Christ of Faith or the Jesus of History?

Jesus was a person of history. Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John attest to the reality of Jesus Christ. My mistake, apparently, is believing the Word of God when it makes clear declarations of this reality. I have no problem with searching for the historical Jesus. I find it quite fascinating. No less than Josephus, Tacitus, and Pliny the Younger mention Jesus in their writings. Coupled with the inspired writers we have proof enough in this reality. However, for many it appears that finding the historical Jesus is an attempt to prove Jesus a man of history and a myth of religion. It also appears that the Jesus of history conveniently fits into the prism of men’s particular worldview. For some Jesus is “enlightened sage, oriental Christ, rabbi…superstar, Mormon elder brother, and black Moses.”[i] If I read our text correctly Jesus does not come off like He is described in the Bible at all in all the “Quests” mentioned. I have to admit I was taken aback by the many attempts to prove Jesus just a man from professing Christians. To me Jesus is man and the Messiah, Jesus and the Christ. He is exactly who the Bible says He is. “The former treatise have I made, O Theophilus, of all that Jesus began both to do and teach, Until the day in which he was taken up, after that he through the Holy Ghost had given commandments unto the apostles whom he had chosen: To whom also he shewed himself alive after his passion by many infallible proofs, being seen of them forty days, and speaking of the things pertaining to the kingdom of God” (Acts 1:3).

The two are related in that both liberal and conservative, for example, want to believe in a historical Jesus. All regardless of their theological persuasion use much of the same source material, such as the Bible and secular historical writings, etc. in order to reach vastly different conclusions. Believing in the historical Jesus is not enough. One must believe in the supernatural Christ of faith as well. “[Thomas] Jefferson believed in the existence of a Supreme Being who was the creator and sustainer of the universe and the ultimate ground of being, but this was not the triune deity of orthodox Christianity. He also rejected the idea of the divinity of Christ”.[ii] The dividing lines are clear enough. For some Jesus will always be an extraordinary man, but just a man. For others Jesus is more than a man, he is the God man who came to a sin cursed world to die for the sins of all mankind.

---

[i] Beals, Paul A. "The Historical Jesus." A People for His Name: A Church Based Missions Strategy. Rev. ed. Pasadena, CA: William Carey Library, 1995. 217. Print.

[ii] "Jefferson's Religious Beliefs." Thomas Jeffersons Monticello Blog RSS. 5 Dec. 2014. Web. <http://www.monticello.org/site/research-and-collections/jeffersons-religious-beliefs>.

