5 Questions to ask cult members!

1). How are you saved? Believers are saved by Grace through faith in the work of Jesus Christ. Death burial and Resurrection! Eph 2:8 For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith– and this not from yourselves, it is the gift of God–

9 not by works, so that no one can boast. 1Co 15:2 By this gospel you are saved, if you hold firmly to the word I preached to you. Otherwise, you have believed in vain. 3 For what I received I passed on to you as of first importance: that Christ died for our sins according to the Scriptures,

4 that he was buried, that he was raised on the third day according to the Scriptures. Galatians 1:7-8Evidently some people are throwing you into confusion and are trying to pervert the gospel of Christ.

But even if we or an angel from heaven should preach a gospel other than the one we preached to you, let him be eternally condemned!

2). Who is Jesus? Col 1:15 He is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn over all creation. Col 2:9 For in Christ all the fullness of the Deity lives in bodily form,

10 and you have been given fullness in Christ, who is the head over every power and authority. 100%man 100%God He is the Only begotten Son. Second person of the Godhead! John 3:16 For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life.

3). What is the Way to Heaven? John 14:5 Thomas said to him, “Lord, we don’t know where you are going, so how can we know the way?”

6 Jesus answered, “I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me. Ac 2:38 Peter replied, “Repent and be baptized, every one of you, in the name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of your sins. And you will receive the gift of the Holy Spirit.  Jude 1:24 To him who is able to keep you from falling and to present you before his glorious presence without fault and with great joy–

25 to the only God our Savior be glory, majesty, power and authority, through Jesus Christ our Lord, before all ages, now and forevermore! Amen.

4). Do you know what God says concerning His Word? Pr 30:5 “Every word of God is flawless; he is a shield to those who take refuge in him.

6 Do not add to his words, or he will rebuke you and prove you a liar. 2Pe 1:20 Above all, you must understand that no prophecy of Scripture came about by the prophet’s own interpretation.

21 For prophecy never had its origin in the will of man, but men spoke from God as they were carried along by the Holy Spirit. Re 22:18 I warn everyone who hears the words of the prophecy of this book: If anyone adds anything to them, God will add to him the plagues described in this book.

19 And if anyone takes words away from this book of prophecy, God will take away from him his share in the tree of life and in the holy city, which are described in this book.

5). What happens when you die? Re 20:15 If anyone’s name was not found written in the book of life, he was thrown into the lake of fire. Heb 9:27 Just as man is destined to die once, and after that to face judgment,

28 so Christ was sacrificed once to take away the sins of many people; and he will appear a second time, not to bear sin, but to bring salvation to those who are waiting for him. Mt 7:21 “Not everyone who says to me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ will enter the kingdom of heaven, but only he who does the will of my Father who is in heaven.

22 Many will say to me on that day, ‘Lord, Lord, did we not prophesy in your name, and in your name drive out demons and perform many miracles?’

23 Then I will tell them plainly, ‘I never knew you. Away from me, you evildoers!’ John 3:36 Whoever believes in the Son has eternal life, but whoever rejects the Son will not see life, for God’s wrath remains on him.”

1). How are you saved? Believers are saved by Grace through faith in the work of Jesus Christ. Death burial and Resurrection! Eph 2:8 For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith– and this not from yourselves, it is the gift of God–

9 not by works, so that no one can boast. 1Co 15:2 By this gospel you are saved, if you hold firmly to the word I preached to you. Otherwise, you have believed in vain. 3 For what I received I passed on to you as of first importance: that Christ died for our sins according to the Scriptures,

4 that he was buried, that he was raised on the third day according to the Scriptures. Galatians 1:7-8Evidently some people are throwing you into confusion and are trying to pervert the gospel of Christ.

But even if we or an angel from heaven should preach a gospel other than the one we preached to you, let him be eternally condemned!

2). Who is Jesus? Col 1:15 He is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn over all creation. Col 2:9 For in Christ all the fullness of the Deity lives in bodily form,

10 and you have been given fullness in Christ, who is the head over every power and authority. 100%man 100%God He is the Only begotten Son. Second person of the Godhead! John 3:16 For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life.

3). What is the Way to Heaven? John 14:5 Thomas said to him, “Lord, we don’t know where you are going, so how can we know the way?”

6 Jesus answered, “I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me. Ac 2:38 Peter replied, “Repent and be baptized, every one of you, in the name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of your sins. And you will receive the gift of the Holy Spirit.  Jude 1:24 To him who is able to keep you from falling and to present you before his glorious presence without fault and with great joy–

25 to the only God our Savior be glory, majesty, power and authority, through Jesus Christ our Lord, before all ages, now and forevermore! Amen.

