bill is a top priority of House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, who said it will bring the nation “closer to equal liberty and justice for all.”

Actually it won’t as this bill stomps on the rights of all people not involved in those groups. But this has been the trend over recent years and LGBTQ activists have been forcing their perverted ways on the western nations and in every aspect of life as they refuse to accept their sinful and evil status. But this is not all I read this morning.

I went to the Christian Post and saw the following article:

https://www.christianpost.com/news/california-parents-take-kids-out-school-protest-gender-inclusive-sex-education.html

Calif. parents take kids out of school, protest controversial ‘gender-inclusive’ sex education 

I am not talking about the protest but the California’s liberal government”s decision to re-educate and brainwash vulnerable students on gender issues

Parents across California kept their children out of school on Friday to protest the state’s sex-ed curriculum that supports the belief that some people are born in the wrong body and can change their sex.

Only in the minds of the Democrats and liberals can that take place. They make this stand in spite of what science has said and proven to be true. It is disgusting and as a former teacher I cannot accept what is passing as education today. Not long after I graduated from college I took a job to be a chaplain in a group home in the Dominican Republic.

My training was to be in Indiana and while I was there the founder of the school told me that Christians had to ‘yoke them when they were young’. In other words, he was referring to making people Christians, even if they didn’t want to be when they were still children and teenagers. I didn’t like that attitude then and I still don’t. But we can see that the State of California and other educational officials adopting that mentality and trying to change the country by forcing, brainwashing and manipulating the children and teenagers of the any state.

That is not education but reprogramming and violating the rights of parents, yet as we have seen over the years, the liberal state does not care about parental rights, they only care about special rights for those who violate the law, practice perversions and do evil. They also do not care about right and wrong, good and evil morality and immorality. They prefer to do as they please and attack those who follow God’s rules.

But these aren’t the only stories I read this morning. As I became very disgusted by these actions, I decided to research a story I had many heard about. It is where certain California cities are allowing people to use the public streets as their bathrooms. That story can be found at the following link

rinoswamp.com/liberalism-turns-san-francisco-into-slum-homeless-pooping-in-streets

(Just add https:// to the link to get to it, there was some formatting issues with it) This story will give you an idea of what is happening in those cities. It seems that the lessons from the Bubonic Plague have been forgotten. It also looks like the Democrats do not care about those citizens who pay their taxes, do not soil the public areas and strive hard to live a good life, raising their children to obey the law

They just jumped on the pile of news stories that recorded the democrats authorizing abortion to the point the child could be born yet still killed and other similar acts

All of these stories combined became the straw that broke the camel’s back. I used to like Democrats because they helped make me think. Sometimes they would challenge me and I would go to God and the Bible to make sure I understood both correctly. I did not side with the Democrats but used their points to make sure I knew the truth and how to correctly apply biblical teaching.

I do not like them anymore and find that their embracing of evil, perversion and lawbreaking undermines their claims to any faith they say they adhere to. Their actions have also demonstrated that they have no idea what true leadership or governing is. They also prove that they do not care about right and wrong as long as they get to hold power over others.

The Democrats, and I should say not all of them, demonstrate that the only thing that matters to them is not the people they want to win a majority in the Senate and House or the presidential office, but power and control. They do not care about anyone as they help non-citizens break the law they have sworn to uphold. The law means nothing to them nor do the general citizens of the nation.

What can be done about this growing problem?

First, we are not to be shocked or traumatized. Paul warned us in 2 Timothy that this would take place. He said

Indeed, all who desire to live godly in Christ Jesus will be persecuted. ¹³ But evil men and impostors will proceed from bad to worse, deceiving and being deceived. ¹⁴ You, however, continue in the things you have learned and become convinced of, knowing from whom you have learned them,

But Paul does not say that good people, good Christians cannot do anything to stem the flow of evil that permeates their lands, He does tell them to continue following God, the scriptures

so that the man of God may be adequate, equipped for every good work.

Every good work does not mean that we sit by and let evil destroy any nation. Now some believers stop their good work and fail to halt this increase in evil conducted by the government because scriptures tell us to obey the government. BUT scripture does not tell us to obey the government when it is sinning or commands the people to sin against God.

Christians are to be holy and not to participate in sin no matter who does it. They are to be like Peter and the apostles (Acts 5:17ff) and obey God first over man. We do what is right in the eyes of God as God is the one who needs to be pleased not man. God is the judge of man and we must not forget that fact. If we want to be seen as good and faithful servants, then we must do God’s will over man’s.