The Danger of The Doctrine Limited Atonement

The doctrine of limited atonement is one of the five points found in John Calvin's teaching on eternal security. Among the teachers of limited atonement the phrase itself is one that they are trying hard to change. Today they prefer terms like "particular atonement" or "definite atonement". Though limited atonement states exactly what they believe they are uncomfortable with the impression it leaves. It reminds us of those liberal politicians who want to be called " progressive". After all the word progressive sounds a lot better than liberal. Most Baptist, Presbyterians, and some others that teach their people the unscriptural doctrine of eternal security reject the doctrine of limited atonement. They like to call themselves four point Calvinist. The truth is though you cannot have a consistent theological view and remove the doctrine of limited atonement.  Recently there has been a resurgence of the Reformed Theology which adamantly teaches all five points of Calvinism. The doctrine of limited atonement teaches that Jesus Christ only died for a certain group of people called the elect. That Jesus did not die for everyone or, the entire human race, but for only those who would be saved. Listen to what a limited atonement preacher said in a sermon. "If he had come to save everybody in the world then everybody would be saved. That just makes good sense. Either that or he is a failure. Take your choice. If he came here to redeem everybody, everybody would be redeemed. Either that or he his a failure. If he loved everybody, everybody would be saved. Either that or his love is not worth spit. Take your choice." From my limited experience with them that is the normal tone that comes from those who teach Calvinism.  I don't know about you, but when I read or hear statements like that I immediately think of 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". Let's look then at why the doctrine of limited atonement is so dangerous.
First, it's dangerous because you have to add to the bible to make that doctrine fit. Anytime you have to change what the bible is plainly teaching, verse after verse after verse, you are in danger of changing the bible itself, or at least, you open it up to be handled in a corrupt way by others. The apostle Peter warned us about those who would wrest the scriptures (2 Peter 3:16) The word wrest means to twist, wrench, torture or pervert. One must wonder if Peter was dealing with the deceptive seeds of  thought that would come to be known as Calvinism centuries later. So, what do they do to John 3:16? They wrest the word "world" and twist it so that it doesn't mean world any more; it means the world of the elect. R.C. Sproul said,  "The world for whom Christ died cannot mean the entire human family, it must refer to the universality of the elect, people from every tribe and nation."  But when you do that you also have to then say that God does not love the world he only loves the elect. Next then, whosoever means no longer whosoever but now it means the elect. So then the elect are the only ones in danger of perishing, but wait, they can never perish because they are they elect. So, the verse ends up meaning nothing at all. It becomes a torturous treatment of the text indeed. Again, 1 Timothy 2:3-6 " For this is good and acceptable in the sight of God our Savior; Who will have all men to be saved, and to come unto the knowledge of the truth. For there is one God, and one mediator between God and men, the man Christ Jesus; Who gave himself a ransom for all, to be testified in due time."  All here, according to the limited atonement view, does not mean all it only means all the elect. He gave himself a ransom for all and once again you would have to wrest these scriptures in order to make all something different than what it means. In Romans 3:23 the bible says "For all have sinned and come short of the glory of God." Yet, those who teach all does not mean all, here say that it does means all. So, it means all when relating to those who have sinned but it does not mean all when it comes to those who can be saved? Talk about wresting the scriptures! There are verses that plainly state that salvation is for all because all of us need it. Look for example at Galatians 3:22 "But the scripture hath concluded all under sin, that the promise by faith of Jesus Christ might be given to them that believe." Or how about 1 Corinthians 15:22 "For as in Adam all die, even so in Christ shall all be made alive."  Once a man said "all means all and that is all that all means."  2 Peter 3:9 "The Lord is not slack concerning his promise, as some men count slackness; but is long-suffering to us-ward, not willing that any should perish, but that all should come to repentance." If none of the elect are going to perish why does the bible have to say that God is not willing that they should? And again in 1 John 2:2 "And he is the propitiation for our sins: and not for ours only, but also for the sins of the whole world." I'm sure you are getting the point by now but, here again the whole world to them doesn't mean whole or entire. Here is how they do it. They say it does not mean every person in the world but every place in the world. To do that to this verse is to wrest it for sure.  Let's look at one more example and it is found in Acts 17:30 "And the time of this ignorance God winked at; but now commandeth all men every where to repent:"  Each time a verse like this is spoken of  those who believe in limited atonement have to add, "all of the elect", to each of these text even though the context will not support it. That is not the way to handled any biblical text.
Secondly, it's dangerous because you also change the character of God. Those who teach limited atonement end up ultimately saying that God does not love everyone, He only loves the elect. I'll refer you here back to the sermon above. Yet, the bible is also clear that God, the God of the Holy bible, loves everybody equally. John 3:16 "For God so loved the world". In Romans 5:8 Paul said "But God commendeth his love toward us, in that, while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us." This entire section shows that God loves not just the "good" people but he loves the unsaved in their most vile condition. Matthew 5:44-45 "But I say unto you, Love your enemies, bless them that curse you, do good to them that hate you, and pray for them which despitefully use you, and persecute you; That ye may be the children of your Father which is in heaven: for he maketh his sun to rise on the evil and on the good, and sendeth rain on the just and on the unjust." This teaches us that God requires that we love our enemies because he loves those who are wilfully his enemies. Jesus did not say Father forgive the elect that spit in my face he said "Father forgive them for they know not what they do." The difference between the God of the bible and all the false gods in the world is that God is a loving God, who even loves sinners. The religious people in the days of Christ flesh were angry with him because he was a friend of publicans and sinners. They were amazed and appalled at the fact that Jesus would sit down and eat with them or even let sinners touch him (Luke 7:41-50). This is the most heart breaking effect that this doctrine has in that it reduces the glory of our great God and makes Him out to be a God that only loves some people.
Thirdly, it throws a wet blanket on the much needed effort to evangelize the entire world. They reject that this is a true statement concerning the effect of the doctrine of limited atonement. For any one though, with an objective view, it should be clear that this indeed is what takes place. If Christ died only for the elect and they will be saved regardless to there will and weather or not believers obey their Lord and go, then why bother. It is a certainty that most of the immature will respond this way to our Lord's command to go and "preach the gospel to every creature "( Mark 16:15). I say certain, because that is exactly what most believers are doing now - not sharing their faith.  Those who teach that doctrine insist that they are more evangelistic than most. You may recall from William Shakespeare's play Hamlet the statement "The lady doth protest too much, methinks." The problem is, when you look at their motive for evangelism it becomes purely selfish. It no longer has, at its heart, a love for sinners who are dying and will spend an eternity in hell-fire. The concern for witnessing now revolves around the rewards that person will or will not receive.
Lastly, it makes the judgment of sinners the most unjust exercise in the whole universe. At the Great White Throne of judgment all the sinners who have ever lived on God's earth for all time will stand before him to be judged. Revelation 20:11-15 "And I saw a great white throne and him that sat on it from whose face the earth and the heaven fled away; and there was found no place for them. And I saw the dead, small and great, stand before God; and the books were opened: and another book was opened, which is the book of life: and the dead were judged out of those things which were written in the books, according to their works, And the sea gave up the dead which were in it; and death and hell delivered up the dead which were in them: and the were judged every man according to their works. And death and hell were cast into the lake of fire. This is the second death. And whososever was not found in the book of life was cast into the lake of fire." The limited atonement folks would have us believe that the holy and just God of the Bible will cast them into eternal fire even though Jesus did not die for them so that they could been saved. In fact, God would not allow them to be saved. They could not have been saved even if they wanted to be saved. I can here someone on that day say to God wait, "you are going to send me to hell for all eternity, yet, you never drew me, Jesus did not even die for me, you did not even love me, your created me only to send me into these flames and there was absolutely nothing I could have done about it, how is that fair and just?" It makes the whole great white throne appearance seem to be just a show and not a real judgment of how these sinners willfully rejected Jesus Christ as their personal Savior and Lord. The bible is clear on who's responsible for the sinners fate. It is the sinner themselves. In John 8:24 Jesus said "I said therefore unto you, that ye shall die in your sins: for if ye believe not that I am he, ye shall die in your sins." Also, John 3:36 " He that believeth on the Son hath everlasting life: and he that believeth not the Son shall not see life; but the wrath of God abideth on him."  Even Romans 10:13 says "Whosoever shall call upon the name of the Lord shall be saved."  Let me just say this in conclusion. If God could save anybody he sovereignly choose to then why not choose to save the entire world?  If God gets the greater glory out of people being sovereignly saved why not save the majority in the world today and leave only a minority of people who are wicked and sinful. It's obvious that God's sovereign plan includes the willful response of his creation. "Who art thou that repliest against God?" ( Rom 9:20)

