God of gods

Fallen! Fallen! Turn to Christ!

Biblically-Anemic Preaching: The Devastating Consequences of a Watered-Down Message

by John MacArthur


Those who are familiar with my ministry know that I am committed to expository preaching. It is my unshakable conviction that the proclamation of God’s Word should always be the heart and the focus of the church’s ministry (2 Tim. 4:2). And proper biblical preaching should be systematic, expositional, theological, and God-centered.


Such preaching is in short supply these days. There are plenty of gifted communicators in the modern evangelical movement, but today’s sermons tend to be short, shallow, topical homilies that massage people’s egos and focus on fairly insipid subjects like human relationships, "successful" living, emotional issues, and other practical but worldly—and not definitively biblical—themes. These messages are lightweight and without substance, cheap and synthetic, leaving little more than an ephemeral impression on the minds of the hearers.


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The Divine Light

A sense of the beauty of Christ is the beginning of true saving faith in the life of a true convert. This is quite different from any vague feeling that Christ loves him or died for him. These sort of fuzzy feelings can cause a sort of love and joy, because the person feels a gratitude for escaping the punishment of their sin. In actual fact, these feelings are based on self-love, and not on a love for Christ at all. It is a sad thing that so many people are deluded by this false faith. On the other hand, a glimpse of the glory of God in the face of Jesus Christ causes in the heart a supreme genuine love for God. This is because the divine light shows the excellent loveliness of God's nature. A love based on this is far, far above anything coming from self-love, which demons can have as well as men. The true love of God which comes from this sight of His beauty causes a spiritual and holy joy in the soul; a joy in God, and exulting in Him. There is no rejoicing in ourselves, but rather in God alone.

The sight of the beauty of divine things will cause true desires after the things of God. These desires are different from the longings of demons, which happen because the demons know their doom awaits them, and they wish it could somehow be otherwise. The desires that come from this sight of Christ's beauty are natural free desires, like a baby desiring milk. Because these desires are so different from their counterfeits, they help to distinguish genuine experiences of God's grace from the false.
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An excerpt from a sermon originally titled 'True Grace Distinguished from the Experience of Devils' by Jonathan Edwards, 1752.

From Puritansermons

Jesus in a wafer?!?

"...We are not to dream of such a presence of Christ in the sacrament as the artifices of the Romish court have imagined, as if the body of Christ, locally present, were to be taken into the hand, and chewed by the teeth, and swallowed by the throat... Paul, in the Epistle to the Romans,( 8: 9-1l,) shows that the only way in which Christ dwells in us is by his Spirit. By this, however, he does not take away that communion of flesh and blood of which we now speak, but shows that it is owing to the Spirit alone that we possess Christ wholly, and have him abiding in us."
John Calvin

Paul Washer - This is War

HT - Truth Matters

They were not carried to heaven on beds of ease!

(Charles Spurgeon)



"Woe is me--that I dwell among these scoundrels of Meshech! It pains me to live with these people from Kedar!" Psalm 120:5

As a Christian, you have to live in the midst of an ungodly world, and it is of little use for you to cry, "Woe is me!"

Jesus did not pray, "O that you should be taken out of the world!" And what He did not pray for--you need not desire! Better far in the Lord's strength--to meet the difficulty, and glorify Him in it.

The enemy is ever on the watch to detect inconsistency in your conduct; be therefore very holy. Remember that the eyes of all are upon you--and that more is expected from you, than from others! Strive to give no occasion for blame. Like Daniel, let your godliness and piety be the only faults which they can discover in you.

Seek to be useful--as well as consistent. Perhaps you think, "If I were in a more favorable position, I might be able to serve the Lord's cause. But I cannot do any good where I am!" But the worse the people are among whom you live--the more need they have of your exertions! If they are crooked--the more necessity that you should set them straight! If they are perverse--the more need have you to turn their proud hearts to the truth. Where should the physician be--but where there are many sick? Where is honor to be won by the soldier--but in the hottest fire of the battle?

When weary of the strife and sin which meets you on every hand--consider that all the saints have endured the same trial! They were not carried to heaven on beds of ease!--and you must not expect to travel more easily than they! They had to hazard their lives unto the death, in the midst of the battlefield--and you will not be crowned--until you also have endured hardship as a good soldier of Jesus Christ. Therefore, "Be courageous! Be strong!" 1 Corinthians 16:13

Nothing but the Truth

John MacArthur

God never intended His people to worship Him apart from the use of their minds. Real spirituality begins with a precise understanding of truth. Yet I see much of contemporary Christianity heading down the paths of mystical experience and fantasy.