4). Do you know what God says concerning His Word? Pr 30:5 “Every word of God is flawless; he is a shield to those who take refuge in him.

6 Do not add to his words, or he will rebuke you and prove you a liar. 2Pe 1:20 Above all, you must understand that no prophecy of Scripture came about by the prophet’s own interpretation.

21 For prophecy never had its origin in the will of man, but men spoke from God as they were carried along by the Holy Spirit. Re 22:18 I warn everyone who hears the words of the prophecy of this book: If anyone adds anything to them, God will add to him the plagues described in this book.

19 And if anyone takes words away from this book of prophecy, God will take away from him his share in the tree of life and in the holy city, which are described in this book.

5). What happens when you die? Re 20:15 If anyone’s name was not found written in the book of life, he was thrown into the lake of fire. Heb 9:27 Just as man is destined to die once, and after that to face judgment,

28 so Christ was sacrificed once to take away the sins of many people; and he will appear a second time, not to bear sin, but to bring salvation to those who are waiting for him. Mt 7:21 “Not everyone who says to me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ will enter the kingdom of heaven, but only he who does the will of my Father who is in heaven.

22 Many will say to me on that day, ‘Lord, Lord, did we not prophesy in your name, and in your name drive out demons and perform many miracles?’

23 Then I will tell them plainly, ‘I never knew you. Away from me, you evildoers!’ John 3:36 Whoever believes in the Son has eternal life, but whoever rejects the Son will not see life, for God’s wrath remains on him.”

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3 Things

I know it is not just me but many of you have wondered about why things

seem to be moving so fast. So called economic crises, healthcare reform,

bailouts and so many other things seem to overwhelm most. I am not a

prophet but I know what the Bible says. Regardless of the situation you and

I find ourselves we need to remember what Paul the Apostle writes; 2Ti 3:1-

5 But mark this: There will be terrible times in the last days. People will be

lovers of themselves, lovers of money, boastful, proud, abusive, disobedient

to their parents, ungrateful, unholy, without love, unforgiving, slanderous,

without self-control, brutal, not lovers of the good, treacherous, rash,

conceited, lovers of pleasure rather than lovers of God– having a form of

godliness but denying its power. Have nothing to do w ith them. From this

passage of Scripture I would like to sugg est three things to ponder. 1) F aith

2) Holiness 3) Prayer. Faith is not an option in order to please God. We

must believe and put our Trust in Jesus Christ. Remember Jesus said that

before He comes many with wonder from the faith, so we need to be

Trusting in Him to bring us through every situation and not trusting in

government or men. Heb 12:2 Let us fix our eyes on Jesus, the author and

perfecter of our faith, who for the joy set before him endured the cross,

scorning its shame, and sat down at the right hand of the throne of God.

Second thing to consider is Holiness. Paul states that in the last days many

will have a form of godliness but denying its power. Many people all around

us seem to be religious. But Christian s now that religion does not bring

about a Holy life. The Bible says that without Holiness no one will see God.

So how do we live H oly lives amongst a religious godless society? Obedience

to Jesus Commands! Jesus Blood makes us Holy and we need to be Holy as

He is Holy! The H oly Spirit helps us to live Holy and G odly lives. The lost

world needs to see true believers living what they profess. Thirdly we need

prayer. This is the weapon of the believer. Paul talks about our strugg le in

this life in Ephesians chapter 6:10-18. Each piece of armor can only be put

on through prayer. Listen to Paul  Finally, be strong in the Lord and in his

mighty power. Put on the full armor of God so that you can take your stand

against the devil’s schemes. For our struggle is not against flesh and blood,

but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the powers of this

dark world and against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms.

Therefore put on the full arm or of God, so that when the day of evil comes,

you may be able to stand your ground, and after you have done everything,

to stand. Stand firm then, with th e belt of truth buckled around your waist,

with the breastplate of righteousness in place, and with your feet fitted with

the readiness that comes from the gospel of peace. In addition to all this,

take up the shield of faith, with which you can extinguish all the flaming

arrows of the evil one. Take the helmet of salvation and the sword of the

Spirit, which is the word of God. And pray in the S pirit on all occasions w ith

all kinds of prayers and requests. With this in mind, be alert and always

keep on praying for all th e saints  . With everything th at is going on in life

we all need these 3 things; Faith, Holiness and prayer!