The Abrahamic Covenant Fulfilled

“Now the LORD had said to Abram, "Get thee out of thy country, and from thy kindred, and from thy father’s house, unto a land that I will shew thee: and I will make of thee a great nation, and I will bless thee, and make thy name great; and thou shalt be a blessing: and I will bless them that bless thee, and curse them that curseth thee: and in thee shall all the families of the earth be blessed.” (Genesis 12:1-3) Thus begins the implementation of God’s plan to save that which was lost (Luke 19:10). This has always been God’s plan (1 Peter 1:18-21). However, any talk of a fix must inevitably begin with the fall.

Adam and Eve had it made, literally. Made in the image of God and placed in the Garden of Eden, which God had made for them. They only had to keep one rule. Do not eat of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil. As it happens, this is where it all went pear shaped. Genesis 3-11 is the story of man’s disobedience and descent into depravity. The story from Noah, a man who found grace in the eyes of the Lord, and Abraham is not one of spiritual revival. It is a story of unrestrained sin and selfishness (Genesis 11).

It is then that God chose “a regular idol worshiping man form [sic] the Mesopotamian region”[1] God appeared to Abram and said the he would bless him; provide him a land, and a seed. All families of the earth would be blessed through him (Genesis 12:1-7).  This is an extraordinary promise that God made to Abram. God clearly states to Abram what He wants to do with his life and his family. The only problem was that Abram had no children. In the process Abram “had to survive famine and temporary exile in Egypt (Gn. 12), a dispute with his nephew (Gn. 13), and a regional war (Gn. 14). But God intervened to remind Abram of the original promises and to assure him of ultimate success (Gn. 15).”[2] Is it any wonder that Abram was a wee bit concerned about God’s promises being kept? However, God isn’t in the promise breaking business.