I am fearful that this type of mindset is just one example of how the church has fallen victim to the New Age Movement, a thinly veiled form of Hindu mysticism. It is belief in everything, and a belief in nothing-with no distinction between reality and fantasy.

Much of the professing church is in perfect harmony with the New Age movement's spirit of anti-intellectualism. For example, the Roman Catholic Church emphasizes ritual-a mechanical anti-intellectualism in which mystical ceremony replaces intelligent worship. Here Scripture becomes subservient to the church.

read on here...

A.A. exposed...

I attended a couple of A.A. meetings in the past at the invitation of an alcoholic who professed Christ. It wasn't too long into the meeting that I began to feel uncomfortable. This generic 'god of your understanding' they profess stirred anger within. After the meeting, I tried to explain to this woman who invited me how broad and universal this 'god' was; certainly not the God of the Bible. That was a few years ago...sadly, this woman is battling multiple addictions; she's rejected Christ and lives in bondage to homosexuality.
I received the link to this article from John Lanagan that really 'hits the nail on the head' when it comes to exposing A.A. I encourage you to read and share...

C.S. Lewis warned against A.A. cofounders' spiritualism

by John Lanagan

…holding to a form of godliness although they have denied its power; avoid such men as these. (2 Timothy 3:5)

Increasingly, we see a false repentance to a false god. It is like watching the pieces of an unholy puzzle being assembled. The goddess worship of The Shack, Emergence/homosexuality (homospirituality), contemplative practices, and the 12 Steps are all joining together as the rudimentary “roots” of something even bigger. While it may also have Rome, this coming system will have neither the Biblical Christ nor His followers.

Many have difficulty recognizing Alcoholics Anonymous’ 12 Step spirituality as anti-Biblical, much less as a rudimentary cog in this rising apostasy. Why? Sadly, with time and familiarity, even a wolf can masquerade as the family dog.

The 12 Steps are an integral part of our culture. For years Christians have participated in A.A. and “Christ-centered” 12 Step groups. This participation is increasing, as pastors ignore Scripture and allow A.A. meetings to be conducted in the very House of God.


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Wake Up!!!

Shhh! Do you hear them?

Posted on April 18, 2009 by mywordlikefire

Those chittering, gibbering things? Well, you don’t need to hear them. You have your Bible. Of course all this was going to happen.

Now the Spirit speaketh expressly, that in the latter times some shall depart from the faith, giving heed to seducing spirits, and doctrines of devils. (1 Timothy 4:1)

Emergence/Homosexuality (homospirituality), contemplative practices, The Father-goddess of The Shack/Mary worship, and the 12 Step religious system are all coming together. All this and more.

Unholy doctrine is being boldly pronounced.

Goddess worship has been introduced into the church through theology disguised as a novel called The Shack.

Sixty percent of the church thinks the Holy Spirit is only symbolic, and sixty percent do not believe Satan is real.

So what should we do? Wring our hands? Lose hope? No! Do your jobs!

If He has placed you on the wall, keep your eyes open, and warn and warn and warn. If he has you mopping the floor of the church bathroom, then mop with all your might.

The time for doing what we want is over.

Pray, all you saints. Holy is our God. Holy is our King.

Why do the heathen rage, and the people imagine a vain thing? The kings of the earth set themselves, and the rulers take counsel together, against the Lord, against his anointed, saying, Let us break their bands asunder, and cast away their cords from us.

He that sitteth in the heavens shall laugh: the Lord shall have them in derision. (Psalm 2:1-4)

The truth about the birth of the Roman Catholic Church

Time and time again I've run into devout Roman Catholics who insist Peter was the first pope {even though the office of popery isn't found anywhere in scripture!}. They also claim the 'church' referenced to in the bible is fact the Roman Catholic Church {they have selective hearing, for when the truth of what the word 'church' means is given, they act as if they didn't hear}. I found this short, concise post at Christianresearchnetwork.com and thought it was worth posting...

"Let us learn what history has to say. Before the year 590 AD, with the ascension of Gregory the First, there was no centralized Roman authority. It was not until the tenth century, when the eastern and western churches split, that there was anything known as the Roman Catholic Church—tenth century of the Christian Era—a thousand years after the fact." (Roman Catholicism—Peter the Rock, Church Tradition and the Bible, CD Rom, available from Walter Martin’s Religious InfoNet)

Dr. Walter Martin

Declaring War on the 'Sinner's Prayer'

HT---Truth Matters

Bored to tears

“If your heart takes more pleasure in reading novels, or watching TV, or going to the movies, or talking to friends, rather than just sitting alone with God and embracing Him, sharing His cares and His burdens, weeping and rejoicing with Him, then how are you going to handle forever and ever in His presence...? You'd be bored to tears in heaven, if you're not ecstatic about God now!” -Keith Green

JUDGMENT

I originally found this at defcon and had to share it with you. This is a MUST watch for everyone who professes Christ...

