Are You A Bruised Reed?

I’ve heard some people say with horror in their voice, “Whatever you do, don’t pray for God to do His Will in your life or something horrible will happen to you!”  And they really believe it!  I was totally shocked as I thought that they would know more about the Lord then I did since they’d been saved so much longer.  Sadly though, they didn’t understand Him at all.  This is our Lord and Savior we’re talking about.  Do you really think He would do something horrible to you? He is the one who gave His life for us.  He’s the one who told us that if we were weary or burdened to come to Him because He would give us rest! (Matthew 11:28–30)

In describing Him, Isaiah says, —He will not shout or cry out, or raise his voice in the streets. *A bruised reed he will not break, and a smoldering wick he will not snuff out. In faithfulness he will bring forth justice; (Isaiah 42:2–3) This isn’t speaking of a literal reed that He might have seen laying in the street, or a lamp about to go out.  Isaiah is speaking of people here.  He’s speaking of people who are heart broken, scared, and who’s spirits are fragile and weak because they’ve been betrayed and hurt. He’s speaking about a person who trembles with fear when they hear a raised voice. We’re told that Jesus won’t alarm or hurt these people, but instead will nurture and restore them to strength and health. Not only that, but it assures us that He will do so softly, gently, tenderly, with love.

Does this sound like the kind of God who would do something horrible to you?  But you may say this is true, but what about the Father?  Jesus tells Philip in John 14 that if we have seen Him, then we’ve seen the Father. What He’s actually saying is that if we know Him, then we really know the Father too because He and the Father are one.  The Father doesn’t act any differently than He does.  Remember how often Jesus tells us that everything He says and does are because the Father has told Him to? Jesus was showing us what the Father is like.  Therefore if Jesus wouldn’t break a bruised reed, neither will the Father.

This is our God who came to bind up the broken hearted, to set prisoners free.  Let’s read the rest of the verse from Matthew 11:28–30 I spoke of earlier —“Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest. *Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. *For my yoke is easy and my burden is light.” *  How often are we told and shown how He searches for the lost to help them, how He binds up our wounds, and heals us, how He carries us close to His heart?  Recall the times He’s wept over people’s suffering and helped and comforted them; the times that instead of thinking of His own needs, He spent His time caring for the needs of others. Recall the bruised reed of the woman who was brought before Him, condemned.  Did He do something awful to her?  No, He set her free physically and spiritually too by forgiving her sins and telling her to go and sin no more.  He didn’t come and tell us to love others, even our enemies and not do it Himself.  All He commands of us, He also showed us by His life how to do.  This is our God my friends, and His plans for us are plans to prosper us, not to harm us, plans to give us hope and a future!  (Jeremiah 29:11)

But what about all the verses that talk about Him destroying His enemies and things like that?  That is easy to understand if you think for just a moment about it.  We aren’t His enemies any longer, we’re His children!  Yes, He will destroy His enemies one day soon, but for His children He says there is no condemnation for us and that He will save us and keep us from that time of wrath.  Romans tells us that because we’ve been justified by His blood, we will certainly be saved from God’s wrath through Jesus.  The wrath of God will be coming against all godlessness, and we have been declared righteous, so have no need to worry about that. In 1 Thessalonians we’re told outright again that Jesus rescues us from the coming wrath and that we were appointed to receive salvation, not His wrath.

I pray that all of this has shown us that our God is a God a love and that as His children we need never fear Him or fear what He will do.  Yes, He will stretch us beyond our comfort zones at times to encourage our growth, but no more then a good parent does with their children when encouraging them to do something the parent knows they’re capable of even though the child is concerned they’ll fail, and the good parent never harms the child or pushes them so hard as to make them fearful!  Of course, earthly parents aren’t perfect and we do make mistakes; but God is perfect and He never makes mistakes or misjudges anything or anyone.  We really can trust Him!  Having said we need never fear Him, I should also say that by that I’m not saying we shouldn’t feel a reverential awe of Him and a desire to please Him, which is what the “fear of the Lord” is referring to when it says that the “fear of the Lord is the beginning of knowledge”.

So let us praise God with Psalm 103, rejoicing in the God who loves us and doesn’t treat us as our sins deserve!  May His Will always be done in my life!  Thank You Lord!

Unbelieving pastors?

Unbelieving pastors?

NASHVILLE, Tenn. — A study by Tufts University has called attention to the presence of Protestant pastors who do not believe what they preach, something the authors describe as a nearly "invisible phenomenon" of "unbelieving clergy."

Ambiguity regarding who is a believer in Jesus and who is a nonbeliever, the report said, is a result of the pluralism that has been fostered by many religious leaders for at least a century.