A covenant is a promise, but it isn’t any promise. A covenant is a pledged relationship involving both promise and obligation. God makes a promise and obligates Himself to keep it. Abram must obligate himself to honour an obey God by faith. God comes to Abram in a vision and covenants with Abram to provide a blessing, a son, and to give him the land from the river of Egypt to the river Euphrates. To seal this covenant animals were slaughtered and divided.  The burning lamp passing between the pieces represents the Divine, comforting presence of God. Notice if you will that Abram did not pass between the pieces. “God is saying to Abram, ‘if I fail to keep my covenant with you…then let me be slaughtered before you.”[3] God is pledging Himself to Abram in a wonderful relationship that would bring a Saviour into the world.

This covenant is important for several reasons. It has priority historically and logically. Genesis 15:6 demonstrates for us that we are to live by faith if we are to have a right relationship with God. Genesis 17:7 reveals the goal of all the covenants. It is an everlasting covenant with a worldwide posterity for Abraham. “This covenant is the foundation of all covenants Jehovah made with his people.”[4]

Luke records the words of the Apostle Peter, “Ye are the children of the prophets, and of the covenant which God made with our fathers, saying unto Abraham, and in thy seed shall all the kindreds of the earth be blessed” (Acts 3:25).  Peter is proclaiming the gospel of Christ. In doing so he is revealing that salvation was of the Jews, that Jesus is the seed promised to Abraham so many years before. The Apostle Paul picks up the theme for the gentile when he said, “Even as Abraham believed God, and it was accounted to him for righteousness. Know ye therefore that they which are of faith, the same are the children of Abraham. And the scripture, foreseeing that God would justify the heathen through faith, preached before the gospel unto Abraham, saying, in thee shall all nations be blessed. So then they which be of faith are blessed with faithful Abraham” (Galatians 3:6-9). Paul is making it quite clear that the promised seed, Jesus Christ, was not sent for the Jew only, but for the gentile as well.

God made a promise, covenant, with Abraham. Abraham accepted by faith. “Wherefore then serveth the law? It was added because of transgressions” (Galatians 3:19) “and the need we stood in of the mercy of God. The law is the right line, the straight edge, that determines the obliquity of our conduct.”[5] Abraham was a faithful man, but he was not a perfect man. He was given to telling lies when it suited him and he was rather impatient with God at a critical moment in time as it concerned the promise of a son. “It was not Abraham’s great faith that explains all the good things that happened in Abraham’s life, but God’s faithfulness to His covenant with Abraham. I believe it helps Christians to realize that there are no super heroes in the Bible, except for One, our Lord Himself.”[6] We would do well to remember that God has not provided the promised seed, Jesus Christ, for perfect people, but for faithful people. (Galatians 3:22) If we had to keep the law in order to obtain salvation then the promise would be of none effect. Remember, the covenant was sealed 430 years before the giving of the law. Remember also that the manner in which the covenant was sealed. God passed through the pieces not Abram. “In refusing to make Abram walk through the passage of the covenant curse God was saying this, ‘if I fail I will die, but Abram if you fail I die for you.”[7]

Thus the promise must be received by faith. We accept by faith that God is able to bring about our salvation by the sacrifice of His Son Jesus Christ. “When you put your faith in Christ who is the seed of Abraham, in fact that's what it says in the genealogy in Matthew 1, son of David, son of Abraham. If you put your faith in the son of Abraham, in the seed of Abraham then you become a child of faith and in that sense spiritually a son of Abraham who is the model of faith for all the world.”[8] Jesus Christ is all man and all God. He came to be a sacrifice for mankind. He is also the very incarnation of the promise. Salvation is what God did for us and how we respond to it determines if we may receive it. The work of salvation was completed on the cross of Christ Jesus. He does not allow us to do any of the work of salvation like His heavenly Father before Him in Genesis 15. Salvation has always been by grace through faith. This has been the plan from the very beginning. God does not have a plan B.

Everything in the Old Testament is pointing invariably toward the Lord Jesus Christ. God desires to be our God. He desires that we be His people. This is a promise that can only be fulfilled by the person of Jesus Christ.

“The Abrahamic Covenant is a missionary text par excellence, and it sets the stage for the missionary character of the entire Bible…our God is a missionary God, and His missionary purposes do not change with time.”[9] God started with a man, a family, and then a nation. His goal was to draw all families of the earth to Him in faith. Jesus Christ came in the fullness of time in order to fulfill the promise God made to Abraham. We Christians now have the awesome responsibility of proclaiming the gospel of Jesus Christ in order that all families of the earth will be drawn to Christ Jesus. We must proclaim the promise of salvation to so that all may have an opportunity to experience the fulfillment of this most precious promise of God.