The Apathy of the Modern Church

C.H. Spurgeon - Oh The Atrocity!

"O Lord, we are covered with shame--because we have sinned against You!" Daniel 9:8

A deep sense and clear sight of sin--its heinousness, and the punishment which it deserves--should make us lie low before God's throne. As Christians--we have sinned! Alas! that it should be so. Favored as we have been--we have yet been ungrateful. Privileged beyond most--we have not brought forth fruit in proportion. What Christian is there--who will not blush when he looks back upon his past sins?
Oh, the atrocity of the sin of a pardoned soul! An unpardoned sinner sins cheaply--when compared with the sin of one of God's own elect ones, who has had communion with Christ and leaned his head upon Jesus' bosom.

Alas! these sins of ours would consign us to the place of inextinguishable fire--if it were not for the sovereign mercy which has made us to differ, snatching us like brands from the burning! My soul, bow down under a sense of your natural sinfulness, and worship your God. Admire . . .
the grace which saves you;
the mercy which spares you;
the love which pardons you!



gracegems

The increase in the birth pains...

I frequent bible prophecy's site and always find something worthy to read. Today was no exception; I feel compelled to share this article from Nathan Jones with you.

Overwhelmed by the Pace


By Nathan Jones

Today I feel most overwhelmed. Every day I sit down and scour world events for signs of the soon return of Jesus Christ. Some days, I have to pick through dozens of articles and stories to find just one happening that has prophetic significance. But, not today. Today every rock I pick up is a gold nugget. Every story I begin reading screams about the soon return of Jesus Christ.

From a great falling away from the faith (2 Tim. 4:3), to the siding of the United States with Islam against Israel and God (Rev. 19:19), to a consuming apostasy in the Church (Rev. 3:14-22), to Israel's fight for its very survival (Ps. 83; Ezek. 38-39), to prolific natural disasters (Matt. 24:6), to the ongoing formation of a one-world government whose leader someday will be called "The Antichrist" (Rev. 13:7) — Bible prophecy is being fulfilled at a fast and furious pace. It is all simply overwhelming.

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Following Hard after God!!!

Written by A.W. Tozer

How tragic that we in this dark day have had our seeking done for us by our teachers. Everything is made to center upon the initial act of "accepting" Christ (a term, incidentally, which is not found in the Bible) and we are not expected thereafter to crave any further revelation of God to our souls. We have been snared in the coils of a spurious logic which insists that if we have found Him, we need no more seek Him. In the midst of this great chill there are some, I rejoice to acknowledge, who will not be content with shallow logic. They will admit the force of the argument, and then turn away with tears to hunt some lonely place and pray. "Oh God, show me Thy glory." They want to taste, to touch with their hearts, to see with their inner eyes the wonder that is God. I want deliberately to encourage this mighty longing after God. The lack of it has brought us to our present low estate. The stiff and wooden quality about our religious lives is a result of our lack of holy desire. Complacency is a deadly foe of all spiritual growth. Acute desire must be present or there will be no manifestation of Christ to His people. He waits to be wanted. Too bad that with many of us He waits so long, so very long in vain. Every age has its own characteristics. Right now we are in an age of religious complexity. The simplicity which is in Christ is rarely found among us. In its stead are programs, methods, organizations and a world of nervous activities which occupy time and attention but can never satisfy the longing of the heart. The shallowness of our inner experience, the hollowness of our worship, and that servile imitation of the world which marks our promotional methods all testify that we, in this day, know God only imperfectly, and the peace of God scarcely at all. If we would find God amid all the religious externals, we must first determine to find Him and then proceed in the way of simplicity. Now, as always, God reveals Himself to "babes" and hides Himself in thick darkness from the wise and the prudent. We must simplify our approach to Him. We must strip down to essentials (and they will be found to be blessedly few). We must put away all effort to impress, and come with the guileless candor of childhood. If we do this, without doubt, God will quickly respond. We need not fear that in seeking God only we narrow our lives or restrict the motions of our expanding hearts. The opposite is true. We can well afford to make God our All, to concentrate, to sacrifice the many for the One. The man who has God for his treasure has all things in One. Many ordinary treasures may be denied him, or if he is allowed to have them, the enjoyment of them will be so tempered that they will never be necessary to his happiness. Or if he must see them go, one after one, he will scarcely feel a sense of loss, for having the source of all things he has in One all satisfaction, all pleasure, all delight. Whatever he may lose he has actually lost nothing, for he now has it all in One, and he has it purely, legitimately and forever. by A. W. Tozer "The Pursuit of God" www.watchword.org/