I know it is not just me but many of you have wondered about why things

seem to be moving so fast. So called economic crises, healthcare reform,

bailouts and so many other things seem to overwhelm most. I am not a

prophet but I know what the Bible says. Regardless of the situation you and

I find ourselves we need to remember what Paul the Apostle writes; 2Ti 3:1-

5 But mark this: There will be terrible times in the last days. People will be

lovers of themselves, lovers of money, boastful, proud, abusive, disobedient

to their parents, ungrateful, unholy, without love, unforgiving, slanderous,

without self-control, brutal, not lovers of the good, treacherous, rash,

conceited, lovers of pleasure rather than lovers of God– having a form of

godliness but denying its power. Have nothing to do w ith them. From this

passage of Scripture I would like to sugg est three things to ponder. 1) F aith

2) Holiness 3) Prayer. Faith is not an option in order to please God. We

must believe and put our Trust in Jesus Christ. Remember Jesus said that

before He comes many with wonder from the faith, so we need to be

Trusting in Him to bring us through every situation and not trusting in

government or men. Heb 12:2 Let us fix our eyes on Jesus, the author and

perfecter of our faith, who for the joy set before him endured the cross,

scorning its shame, and sat down at the right hand of the throne of God.

Second thing to consider is Holiness. Paul states that in the last days many

will have a form of godliness but denying its power. Many people all around

us seem to be religious. But Christian s now that religion does not bring

about a Holy life. The Bible says that without Holiness no one will see God.

So how do we live H oly lives amongst a religious godless society? Obedience

to Jesus Commands! Jesus Blood makes us Holy and we need to be Holy as

He is Holy! The H oly Spirit helps us to live Holy and G odly lives. The lost

world needs to see true believers living what they profess. Thirdly we need

prayer. This is the weapon of the believer. Paul talks about our strugg le in

this life in Ephesians chapter 6:10-18. Each piece of armor can only be put

on through prayer. Listen to Paul  Finally, be strong in the Lord and in his

mighty power. Put on the full armor of God so that you can take your stand

against the devil’s schemes. For our struggle is not against flesh and blood,

but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the powers of this

dark world and against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms.

Therefore put on the full arm or of God, so that when the day of evil comes,

you may be able to stand your ground, and after you have done everything,

to stand. Stand firm then, with th e belt of truth buckled around your waist,

with the breastplate of righteousness in place, and with your feet fitted with

the readiness that comes from the gospel of peace. In addition to all this,

take up the shield of faith, with which you can extinguish all the flaming

arrows of the evil one. Take the helmet of salvation and the sword of the

Spirit, which is the word of God. And pray in the S pirit on all occasions w ith

all kinds of prayers and requests. With this in mind, be alert and always

keep on praying for all th e saints  . With everything th at is going on in life

we all need these 3 things; Faith, Holiness and prayer!

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Hate Money?

I sure wish I could win the lottery! I could do so much for the Church, my family and friends. I would love to be financially wealthy. Never having to worry about finding the money to pay bills; electric, doctors, water, groceries, housing, car, insurance, cloths, cable and tithes all need to be paid. Where I am going to find the money to pay for all these necessities of life? These are statements that have crossed my mind before and I am quit sure I am not alone. Lets see what Jesus has to say concerning money. Matthew 6:19-24 “Do not store up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moth and rust destroy, and where thieves break in and steal. But store up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where moth and rust do not destroy, and where thieves do not break in and steal. For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also. “The eye is the lamp of the body. If your eyes are good, your whole body will be full of light. But if your eyes are bad, your whole body will be full of darkness. If then the light within you is darkness, how great is that darkness! “No one can serve two masters. Either he will hate the one and love the other, or he will be devoted to the one and despise the other. You cannot serve both God and Money.  So much for my thoughts of financial health. Jesus can’t be saying this to my situation. “Preacher, God understands I can’t give my tithe because I have so many bills and I don’t have much left over. God accepts me giving what I can, when I can.” In other words, God I will pay my bills and you get what is left over!  Dear friends you cannot love God and love your money at the same time. If our lives are dedicated to making ends meet then something is wrong! A Christian should never be focused on the things of this Earth. Listen to the Apostle Paul “1Ti 6:9-11 People who want to get rich fall into temptation and a trap and into many foolish and harmful desires that plunge men into ruin and destruction. For the love of money is a root of all kinds of evil. Some people, eager for money, have wandered from the faith and pierced themselves with many griefs. But you, man of God, flee from all this, and pursue righteousness, godliness, faith, love, endurance and gentleness.” Question: Can you say and mean it that you hate money so I might love God? Jesus said we can’t love God and love money at the same time. Is Jesus lying? All of us are struggling with fiances during this so called recession in the economy. It is only a recession if you are focused on money. May I close with this challenge? If we are having trouble tithing (giving a small 10%- 1 penny out of a dime) then we are loving money more than God. We are storing up treasures upon Earth instead of treasures in Heaven. The only solution to our Idiolatry is repentance. Turn away from your pursuit of money and find yourself in pursuit of Jesus Christ! If you don’t have enough money to make ends meet, you have too many things. Jesus knows we have a problem with serving God and ourselves. He shed His Blood upon a cross to wash our sins away, even our love of money. Money is not evil, it is the love for money. So do you love God or money? Jesus will not accept split loyalties. Either Him or money, the choice is ours! Father forgive me for loving money instead of only loving You. Cleanse me from this stronghold of sin in my life through the blood of your Son Jesus. Holy Spirit I pray You will convict me and lead me to full devotion to the Kingdom of God. Help me to see the Truth and lead me to Victory over the love for money. In Jesus Name!