---

[1] Murphy, Kenneth, “God and Gentiles in the OT Discussion Overview”, Welch College Online. Web. 15 Nov. 2014

[2] Arnold, Bill T., and Bryan Beyer. "The Patriarchs: Ancestors of Israel's Faith." Encountering the Old Testament: A Christian Survey. 2nd ed. Grand Rapids, Mich.: Baker Academic, 2008. 93. Print.

[3] Karoon, David. "The Abrahamic Covenant." Sunday AM. Stornoway Reformed Presbyterian Church, Stornoway, Isle of Lewis, Scotland. 7 Apr. 2013. Sermon.

[4] Beals, Paul A. "The Bible: A Missionary Book-The Old Testament." A People for His Name: A Church Based Missions Strategy. Rev. ed. Pasadena, CA: William Carey Library, 1995. 39.

[5] Clarke, Adam. "Commentary on Galatians 3:19". "The Adam Clarke Commentary". http://www.studylight.org/commentaries/acc/view.cgi?bk=47&ch=3. 1832.

[6] Deffinbaugh, Robert. "5. Abraham's Call and God's Covenant (Genesis 11:26-17:27)." Bible.org. 16 Feb. 2007. Web. 15 Nov. 2014. <https://bible.org/seriespage/5-abrahams-call-and-gods-covenant-genesis-1126-1727>.

[7] Karoon, David. "The Abrahamic Covenant." Sunday AM. Stornoway Reformed Presbyterian Church, Stornoway, Isle of Lewis, Scotland. 7 Apr. 2013. Sermon.

[8] MacArthur, John. "Grace To You." Abraham--Justified by Grace, Part 2. 25 July 1982. Web. 15 Nov. 2014. <http://www.gty.org/resources/sermons/45-38/abrahamjustified-by-grace-part-2>.

[9] Beals, Paul A. "The Bible: A Missionary Book-The Old Testament." A People for His Name: A Church Based Missions Strategy. Rev. ed. Pasadena, CA: William Carey Library, 1995. 39-40. Print.

Would You Die For Jesus?

 Would you die for Jesus Christ? In some countries that is not just a question to be pondered but a daily reality that must be faced. Believers everywhere will face this as we approach the return of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. Jesus said this in Matthew 24:9-10 "Then shall they deliver you up to be afflicted, and shall kill you: and ye shall be hated of all nations for my name's sake. And then shall many be offended and shall betray one another, and shall hate one another."  Our Lord and Master was treated in the most evil and vile way possible for no crimes at all only love. His followers will be treated the exact same way, world wide, just before his return. Look at His words in John 15:18- 19 "If the world hate you, ye know that it hated me before it hated you. If ye were of the world, the world would love his own: but because ye are not of the world, but I have chosen you out of the world, therefore the world hateth you." He also said in John 15:25 " ... They hated me without a cause." If there was no cause to hate Jesus they will need no cause to hate us, imprison us, or even kill us either. So what would you do?
Throughout the Bible we have some great examples of followers of Christ who were willing to lay down their lives for our Lord Jesus. Time would fail to mention those who "had trail of cruel mockings and scourgings, yea, moreover of bonds and imprisonment: They were stoned, they were sawn asunder, were tempted, were slain with the sword: they wandered about in sheep-skins and goatskins; being destitute , afflicted, tormented; ( Hebrews 11:36-37). Like the apostle Paul they counted themselves as sheep for the slaughter ( Rom 8:30). Sadly, according to Matthew 24:10 many, not some but many, will be "offended". That means they will fall away from the faith. When persecution comes they will turn their back on the Lord Jesus Christ and commit apostasy. These are the stony ground Christians ( Matthew 13:20-21) that never grew any deeper roots and reject Jesus because of the suffering that has come. How do we know weather or not we will stand in the time of persecution? 
 In Acts 1:8 "But ye shall receive power, after that the Holy Ghost is come upon you: and ye shall be witnesses unto me..." The Greek word for witness is "martus" from which we get our word martyr. The point is, if we are not willing to witness for our Lord Jesus Christ, then we certainly are not going to be willing to lay down our lives for Him. God is preparing us for what is coming and part of that preparation is learning how to handle the rejection that comes from the world when we share the gospel of God with them. Yet most believers do not share their faith in Christ because they are afraid of how people will respond to them. One poll found that 95% of all born again Christians never share their faith. Jesus said in Mark 16:15 "...,Go ye into all the world, and preach the gospel to every creature."  In order to prepare for battle solders spend time in basic training. That is the time the are honed into  fighting machines. The majority of believers are opting out of basic training and they will not be ready when the real fights come. If you are truly going to stand for Christ in these last days you need to began to share your faith like you have never shared it before.