All men are born evil - Paul Washer

He Humbled Himself

"He humbled Himself." Philippians 2:8

Jesus is the great teacher of 'humility of heart'. We need daily to learn of Him. See the Master taking a towel and washing His disciples feet! Follower of Christ--will you not humble yourself? See Him as the Servant of servants--and surely you cannot be proud! Is not this sentence the compendium of His biography, "He humbled Himself"? Was He not on earth, always stripping off first one robe of honor and then another--until, naked, He was fastened to the cross; and there did He not empty out His inmost self, pouring out His life-blood, giving up for all of us, until they laid Him penniless in a borrowed grave?

How low was our dear Redeemer brought! How then can we be proud?

Stand at the foot of the cross, and count the purple drops by which you have been cleansed. See His thorn-crown; mark His scourged shoulders, still gushing with encrimsoned rills; see His hands and feet given up to the rough iron spikes, and His whole self to mockery and scorn; see the bitterness, and the pangs, and the throes of inward grief, showing themselves in His outward frame; hear the horrid shriek, "My God, my God, why have You forsaken Me!"

If you do not lie prostrate on the ground before that cross--you have never seen it! If you are not humbled in the presence of Jesus--you do not know Him. You were so lost that nothing could save you--but the sacrifice of God's only begotten Son. Think of that, and as Jesus stooped for you--bow yourself in humility at His feet.

A sense of Christ's amazing love to us--has a greater tendency to humble us, than even a consciousness of our own guilt. May the Lord bring us in contemplation, to Calvary. Then our position will no longer be that of pompous pride--but we shall take the humble place of one who loves much--because much has been forgiven him. Pride cannot live beneath the cross! Let us sit there and learn our lesson--and then rise and carry it into practice!

C.H. Spurgeon

gracegems

John MacArthur - The Final Verdict from the Fickle Judge (#3 of 3)

Be reconciled to God!

I am bothered by a phrase that has become such a cliché in the Christian community, yet, it is NOT found anywhere in scripture. The phrase is ‘I have a personal relationship with Jesus Christ’. Nowhere in scripture does the Lord Jesus Christ command us to have a personal relationship with Him.
The word ‘relationship’ is defined as ‘a state of connectedness between people (especially an emotional connection)'. To be reconciled to a Holy God is more than a mere ‘emotional connection’. It involves a transformed life, a complete change from the inside out. This is not at all like any relationship known to man.
I do not find in scripture where Christ commands us to have a relationship with Him; we should desire to know this amazing God who saves, we should desire a certain intimacy with Him; but we must not confuse human terminology with what the Bible actually says…’be reconciled to God’. Below are passages concerning reconciliation…

“And all things are of God, who hath reconciled us to himself by Jesus Christ, and hath given to us the ministry of reconciliation; To wit, that God was in Christ, reconciling the world unto himself, not imputing their trespasses unto them; and hath committed unto us the word of reconciliation. Now then we are ambassadors for Christ, as though God did beseech you by us: we pray you in Christ's stead, be ye reconciled to God”-2nd Corinthians 5:18-20

The definitions of 'reconcile' and 'favour' are...
Reconcile- Greek katallassō-return to favour with, be reconciled to one, to receive one into favour. From the root word allassō-to change, to exchange one thing for another, to transform.
Favour – Greek charis-good will, loving-kindness, favour-of the merciful kindness by which God, exerting his holy influence upon souls, turns them to Christ, keeps, strengthens, increases them in Christian faith, knowledge, affection, and kindles them to the exercise of the Christian virtues. {from blueletterbible.org}

Notice what the Apostle Paul states in verse 18, ‘hath given to us a ministry of reconciliation’; verse 19, ‘hath committed unto us the word of reconciliation’. The message of the cross is one of being reconciled to a Holy God through His Son. It isn’t a call for a ‘relationship’, as if Christ was our bff! We must not forget, God is exalted high above His creation, He is worthy of all glory and honor. We dare not lessen His sovereignty by using human terminology when referring to our being reconciled to Him. The Apostle Paul urges lost sinners to be reconciled, or returned to favour with, or get in right standing with a Holy God. He doesn’t encourage us to have a relationship, connection or experience with the Lord of all creation. Paul implores, encourages, beseeches those who are lost in sin to get in right standing with the Ancient of Days. By using ‘relationship’, which is human terminology, we ‘cheapen’ the reverence due a Sovereign God. We must bow the head and the knee to the Creator of all things; let’s not lose sight of who is deserving of our approaching the throne of grace with humility as well as boldness. Those who have been saved by His grace are now in right standing with the God of the universe; those in darkness must be urged by us to be reconciled to Almighty God. May we not lessen the severity of sin and the separation it causes, may we proclaim God’s truth as it is written!