"God is many different things to different people, and since we can't know if one of these conceptions is the right one, we should honor them all," the authors wrote in summarizing the pluralistic view.

Rather than relying on statistical evidence to point to a conclusion, the study employs anecdotal stories of five ministers whose identities have been obscured. Even the authors admit they couldn't draw any reliable generalizations from such a small sample of clergy, but what they found, they said, does deserve a closer look.

One pastor, a Methodist, said he no longer believes that God exists, but his church members do not know that he is an atheist. Most of them, he said, don't even believe Jesus literally rose from the dead or literally was born of a virgin.

Another pastor, from the United Church of Christ, said he didn't even believe in the doctrinal content of the Christian faith at the beginning of his ministry, but he continues to preach as if he believes because it's the way of life he knows.

A Presbyterian pastor in the study said he remains in ministry largely for financial reasons and acknowledged that if he were to make known that he rejects most tenets of the Christian faith he would obliterate his "ability to earn a living this way."

A Church of Christ pastor explained how he continues to lead his church despite losing all theological confidence.

"Here's how I'm handling my job on Sunday mornings: I see it as play acting. I see myself as taking on the role of a believer in a worship service, and performing," the pastor said.

He describes himself as an atheistic agnostic and said he still needs the ministerial job and no longer believes hypocrisy is wrong.

A Southern Baptist pastor included in the study said he was attracted to Christianity as a religion of love and now has become an atheist. If someone would offer him $200,000, he said, he'd leave the ministry right away.

...."If they will not remove themselves from the ministry, they must be removed. If they lack the integrity to resign their pulpits, the churches must muster the integrity to eject them," Mohler wrote at albertmohler.com. "If they will not 'out' themselves, it is the duty of faithful Christians to 'out' them. The caterpillars are hard at work. Will it take a report from an atheist to awaken the church to the danger?..

more

http://www.bpnews.net/32843

 

Preachers Who Don't Believe - The Scandal of Apostate Pastors

Are there clergy who don't believe in God? That is the question posed by a new report that is certain to receive considerable attention - and rightly so. Few church members are likely to be disinterested in whether their pastor believes in God.

The study was conducted by the Center for Cognitive Studies at Tufts University, under the direction of Daniel C. Dennett and Linda LaScola. Dennett, of course, is one of the primary figures in the "New Atheism" - the newly aggressive and influential atheist movement that has gained a considerable hearing among the intellectual elites and the media.....

Interestingly, Dennett also proposes a new interpretation of theological liberalism. Noting that many modern people claim to be Christians while holding to virtually no specific theological content, Dennett suggests that their mode of faith should not be described as "belief," but rather as "believing in belief."

Given Dennett's own atheistic agenda, we can rightly assume that he would be thrilled to see Christian ministers and believers abandon the faith. Indeed, the New Atheists have made this a stated aim. Thus, this new research report, "Preachers Who Are Not Believers," should be read within that framework. Nevertheless, it must be read. This report demands the attention of anyone concerned with the integrity of the Christian church and the Christian faith.

Dennett and LaScola undertook their project with the goal of looking for unbelieving pastors and ministers who continue to serve their churches in "secret disbelief." Their "small and self-selected" sample of ministers represents a microcosm of the theological collapse at the heart of many churches and denominations.

In their report, Dennett and LaScola present case studies of five unbelieving ministers, three from liberal denominations ("the liberals") and two from conservative denominations ("the literals").

Wes, a Methodist, lost his confidence in the Bible while attending a liberal Christian college and seminary..........

........Rick, a campus minister for the United Church of Christ, perhaps the most liberal Protestant denomination, was an agnostic in college and seems to have lost all belief by the time he graduated from seminary.............

........He doesn't like to call himself an atheist, but: "If not believing in a supernatural, theistic god is what distinguishes an atheist, then I am one too."

Darryl is a Presbyterian who sees himself as a "progressive-minded" pastor who wants to see his kind of non-doctrinal Christianity "given validity in some way." He acknowledges that he is more a pantheist than a theist, and thinks that many of the more educated members of his church hold to the same liberal beliefs as his own. And those beliefs (or unbeliefs) are stated clearly: "I reject the virgin birth. I reject substitutionary atonement. I reject the divinity of Jesus. I reject heaven and hell in the traditional sense, and I am not alone."

Amazingly, Darryl is candid about the fact that he remains in the ministry largely for financial reasons. It is how he provides for his family. If he openly espoused his beliefs, "I may be burning bridges in terms of my ability to earn a living this way."

Adam ministers in the Church of Christ, a conservative denomination. After years in the ministry, he began to lose all theological confidence. After reading a series of books, he became convinced that the atheists have better arguments than believers. He has moved fully into an atheist mode, yet he continues to lead his church in worship. How? "Here's how I'm handling my job on Sunday mornings: I see it as play acting. I see myself as taking on the role of a believer in a worship service, and performing."........