Houston Pastor's Messages Subpeoned

It's hard to believe that in the land of the free and the home of the brave we have lost so many of our God given freedoms. Slowly the government has continued to erode the freedoms that our great country was built on. In Houston Texas the Mayor and City Council passed an ordinance that would allow a man who felt like he was a women to use the Ladies public restrooms and vice versus. That is in it self a disgusting, perverted ordinance that should have never seen the light of day. But wait it gets more ungodly! Some local pastors participated in the effort to get enough signatures to repeal the ordinance by speaking out and encouraging others to sign a petition. In response, the Mayor of Houston subpoenaed five local pastors. They were required to turn over their sermons and any other correspondence, including text messages. Under the Constitution of The United States of America we have the Bill Of Rights. The very first Amendment states "Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof: or abridging the freedom of speech, or the press; or the right of the people peaceably to assemble, and to petition the Government for redress of grievances." To tell Pastors they cannot speak for something or against something is to abridge their freedom of speech. This ordinance is a tool for the Government to discriminate against people who don't hold the same views as they do. It is the height of intolerance to treat these pastors as criminals and to threaten them with fines and imprisonment because they believe the Holy Bible. The Mayor and the City Council members who voted for this abomination have no place in public service. Over 50,000 signatures were signed on the petition to redress this ordinance. The city only requires 17,000 signatures for it to be put on the ballot but the City's attorney rejected the signatures. This is lawlessness. This would be a great case for the Department of Justice to get involved in. The attorney for the City of Houston should face criminal charges if it can be proved that the signatures were valid. In the book of  Acts chapter 4, the rulers of the Jewish legal system demanded Christians "not to speak at all nor teach in the name of Jesus." (v18)  The disciples response was "Whether it be right in the sight of God to hearken unto you more than God, judge ye. For we cannot but speak the things which we have seen and heard." (vs 19-20) It is a sad day in America when one group who wants special rights is so intolerant to others who don't agree with them. Jesus prophesied in Matthew 24:9 "Then shall they deliver you up ( take you to court) to be afflicted, and shall kill you: and ye shall be hated of all nations for my name's sake." We are fast approaching a day when mankind's desire for evil will reach such a point that anyone who tells them that what they are doing is a sin will be punished or maybe even killed.

Emma Watson's Feminist Check List

 Emma Watson spoke at the United Nations on gender equality. She is heading up a campaign called, #HeForShe, that encourages men to fight for and support equal rights for women. She said "we want to galvanise as many men and boys as possible to advocate for change". In order to accomplish that she had to try to erase the "man hater" image that many feminist expound to. The shocking thing about this speech is that, while Ms. Emma Watson gave four reasons that she is a feminist, the group at the United Nations was only enthused by one of the four points. Her first point was that women should have equal pay with their male co-workers. There was no applause. Her second point was that she, as a feminist, felt that women should have the right to do with their body what they wanted to. The place erupted with applause and cheering. She continued with her third point and that was that women should be involved in the policies and decisions that affected her life. Again, there was no applause. Her last point was that she should be afforded the same respect as men. Sadly, once again no applause. The United Nations crowd made it crystal clear that the only thing that they are really fighting for is the right to continue to kill the unborn child. The Christian community would agree with every point Ms. Watson made except abortion. Equal pay is just and right. Proverbs 11:1 "A false balance is abomination to the Lord: but a just weight is his delight."  God is displeased when people are taken advantage of and cheated. It is only right for women to be represented in the government just like any other member of  society. To be afforded the same respect is only fair and right. Christians have done more for the honor and respect that women deserve than any other group in the entire world. Ephesians 5:25 says "Husbands, love your wives, even as Christ also loved the church, and gave himself for it;" Christians love life and desire to see the most vulnerable and weak cared for and loved. The unborn is at the most defenseless state of any one in our society. The problem is that love is no longer at the heart of what people really want. We have become a selfish society. Anything or anyone that gets in our way needs to be removed. You do not get pregnant by eating popcorn. Most people realise what it takes to become pregnant. There are so many different choices you could make if you do not want a child. But after you are pregnant there is only one choice and that is to love and care for the child with all your heart. If feminism means supporting abortion you are never going to win God fearing people to your point of view.