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Is it Biblical?

I’m wondering if a situation improves and I say “thank you” and got about my merry way, is that biblical?  1Thesselonians 5:14-18 And we urge you, brothers, warn those who are idle, encourage the timid, help the weak, be patient with everyone. Make sure that nobody pays back wrong for wrong, but always try to be kind to each other and to everyone else. Be joyful always; pray continually;  give thanks in all circumstances, for this is God’s will for you in Christ Jesus. This is easy to say but hard to practice!  We must understand that God can help us in every situation and is not going to abandon us; for He says He will never leave us nor forsake us! James 1:13 When tempted, no one should say, “God is tempting me.” For God cannot be tempted by evil, nor does he tempt anyone; but each one is tempted when, by his own evil desire, he is dragged away and enticed.  Then, after desire has conceived, it gives birth to sin; and sin, when it is full-grown, gives birth to death. We are tempted continually to be unthankful by taking blessings for granted.  Learning the Biblical principle of Thanksgiving in every situation is hard but happiness comes from the pursuit not the end result. The Lord gives and the Lord takes away, blessed be the Name of the Lord! God wants us to be merry but not at the expense of our hearts of gratitude. This Scripture may be of help; Ps 37:4 Delight yourself in the LORD and he will give you the desires of your heart. The key to this is of course desiring Him first. Jesus says; Mt 6:33 But seek first his kingdom and his righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well. God gives us so much is it too much for us to say Thanks? Certainly not!

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How can I be joyful in Jesus in times of need?

How can I be joyful in Jesus in times of need, and needful of Jesus in times of joy? All true joy comes from our relationship with Jesus or falters with our lack of intimacy with Him. Consider the words of John the Baptist; John 3:29-30 The bride belongs to the bridegroom. The friend who attends the bridegroom waits and listens for him, and is full of joy when he hears the bridegroom’s voice. That joy is mine, and it is now complete.  He must become greater; I must become less. The Bride of Christ are those who have been Baptized in His blood and raised by His Resurrection! We who are listening to His voice through the Holy Spirit are filled with joy. The question I would like to ask is this; is your joy complete as John mentions here in the text? If we honestly ponder this question, most of us reading this devotion would say no my joy is not complete. Why? Because Christ is not greater! Maybe we should confess; LORD, what is man that You are mindful of him, or the son of man that You visit him? What has man deserved that You should give him Your grace? What cause have I, Lord, to complain if You desert me, or what objection can I have if You do not do what I ask? This I may think and say in all truth: “Lord, I am nothing, of myself I have nothing that is good; I am lacking in all things, and I am ever tending toward nothing. And unless I have Your help and am inwardly strengthened by You, I become quite lukewarm and lax.” Self denial is not an option if we want to have complete joy. Also to answer in a different way listen to James; 1:2 Consider it pure joy, my brothers, whenever you face trials of many kinds, because you know that the testing of your faith develops perseverance. Perseverance must finish its work so that you may be mature and complete, not lacking anything. If any of you lacks wisdom, he should ask God, who gives generously to all without finding fault, and it will be given to him. But when he asks, he must believe and not doubt, because he who doubts is like a wave of the sea, blown and tossed by the wind.  Joy only comes from the indwelling of the Holy Spirit. The fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace…. All believers struggle with joy. There is no doubt many joy suckers are waiting for you! It may be important to pray as David prayed in Psalm 51:8-12 Let me hear joy and gladness; let the bones you have crushed rejoice.  Hide your face from my sins and blot out all my iniquity. Create in me a pure heart, O God, and renew a steadfast spirit within me. Do not cast me from your presence or take your Holy Spirit from me. Restore to me the joy of your salvation and grant me a willing spirit, to sustain me. Most circumstances are external but may hinder our inner joy. God doesn’t change. When we feel like He is far away and our joy wains, it is because we moved. I pray you find joy in Jesus Christ!