.......John is identified as a Southern Baptist minister who has primarily served as a worship leader......

.....He is clearly not being honest with his church members. He rejects all belief in God and all Christian truth claims out of hand. He is a determined atheist. Once again, this unbelieving minister admits that he stays in the ministry because of finances....

.....Early in their report, Dennett and LaScola point to a problem of definition. Many churches and denominations have adopted such fluid and doctrineless identities that determining who is a believer and who is an unbeliever has become difficult. Their statement deserves a close reading:

The ambiguity about who is a believer and who is an unbeliever follows inexorably from the pluralism that has been assiduously fostered by many religious leaders for a century and more: God is many different things to different people, and since we can't know if one of these conceptions is the right one, we should honor them all. This counsel of tolerance creates a gentle fog that shrouds the question of belief in God in so much indeterminacy that if asked whether they believed in God, many people could sincerely say that they don't know what they are being asked.

In other words, some theologians and denominations have embraced a theology so fluid and indeterminate that even an atheist cannot tell the believers and unbelievers apart.

"Preachers Who Are Not Believers" is a stunning and revealing report that lays bare a level of heresy, apostasy, and hypocrisy that staggers the mind.

more

http://www.christianpost.com/news/preachers-who-don-t-believe-the-scandal-of-apostate-pastors-44391/

 

This next one really blew me away and shows why we’re having the problems in our churches that we’re having:

Priests Who Teach the Difference

“Moreover, they shall teach My people the difference between the holy and the profane, and cause them to discern between the unclean and the clean.” (Ezekiel 44:23)

In Ezekiel 41-43 God provides the specifications for what will be the construction of the perfect Temple which all the former earthly iterations were only a veiled copy. All the previous ones were desecrated or misused in some way, but the final one will not give rise to those imperfections brought about by human frailty and failure to keep the whole of God’s Word concerning service to the One True God. In the latter half of Ezekiel 44 is described what will be the equally perfect service of the Levitical priests who serve directly in God’s very sanctuary before His very presence. But in addition there are some requirements pertaining to their responsibilities to the people as well. I cannot help but wonder that if every member of the New Testament church is now designated a priest (1 Pe. 2:5) if this might also be alluding to something we are supposed to do. I would argue in earnest that in fact this is something once common in the church which has all but disappeared today: teaching “the difference between the holy and the profane” and “the clean and unclean”.

One of the advantages of no longer teaching how to distinguish between “the holy and the profane” or “the clean and the unclean” is never having to justify why something biblically “profane” or “unclean” has been allowed to enter and take root in one’s church. Such distinctions require putting something under the scrutiny of God’s Word and closely examining the kind of spiritual fruit produced. This is why there is so often a strong connection between the dilution or even disappearance of the Bible from the pulpit and the rest of a church’s activities embracing worldly approaches in place of biblical ones. If the Word is not taught, it is far less likely anyone will be equipped to contrast the “profane” or “unclean” practices which has been allowed entrance and even incorporation into what is called “church”.

This most commonly comes up when something is challenged as being “worldly” and the response provided, “What is wrong with making church relevant to the modern day?” There is a lack of knowledge of the definition of the biblical standard much less how to apply it, replaced by the new standard of how well something emulates and stimulates as close as possible the implementation of its earthly counterpart. So the lyrics are no longer important, only that the sound is polished and professional; the message from the pulpit cannot make anyone uncomfortable and must always be “positive” and “uplifting”; it is not possible to hold anyone accountable for sin because that is considered unloving and judgmental, even though by biblical standards it is so judged in the most extreme terms. Since there is no difference designated within the church proper “between the holy and the profane” or “the clean and the unclean”, why are we surprised when so-called believers cannot and do not make any such distinction in the course of everyday life?

And so goes all the polls and research confirming that there is no longer a statistical difference between “church-goers” and “non-church-goers” for any moral or spiritual issue that can be named. The divorce rate and attitude about divorce? No difference. The stance on homosexuality, sex, and even adultery? No difference. Abortion, euthanasia, or almost any health-related issue? Statistically the same. The majority claiming the label “Christian” are incapable of making the distinction between “the holy and the profane” as well as “the clean and the unclean” within the walls of the church, so why are we surprised they are equally incapable of effecting such differences when they leave for life outside in the real world?

But this leads to a situation in our church meetings which God takes to a whole other level. It begins by not being able to discern such differences but gives way to incorporating them in church activities to the point where things are not just “wrong”, but have the devastating opposite effect of the intended goal of worship.