America's Three Greatest Enemies

There is no doubt that America has some great enemies in the world today. The current news reports concerning ISIS reveals it is certainly one of our growing threats. Add to that the fact that the Russians are moving towards a more open hostile stance against us. China has recently made the news because a fighter jet of theirs conducted a "dangerous intercept" of our Navy aircraft. Even though these are serious concerns for any American, they are not our greatest threat. Like Rome of old, America is decaying from within first. Jesus said in Matt 12:25 "... Every kingdom divided against itself is brought to desolation; and every city or house divided against itself shall not stand:". It is not the outside threats that are close to bringing us to our knees but the threats that are domestic. What exactly are these three enemies and how can we defeat them?
First, Lawless Judges! Federal judges take an oath the they "do solemnly swear ( or affirm) that I will support and defend the Constitution of the United States of America against all enemies, foreign and domestic; that I will bear true faith and allegiance to the same ..." Yet despite this oath many judges are a law unto themselves. God said in Leviticus 19:15 "Ye shall do no unrighteousness in judgement: thou shalt not respect the person of the poor, nor honor the person of the mighty: but in righteousness shalt thou judge thy neighbor," They are not to show favour to the rich or to the poor. They are to faithfully apply the law of the land without fear or favour. If the laws are to be changed it is not their Constitutional role to change them it is the role of the legislators. Yet, despite this clear Constitutional fact many judges have broken their oaths and decided that they would rule as a King and not a judge. For example, many states have voted to ban homosexual marriages by the prescribed law of the majority vote, only to have one federal judge override the will of the people because of his/her own personal desire. That is lawlessness and it is unconstitutional. The only way the American people can retake the courts is to impeach judges that ignore the Constitution. We also need to elect politicians that believe in the legislative process. To the majority of decent hard working Americans who do not vote, you are allowing a small minority to corrupt our great country. VOTE!!
Secondly, our Educational system! It is really, really hard to call it an educational system. I know, from personal experience, of young people attending public school who cannot even read. Instead of a school system that will teach the basics well, we have a system that is more interested in propaganda than education. It is not the role of the school to teach the origin of life. Why not spend that time teaching a child how to read?  For those who are fortunate enough to be able to go on  and get a college education they face more of a propaganda effort than an educational effort. Read the on-line article by Mary Mills entitled "The Nizkor Project -Propaganda and children during Hitler years. It reveals a systematic effort on the part of the Nazi's to brainwash the children into believing the Jews were a national problem. We are seeing a similar effort to brainwash the younger generation against God and country. Let me challenge all of you to watch Ben Stein's movie, "Expelled- no intelligence allowed", so you can see the Nazi like effort to keep one view in front of the young people of America. This is certainly a problem that can be solved. Pull your kids out of public school  and home school them. Another option could be starting our own charter schools. Then we could give our young people the education they deserve. Do not send anymore of our young people to Harvard, Yale, Brown, or any other liberal institution. If you love America and freedom it is the only patriotic thing to do.
Finally, the Manipulating Media! Those who are controlling the information that most of America receives are attempting to convince us that socialism, liberalism, and evolution are all true and good. It is one of the most subtle but effective tools the enemies of America have. If they do not like your influence they will do everything they can to see that you are destroyed. Phil Robertson made a normal, sane, masculine statement in regards to a question about homosexuality and the media tried it's best to get Duck Dynasty taken off the air. They ask questions like that because they know that people of faith are not going to be politically correct. They are going to answer honestly and according to what the Bible teaches.  It has been proven in the past that the media fabricates the news to spin it to tell a story they want told. The freedom of the press should not be the freedom to be dishonest. We can affect a major change in this area also. Turn them OFF. Do not even spend a second on the channel while you are searching for another program. Do not read their newspapers, listen to their radio stations, watch their programs, use their Internet sites. By doing this we can bankrupt the whole lot of them and cripple them, hopefully beyond repair. There is hope that we can turn the tide but Americans must start NOW!
The only real lasting hope we have as a country is to seek the God of all things for a genuine Revival. In 2 Chronicles 7:14 God promises in His word " If my people, which are called by my name, shall humble themselves, and pray, and seek my face, and turn from their wicked ways; then will I hear from heaven, and forgive their sins, and heal their land." This starts in the church. We must get thoroughly right with God ourselves! Revival can happen but it must start somewhere. Why not let it start with you today?