That means not letting the government continue in its evil ways. One example we have comes from the Old Testament. When David sin, his sins were not covered up but exposed by Nathan the prophet of God. he pointed his finger and said “thou are the man”, then Nathan went on to explain that it was God who allowed David to rise to the throne.

The Democrats need to be reminded that it is God who has allowed them to reach the offices of power and it is God who keeps them there. Then the Democrats need to be reminded of God’s laws and instructions and call them to repentance. The Christian needs to find their righteous anger but in doing so they cannot sin. God tells us that we can be angry but to sin not.

That means when we take on the evil members of government, we do nothing wrong and obey God in all areas including our words and deeds. We cannot overcome sin by using sin. We overcome evil by doing good but doing good is not re-electing evil officials so that they can continue to ruin a country. Doing good doe snot withhold punishment either. David and Bathsheba lost their child. God punished them for their sins.

So must the evil members of government be punished for their sins. But again, the punishment cannot be sin or sourced in sin.

About 40 years ago a family friend told my father that he was praying against the Democrats and he saw the results of his prayer as the Democrats became disorganized and so on. That is the first step we must take. After we become angry at the embracing of evil and calling it good, we go to our prayer closets and begin to pray.

As we pray, we remove the beams from our own eyes. making sure there are no hindrances to our prayers. We forgive those we have something against and forgive the Democrats for their evil ways. Then we put aside our own personal preferences and see what God wants done. If you truly want a government that shuns evil and does what is right in God’s eyes then pray that way.

We also pray that God will bring those Democrats embracing evil to repentance and see the error of their ways making the appropriate changes to their lives and the laws of the land. Evil cannot be rewarded.

Christians with righteous anger can speak out publicly, like Nathan the prophet, and point those fingers at only the guilty. But do it under God’s leading and not on your own strength. Make sure first before speaking that you are actually following God’s lead. Do not let evil get involved or your efforts will be in vain. Another thing that can be done is to get real laws on the ballot. Laws that are fair, just and applies to all.

The unbeliever cannot accuse the believer of forcing their ways on those who reject God because that is exactly what the unbeliever is doing to the believer. The Democrats are forcing their ideology on those who reject it.

At this point I will stop and let you seek God on what you can do to stem this tide of evil that is sweeping all western lands. It is time for the Christian to act. AND that action does not include asking Jesus to return now. God wants all men to be saved and it is time that the Christian stop trying to leave earth and get down to God’s business and help him fulfill his desire.

The evil people, the illegal alien, the drug addicts and the democrats are all God’s creation even though they made the wrong life choices. They need to be redeemed just like you and i were.

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Forgiveness

We end this year with this Billy Graham sermon

 

Sex & the Bible

Here is another classic sermon from Billy Graham

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=etsxCFblzqA

 

 

Who is Jesus?

This old Billy Graham sermon is worth listening to again and again. In this day and age, it is hard to remember who Jesus is. May this encourage and strengthen you

 

Our Comments on a Few Topics 12

Here are some topics that deserve a few comments

#1. https://www.christianpost.com/news/anne-graham-lotz-warns-her-cancer-could-be-sign-israel-is-in-danger-of-fatal-attack.html

Anne Graham Lotz has suggested there might be a deep significance attached to her battle against breast cancer, as it could be a warning sign that Israel is in danger of suffering a fatal attack.

Some people really think highly of themselves. It would be nice if prominent Christian leaders & speakers would stick to promoting Christ and stop making everything about them. Let’s not embarrass Christ, the Church or the faith with these comments.

#2. https://www.christianpost.com/voice/why-i-avoid-using-a-dirty-biblical-word.html

I have learned that there is one word that shouldn’t be used in modern Christianity. If I use it now, I’m taking a risk that you won’t even finish reading this article. It’s a turnoff for so many Christians, even though it’s the very reason the Church exists.

It’s the word “evangelism.” That’s the “dirty” word. It’s because of its connotations that I don’t even call myself an evangelist.

It is not that the terms ‘evangelist’ or ‘evangelism’ are dirty words. It is that they and the act of evangelism are moved to idol levels and elevated above other commands and instructions by God. Evangelism is given a faulty priority over teaching the truth, having solid believers and more. Evangelism has its place but it is not more important than living the Christian life correctly.