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Apostasy is here!

I ran across this article and found it put words in my mouth. Listen to  Jim Fletcher: I recently attended a funeral at a small country church. “Sister” Joyce had gone on to be with the Lord, and incredibly, her husband, “Brother Bill,” preached her funeral. The family owns a sawmill and as I looked at the rafters, with the wooden planks, my other senses were heightened. I heard shouts and claps as Brother Bill talked lovingly of a woman so godly that she had affected an entire community. Somewhere, the scent of honeysuckle drifted in through open windows. These people were happy. They knew what they believed, or, to put it more accurately, they knew whom they believed. I’ve never attended a funeral in which people stood outside because there wasn’t enough seating. There were hundreds of people at this small community church. Grown men were crying. Brother Bill and Sister Joyce were married in 1969; he was being shipped-out to Vietnam, and they made the decision to become man and wife. They had been happy all these years, even through her struggle with breast cancer.  Now, let me contrast this scene with one I remember from a few years ago. I attended the Crystal Cathedral while on a business trip to Southern California. I am “naming” this ministry in order for people to better understand my point. After all, if Robert Schuller has written that sin is the loss of self-esteem, then he can defend his philosophy as he sees fit, and I can contrast his message and vision with that of Brother Bill and Sister Joyce. Theirs was “that old-time religion,” which featured plenty of talk about sin, holy living, and the saving grace of Jesus Christ. The atmosphere at CC was extraordinary: lush plants, soft seats, an ocean breeze coming in from the corner of the building, which opened up! Schuller “interviewed” celebrity Kathy Ireland, who plugged her line of clothing. I found the scene to be surreal. Paul preached. Spurgeon preached. Schuller chats with television personalities. I sat there and reflected on my grandparents’ church, a country church pastored by Ronald Shoesmith and his wife, Cora. These were old-line, Bible-believing Christians. A similar setup as that of Brother Bill and Sister Joyce. Countryside Bible Church, pastored by Bro. Shoesmith, had a cement floor, hard pews, hymnals, an organ, and gallons of refreshing Bible preaching every Sunday. I’ve since been to many sophisticated gatherings and chatted with intellectuals and sophisticates, many of whom are leaders in ministries in the United States. Frankly, much of what passes today for ministry reminds me of a rotting, bloated whale washed up on a beach. J. Vernon McGhee thought decades ago that the church in America had lost its power, and may I say, beloved, that the situation is a good deal worse today. In August, Bill Hybel’s Willow Creek Church, in Chicago, will host a leadership conference. Among the speakers will be Tony Blair, David Gergen, and Bono. I certainly don’t know the spiritual condition of those men, but I do wonder how they view that seminal verse in the Bible, John 14:6. I’m not sure at all what qualifies Bono, the U2 lead singer, to speak at this event. This of course can be interpreted as a mean-spirited, fundamentalist attack on well-meaning Christians. I’m not responsible for that characterization; I’m simply explaining that the simplicity and freedom found in preaching Christ crucified and risen is missing from American pulpits today, in general. These country, “non-sophisticated” folks were free, I must tell you. In those places, in those times, people who attended were free in a way that our culture today is not. For we live in an age of Tony Robbins motivational seminars, seeker-friendly Bibles (pastel covers, metal covers, textured covers, interior text doctored by relativistic translators, etc.), and “life coaches” who were formerly known as pastors. Our spiritual forefathers knew this day was coming. They pointed to it. Paul predicted it, and so did Peter. Spurgeon knew it was coming and in fact saw the first stages of apostasy. He railed against it and one could speculate that the rigors of the fight took his life, at 58, in 1892.  I thought about all these things as Brother Bill finished his emotional farewell to his wife. It was like my thoughts were sucked back into a wormhole and I was back in the present. This was one of those home-goings, for even though Brother Bill ended his day hugging an emotional group of friends and family, he already knew that he will be reunited with Joyce one day, and one day soon, in my opinion.

