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Sunday, September 13, 2015

Quiet Time: Turn Out the Lights Let Darkness Reign



Turn Out the Lights Let Darkness Reign

Do not be bound together with unbelievers; for what partnership have righteousness and lawlessness, or what fellowship has light with darkness? Or what harmony has Christ with Belial, or what has a believer in common with an unbeliever? Or what agreement has the temple of God with idols? For we are the temple of the living God; just as God said,
            “I WILL DWELL IN THEM AND WALK AMONG THEM;
            AND I WILL BE THEIR GOD, AND THEY SHALL BE M
Y PEOPLE - 2 Corinthians 6:14-16
 
I was invited to hear a celebrity speak at a local "evangelical" mega church today. So, I thought, "Wait a minute, isn’t this speaker one of those big time conservative talk show hosts; what is he, a preacher too?" Turns out I was partly right; he is indeed a big time talk show host, but not really a preacher of the Gospel.  He is however a strong Mormon.

So, I thought, "There’s no way an evangelical church would really invite a practicing LDS leader to speak from the pulpit on a Sunday morning; this guy must have become a Christ follower.” Turns out, yep, they would! And, nope, he is not a Christian. Apparently, he was invited to speak not only at this particular mega church, but several others, including Liberty University, Fellowship Church in Texas, and Gateway Church  to name a few.

Under this local church’s FAQ section, a person asked, “What about his religious beliefs?” Answer: “We know he has professed Jesus Christ as Savior and is backed by well know figures such as James Robison and Ravi Zacharias.”

So, there you have it. If you want to know if someone is a born again believer, just ask them to say out loud, “I profess Jesus Christ as Savior” and get a couple of well respected names to vouch for  yah and you’re good to go. 

Of course it helps if you’re a really good speaker, and if you can hold a crowd, and if you have political views that go along with the views of that particular congregation, then, you have a good shot at being invited to speak at a huge church one Sunday morning.

Look, I’m not against people believing whatever it is they want to believe. Jesus never forced anyone to follow him. Furthermore, my political views are the same as many agnostics, atheist, Buddhist, Mormons, and Christians out there. My point is this, do Christ followers really want cult leaders teaching from the pulpit on a Sunday morning where the plain and unadulterated Word of God is “purported” to be preached? Is this the new face of the “Christian” church?

BTW, “Born Again Mormon” is an oxymoron.  Why? The essential doctrines of Christianity and those of the LDS organization are completely incompatible. Not the least of which is salvation by grace through faith alone, apart from works. (Ephesians 2:8-9)

Research for yourself.  Here’s a one good site: https://carm.org/teachings-of-mormonism


Saturday, July 18, 2015

Song Series: This Is Amazing Grace: falling away and back again

Song Series: This Is Amazing Grace by Phil Whickam
Falling Away and Back Again

Then Jesus told them, “This very night you will all fall away on account of me, for it is written:
“‘I will strike the shepherd,
    and the sheep of the flock will be scattered.’ - Matthew 26:31

No one is perfect; but, falling away from following Christ is far different than simply committing a sin. 

Yet, here we see Jesus prophesying to His disciples that they would " all fall away". And, that's exactly what happened. These guys were the first followers of Christ, and even though they'd been in the very presence of God incarnate, still they left Him at the first sign of trouble. Chaos ruled.

The story doesn't end there, of course.  Jesus followed up His prophecy with words of hope. "But after I have been raised, I will go ahead of you to Galilee." (Matthew 26:32) In other words, "You guys are gonna come back again; and, I'll be in Galilee waiting for you." Order restored.

Have you turned your back on Jesus? Then, turn your back again. He's waiting for you.


Verse 3 This is Amazing Grace
Who brings our chaos back into order
Who makes the orphan a son and daughter
The King of Glory, the King of Glory 



Think deep: If you can live without Jesus; then, you were never living with Him. (Matthew 7:21-23)