#3. https://www.christianpost.com/news/hundreds-of-sexual-abuse-allegations-revealed-in-fundamental-baptist-churches-investigation-finds.html

Hundreds of sexual abuse allegations have been found in Independent Fundamental Baptist churches spanning 40 states and Canada, according to a new report.

The Fort Worth Star-Telegram released an extensive, eight-month investigative report Sunday recounting the stories of women who were victims of sexual misconduct, including molestation and rape when they were minors, in IFB churches.

This is always sad news to hear but we would like to know how they define sexual abuse, what kind of stories they are accepting and how much evidence supports each allegation. The Bible does not instruct us to believe the victim only. It tells us that we have to find the truth, go with the truth and have supporting evidence.

We also would like to hear their definition of the term abuse and how distorted that definition has become. The wild accusations thrown about only make us more skeptical. Accusation does not equal guilt.

#4. https://www.christianpost.com/news/thousands-of-women-burned-alive-in-india-not-recognized-as-humans-christian-ministry-warns.html

Thousands of brides are being burned alive in India despite the practice being illegal, a Christian ministry has warned.

India Partners, a Christian organization that works alonside indigenous Christian grassroots agencies in India, told Mission Network News on Thursday that there are still as many as 8,000 bride burning cases a year in the Hindu-majority country.

These are just a few of the real victims that are deprived of honest help due to the false claims made by others in different parts of the world. Greed is a deadly sin costing innocent people their lives. But it doesn’t just happen to the unbelievers of the world. There are many people claiming to be believers driven by greed to reach their objectives.

Also, greed may not be limited to just money. Awareness is only the first step in helping someone in need. Believers need to roll up their sleeves and get involved to bring others to safety and to the gospel. Believe it or not, evangelism is tied to social activities and giving a gospel message is not always the first thing a believer must do to win someone to Christ.

#5. https://www.christianpost.com/church-ministries/we-have-more-evidence-than-we-need-to-prove-christianity-apologist-says.html

Believers in Jesus Christ “have more evidence than they need” to intellectually defend the claims of Christianity, says noted apologist and Liberty University professor Gary Habermas.

Habermas, a New Testament scholar who chairs Liberty’s Department of Philosophy, noted in a recent interview that he believes Christians “often crawl into a cubby hole and are embarrassed of being called out” or told that they “don’t have any evidence.”

It is a good article to read.

 

The Church Represents God

If believers are confused as to their role in society today, those few words sum it all up. How the unbeliever sees God, depends on several factors. Those factors include how believers act during their stay on earth.

https://www.christianpost.com/news/conservatives-slam-church-of-englands-new-transgender-guidance-re-dedication-ceremony.html

Conservative voices in the Church of England are warning that the Anglican branch is moving toward a “denial of God” through its new guidance on transgender people.

The new pastoral guidance, released on Tuesday, says that it encourages clergy to be “creative and sensitive” in the use of liturgy when acknowledging so-called “gender transition” for those suffering from gender dysphoria, the belief that their gender doesn’t match their biology

One of our duties while here ministering on earth is to maintain the truth. God does not change nor does his teaching. We do not change the teaching of the church to fit the ideologies or deceived beliefs of those who do not have the truth.

It is not the deceived that teaches the church how to act or respond to different issues. The church is to bring the truth to the deceived so they can be freed from the sins enslaving them. If a believer doesn’t know how to respond correctly, then they need to go and get educated correctly. This allows them to be used of God in the proper manner.

The Church of England welcomes and encourages the unconditional affirmation of trans people, equally with all people, within the body of Christ, and rejoices in the diversity of that body into which all Christians have been baptized by one Spirit,” the new guidance declares.

God does not. The only way God accepts them is if they are coming to salvation and repenting of all their sins, including the sin of homosexuality and transgender. There is no other way to God except through the redeeming power of Jesus. Sin is not allowed in paradise. While sinners can attend church services, their sin is not to be accepted, called good or normal.

The church is to follow God’s rules not secular society’s rules.

The document advises clergy to respect transgender people’s chosen name and gendered pronouns, and says that the existing rite of Affirmation of Baptismal Faith, a ceremony used for those who have already been baptized, can be used at church services to mark a person’s gender transition.

While we do not liturgies or rituals, let’s not corrupt them have them blessing evil. Remember, loving our neighbors does not include keeping people enslaved to sin. Jesus did not do it, and the church cannot do it.