This is because God has promised us that He will bring history to its conclusion — man will not save himself, as is preached today — and He alone will welcome home His children. That wisdom has nothing at all in common with the wisdom of our world today.

I ran across this article and found it put words in my mouth. Listen to  Jim Fletcher: I recently attended a funeral at a small country church. “Sister” Joyce had gone on to be with the Lord, and incredibly, her husband, “Brother Bill,” preached her funeral. The family owns a sawmill and as I looked at the rafters, with the wooden planks, my other senses were heightened. I heard shouts and claps as Brother Bill talked lovingly of a woman so godly that she had affected an entire community. Somewhere, the scent of honeysuckle drifted in through open windows. These people were happy. They knew what they believed, or, to put it more accurately, they knew whom they believed. I’ve never attended a funeral in which people stood outside because there wasn’t enough seating. There were hundreds of people at this small community church. Grown men were crying. Brother Bill and Sister Joyce were married in 1969; he was being shipped-out to Vietnam, and they made the decision to become man and wife. They had been happy all these years, even through her struggle with breast cancer.  Now, let me contrast this scene with one I remember from a few years ago. I attended the Crystal Cathedral while on a business trip to Southern California. I am “naming” this ministry in order for people to better understand my point. After all, if Robert Schuller has written that sin is the loss of self-esteem, then he can defend his philosophy as he sees fit, and I can contrast his message and vision with that of Brother Bill and Sister Joyce. Theirs was “that old-time religion,” which featured plenty of talk about sin, holy living, and the saving grace of Jesus Christ. The atmosphere at CC was extraordinary: lush plants, soft seats, an ocean breeze coming in from the corner of the building, which opened up! Schuller “interviewed” celebrity Kathy Ireland, who plugged her line of clothing. I found the scene to be surreal. Paul preached. Spurgeon preached. Schuller chats with television personalities. I sat there and reflected on my grandparents’ church, a country church pastored by Ronald Shoesmith and his wife, Cora. These were old-line, Bible-believing Christians. A similar setup as that of Brother Bill and Sister Joyce. Countryside Bible Church, pastored by Bro. Shoesmith, had a cement floor, hard pews, hymnals, an organ, and gallons of refreshing Bible preaching every Sunday. I’ve since been to many sophisticated gatherings and chatted with intellectuals and sophisticates, many of whom are leaders in ministries in the United States. Frankly, much of what passes today for ministry reminds me of a rotting, bloated whale washed up on a beach. J. Vernon McGhee thought decades ago that the church in America had lost its power, and may I say, beloved, that the situation is a good deal worse today. In August, Bill Hybel’s Willow Creek Church, in Chicago, will host a leadership conference. Among the speakers will be Tony Blair, David Gergen, and Bono. I certainly don’t know the spiritual condition of those men, but I do wonder how they view that seminal verse in the Bible, John 14:6. I’m not sure at all what qualifies Bono, the U2 lead singer, to speak at this event. This of course can be interpreted as a mean-spirited, fundamentalist attack on well-meaning Christians. I’m not responsible for that characterization; I’m simply explaining that the simplicity and freedom found in preaching Christ crucified and risen is missing from American pulpits today, in general. These country, “non-sophisticated” folks were free, I must tell you. In those places, in those times, people who attended were free in a way that our culture today is not. For we live in an age of Tony Robbins motivational seminars, seeker-friendly Bibles (pastel covers, metal covers, textured covers, interior text doctored by relativistic translators, etc.), and “life coaches” who were formerly known as pastors. Our spiritual forefathers knew this day was coming. They pointed to it. Paul predicted it, and so did Peter. Spurgeon knew it was coming and in fact saw the first stages of apostasy. He railed against it and one could speculate that the rigors of the fight took his life, at 58, in 1892.  I thought about all these things as Brother Bill finished his emotional farewell to his wife. It was like my thoughts were sucked back into a wormhole and I was back in the present. This was one of those home-goings, for even though Brother Bill ended his day hugging an emotional group of friends and family, he already knew that he will be reunited with Joyce one day, and one day soon, in my opinion.

This is because God has promised us that He will bring history to its conclusion — man will not save himself, as is preached today — and He alone will welcome home His children. That wisdom has nothing at all in common with the wisdom of our world today.

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Watch this from godaddy.com

https://www.godaddy.com/gdshop/holiday/independence2009/playmovie.asp?isc=gdr0704

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