Just when you thought it could not get any worse...

This is from Ken Silva at Apprising Ministries. May we all be encouraged by it to boldly proclaim God's truth in love...

Homosexual ”Ministers” Advocating Slaughter Of Unborn Children Is Of A Depraved Mind

A while back in his sermon A Nation Abandoned by God Dr. John MacArthur spoke prophetically when he rightly stated, “America is here going through the cycle of Romans 1.” And he then asks the all-important question:

What do you have to pray for? You have to pray for the Word of the living God to be proclaimed across this nation. And if it’s not being proclaimed in churches, it’s not going to be proclaimed anywhere else. This is not a time for weak men in weak ministries preaching weak messages. This is a time to call on God to raise up a generation of passionate faithful gracious loving preachers of the Word so that a nation can listen to God. That’s the answer. (Online source)

But tragically what we have in this sad, and pathetic, story from LifeSiteNews.com is the polar opposite. Weak-willed women preaching even weaker messages to even more deceived dupes:

Katherine Hancock Ragsdale, an openly lesbian minister in the American Episcopal Church, has caused a stir on the internet with a sermon, posted to her weblog, in which she called abortion a “blessing” and called for the suppression of rights of conscience for health care workers. In her sermon, titled, “Our Work is Not Done,” she wrote that there should be no restrictions whatever on abortion: “If we were to find that, while we were here, Congress had acted to insure that abortion would always be legal, that would be a very good thing; but our work would not be done.” …

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Jesus Christ Is At The Gate, Are You Awake? from watcherslamp

THIS IS A WAKE UP CALL TO HEED, FROM WATCHERSLAMP

Mark 13

28"From the fig tree learn its lesson: as soon as its branch becomes tender and puts out its leaves, you know that summer is near. 29So also, when you see these things taking place, you know that He is near, at the very gates. 30 Truly, I say to you, this generation will not pass away until all these things take place. 31 Heaven and earth will pass away, but my words will not pass away. No One Knows That Day or Hour 32"But concerning that day or that hour, no one knows, not even the angels in heaven, nor the Son, but only the Father.

33 Be on guard, keep awake. For you do not know when the time will come. 34 It is like a man going on a journey, when he leaves home and puts his servants in charge, each with his work, and commands the doorkeeper to stay awake. 35 Therefore stay awake—for you do not know when the master of the house will come, in the evening, or at midnight, or when the rooster crows, or in the morning— 36lest he come suddenly and find you asleep. 37And what I say to you I say to all: Stay awake."

"With His stripes we are healed"

Pilate delivered our Lord to the lictors to be scourged. This Roman scourging was a most dreadful instrument of torture. It was made of the sinews of oxen, and sharp bones were inter-twisted among the sinews; so that every time the lash came down--these pieces of bone inflicted fearful laceration, and tore off the flesh from the victim. The Savior was, no doubt, bound to the pillar, and thus beaten. He had been beaten before; but this scourging of the Roman lictors--was probably the most severe of His flagellations.

My soul, stand here and weep over His poor stricken body. Believer in Jesus, can you gaze upon Him without tears--as He stands before you--the picture of agonizing love? He is at once as white as the lily for innocence, and as red as the rose with the crimson of His own blood. As we feel the sure and blessed healing which His stripes have wrought in us--does not our heart melt at once with love and grief? If ever we have loved our Lord Jesus--surely we must feel that affection glowing now within our bosoms!

We would sincerely go to our chambers and weep! We pray our Beloved to print the image of His bleeding self--upon the tablets of our hearts--and sorrow that our sin should have cost Him so dear!

C.H. Spurgeon from grace gems

Biblical Womanhood-pt. 2 of 8 with Voddie Baucham

Revival Hymn

I visited Paul Washer's Heartcry site, and listened to this 'revival hymn'. I will share a quote from this which states, 'If Christ were to return, He would not cleanse the temple, He would cleanse the pulpit'.
I cannot express in words what I heard and felt as I listened. I recommend this to all who desire to serve Him.
To download and listen, click here....

Or, if you prefer, you can watch.

Biblical Womanhood-pt. 1 of 8 with Voddie Baucham