If you are unsure about where God and the Bible stand on the issues of transgender and homosexuality, here is a good article to read

https://www.christianpost.com/voice/a-short-primer-on-the-bible-and-homosexual-practice.html

Once again, the Christian world is abuzz with controversy over the Bible and homosexual practice, as if this was a difficult or ambiguous subject. To the contrary, the Scriptures are totally clear: homosexual practice is sinful in God’s sight, but it is not the unforgivable sin.

Here’s a brief primer, along with some helpful resources

The article has a lot of good resources to help your spiritual growth on these issues.

 

Let’s Not Use Human Strategies

If you are a long-term reader of this website, you know that we do not agree with Thom Ranier. He has come out with another church strategy to help churches get better. The problem is his strategy is not biblically based but secular business based. You can read about it at the following link:

https://www.christianpost.com/voice/churches-revitalize-replant-is-relaunch-a-3rd-option.html

Everything Mr. Ranier mentions for returning a church to spiritual health is not supported nor mentioned in the Bible. At best, he is copying the secular business world to formulate his ideas on how the church should be renewed. Everything he is talking about is a direct copy of business world terms and strategies. Contrary to a large contingent of people, the church is not a small business and it should not be treated like one.

It is an extension or representation of the kingdom of God and it needs to follow God’s rules if it wants to be or return to spiritual health. The Bible tells us that it is “not by might nor by power but by my spirit”… that will rejuvenate ailing churches. It is clear from his point # 1, that Mr. Ranier does not know how to bring God’s ways to churches. He says:

A relaunch may be more palatable for members who are not ready to give away their church to another church. Granted, relaunching has many challenges. It is basically shutting down the church for a period and re-opening it with a new purpose and identity

The church does not need a new identity. There is no other god they can represent and still be a member of God’s Kingdom. There is no other faith than the one Christ started for the church to switch to. The identity of the church remains the same because God and Christ remain the same. Nor can the purpose of the church be changed. It still represents God, his ways and his purpose.

Whether it goes from missions orientated to evangelism orientated, the church is preaching the same gospel message to unbelievers. It still has the same duty to care for everyone and it must teach the truth so that believers can grow in Christ.

We will let you go through the rest of his points and see for yourselves that his ideas bring nothing of God to a hurting or dying church. Needs are not being met, problems are not being solved, but they are being avoided by his strategy. He brings nothing to help solve the problems that ruined the spiritual health in any given church.

In Mr. Ranier’s work, he says he uses other words to help ailing churches regroup. The problem is that those two words, revitalize and replant, have nothing to do with God’s ways. They are as bad as his relaunch idea. God tells people to wait for him in Isaiah 30 . He does not say gain new strength through following the secular business strategies of the world.

Psalm 51 has David telling us how spiritual health can be returned. He says:

Create in me a clean heart, O God, And renew a steadfast spirit within me. (v. 10 NASB)

God does the renewing and creates the right spirit in people. Not badly used and formed business ideas.

Lamentations tells us:

Restore us to You, O Lord, that we may be restored; Renew our days as of old, (5:21 NASB)

Again, it is God who does the spiritual renewal and not the blind deceived secular world or people like Mr Ranier who have left their bibles behind and ignored God’s instructions. Then Paul warns us in Romans about copying the secular world when he says:

And do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind, so that you may prove what the will of God is, that which is good and acceptable and perfect (12:2 NASB)

The church has to conform to God’s way if it wants to remain spiritually healthy or return to spiritual health. We do not use those strategies that care nothing for people and only about the survival of the business.

If any church wants t be spiritually healthy, then it must learn to obey God, ignore what secular culture deems vital for survival and make sure they preach the truth. False teachers must be removed from leadership and teaching positions. Immature believers need to be taught correctly how to hear the voice of God and given the support they need to follow God’s will wherever it takes them.

Then accepted ideas of God’s will must be done away with so the church can clearly hear what God wants them to do. Discernment, wisdom, and an open mind (not to sin or false teaching), must be used to make sure the person is following the right spiritual directions. The key of course is to discern the difference between bad secular advice and strategies and God’s way.

Church leaders also have to be strong enough to stop popular or famous people from offering the wrong advice and tell them that their advice is misleading and in error. getting the church back to spiritual health means taking God and his words seriously. You can’t win people to Christ when you ignore his instructions and follow the secular world.