Richard Dawkins Unguarded Statement

On Richard Dawkins' twitter account he said the most amazingly horrible thing that a human being could utter in an unguarded moment. Dawkins was responding to a person that stated they would face "a real ethical dilemma" if they found out they were expecting a baby with Down's Syndrome. His response was both brash and brutal, "Abort it and try again. It would be immoral to bring it into the world if you have a choice." WOW!!! No one should be surprised at comments like this from the one of the leading voices in the atheist movement. Amazingly when people called him out on those comments he said that they had been  "tactlessly vulnerable to misunderstanding".  In other words, he is saying,  I should not have been so honest with my comments. He went on to explain, "If your morality is based, as mine is, on a desire to increase the sum happiness and to reduce suffering, the decision to deliberately give birth to a Down baby, when you have the choice to abort it early in the pregnancy, might actually be immoral from the point of view of the child's own welfare". Oh, that really was a lot more tactful!
In public opinion the evolutionist have tried very hard to distance themselves from Adolf Hitler. Hitler sought to bring about a super race of people. One of the ways he tried to accomplish this was by killing all the Jews. He also wanted to kill all the mentally and physically handicapped people. I guess he was trying to affect "the sum happiness and reduce the suffering" of the German population or at least something along those twisted lines. I am not exactly sure what kind of "morality" Hitler had but I am convinced it was along the same lines as Richard Dawkins. It is long past the time where we should be honest about what is going on in the educational and scientific communities. Atheism = Evolutionism = Death! Death is something they love. From population reduction to euthanasia to, of course, abortion.  According to them we are only to love beautiful, healthy, and productive people. Ignorantly they don't seem to realize that they were not exactly without cost or trouble to raise when they were children. I'm certain that the sum happiness and suffering of his parents were often challenged when Dawkins was a young child!
The bottom line is that in I John 4:7-9  God has said  " Beloved, let us love one another: for love is of God; and every one that loveth is born of God, and knoweth God. He that loveth not knoweth not God; for God is love, In this was manifested the love of God toward us, because that God sent his only begotton Son into the world, that we might live through him." God is Love and to hate God is to never know genuine love. A love that gives, serves, and sacrifices. Someone put it so simple that even an atheist could understand it " No God = No Love, Know God = Know Love."

DO or DONE!

Why are there so many religions in the world? This question is often asked by those who are truly perplexed by so many voices in the world saying " this is the way". Jesus said in John 14:6 " I am the way, the truth, and the life: no man cometh unto the Father, but by me". Jesus discards every other religion in the entire world. How could the Lord Jesus make such a sweeping statement? Because the reality is that there are only TWO choices when it comes to how a man can get right with the God of  Creation. Not that there are two different ways to get right with God but, that it all boils down to either God's way or mans attempt that will only lead to Hell. The bible introduces this truth as early as Genesis 4. Cain and his brother Abel brought offerings to God. Cain brought the labor of his own hands. His sweat. His blood. His tears. What he could do. God did not want his works so it was rejected. Abel on the other hand brought an offering of the flock. A blood sacrifice. As the lamb was offered up for Abel's sins God was well pleased. Abel offered up a substitute in his place.
All the religions of the world can be divided into these two groups. DO or DONE.  Every other religion in the world is centered on what man does. Some teach that what you eat will affect your relationship with God- what you do. Jesus said in Matt. 15:10-20 it is not what enters the mouth which defiles a man but it is what comes from his heart that defiles him. Some say where you worship God is what really matters. Jesus said in John 4:19-23 it is not where you worship but who you worship. And on and on the do's go. The truth is no matter what you or I do we can NEVER erase one single sin. The only ONE who can take away our sin is the Lord Jesus Christ. John records in John1:29 that when John the Baptist saw Jesus he said "...Behold the Lamb of God, which taketh away the sin of the world".  2 Cor. 5:21 says " For he hath made him to be sin for us, who knew no sin; that we might be made the righteousness of God in him." And again in 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". God did not give His only begotten Son so you could go your own way and try to save yourself through what you could do! If you could save yourself by what you did  God would have sent his Son in vain (Gal 2:21). When Jesus died on the cross for your sins he said in John 20:30 " It is Finished". It was! It is! Trust in Jesus and in Him alone for your salvation. The work is done.