“You shall say to the rebellious ones, to the house of Israel, ‘Thus says the Lord GOD, “Enough of all your abominations, O house of Israel, when you brought in foreigners, uncircumcised in heart and uncircumcised in flesh, to be in My sanctuary to profane it, even My house, when you offered My food, the fat and the blood; for they made My covenant void—this in addition to all your abominations. (Ezekiel 44:6-7)

God calls it “your abominations”. When people can no longer tell the difference it is not long until they adopt things which by God’s standards are unquestionably “profane” and/or “unclean”. First the standard is dropped of maintaining that everything must be biblically “holy” or “clean” and the doorway is therefore flung open to allowing entrance and permanent residence of things out-and-out “profane” or “unclean”. (This is really at the heart of the discussion when something is designated as being “Emergent”, “Ecumenical”, or “Purpose Driven”.) And I cannot help but notice that in this particular instance God associates the problem not just with the abominations themselves, but through whom they were allowed entrance, people “uncircumcised in heart and uncircumcised in flesh” — people who were not and are not His people in any way, shape, or form by biblical standards. This is what happens when we bring people in who are made members but are not actually saved.

I do not know the exact date or time it happened, but over the course of the past 30 or so years a complete reversal has occurred. Instead of church being a place of fellowship and discipleship, and the onus of reaching the unsaved remained upon each believer as they worked and lived in the everyday world, everything was redirected to bringing everyone to a single place for some kind of “one stop religious shop”. Instead of taking the Gospel out to the unsaved where they lived, church has been turned inside out so that it is supposed to be something that lures everyone in. Once upon a time an unsaved visitor to your church would be immersed in what it means when Christians worship and fellowship together in the Word and might actually be convicted that there was something in their own life not measuring up to what they witnessed in this gathering; today they are more likely not to be threatened with nor see any difference at all. What kind of evangelism is that?

“When the prince enters, he shall go in by way of the porch of the gate and go out by the same way. But when the people of the land come before the LORD at the appointed feasts, he who enters by way of the north gate to worship shall go out by way of the south gate. And he who enters by way of the south gate shall go out by way of the north gate. No one shall return by way of the gate by which he entered but shall go straight out. When they go in, the prince shall go in among them; and when they go out, he shall go out.” (Ezekiel 46:8-10)

In this description of God’s vision for a perfect implementation of worship, no one leaves His presence to go back out into the world by the same way they initially entered. It is alluding to God’s desire that His people do not come together simply as an insulation against the world, acting one way when in the world and another when gathered together in His presence, but are supposed to return not just changed but refusing to go back to the practices they came from. Biblical gatherings are supposed to be a source of strength for going out into the world and living according to God’s Word and ways and to instill in the participants the desire not to return to the same condition they came from. They are supposed to return to the world different, not the same as when they started out.

This theme of not returning to the old life, of not going back the way you came, is repeated in Scripture such as when God commanded the prophet sent to the northern kingdom of Israel not to “return by the way which you came”. (1 Ki. 13:9). The ultimate example is Egypt as the symbol of the old life to which no one should desire to return. Jesus repeatedly preached to those who came into personal contact with Him not to sin any more, to live a life changed from the heart and proven in the respective changes to one’s behavior.

This is why some of us today are so passionate in our reactions to church growth approaches, especially when making such “seeker sensitive”. It not only promotes activities completely opposite to the biblical standard, but give way to practices which are completely antithetical to God’s Word and ways. Such proponents commonly assert that to merely say one believes in Christ without actually leaving the desires and ways of the old life to exclusively pursue His is enough. Since they no longer make the distinction within their church between the earthly and the biblical, why should they make those distinctions when it comes to what one does when they leave such weekly meetings to return to the world? If there is no difference at church, why should there be any difference anywhere else?

If you are one of the few remaining Bible-believing, Christ-consumed believers in this present age, you have probably struggled at one time or another with the question of why so many people claim the label “Christian” but the polls clearly show this cannot possibly be the case. If the majority of those raising their hands were truly putting their faith and God’s Word into practice, most social problems would disappear overnight. There would be no “issue” over abortion, or access to pornography, or social injustice, or any number of moral dilemmas because that majority would be schooled in the difference between “the holy and the profane” and “the clean and the unclean” and demand such a standard be maintained in and out of the church.

I know that many Bible-believing Christians clearly see what is going on behind the major issues of our day in a general, prophetic sense, but for some reason do not grasp that the grass roots problem is not as much about the ignorance and evil we can always expect from the world, but that the church is no longer itself aware of the difference. We will never be able to successfully engage the world effectively until we face the fact that much of what is going on under the umbrella “church” is in fact biblically defined “abomination”. The sooner that the church returns to adhering to the standard of differentiating between “holy and profane” and “clean and unclean”, the sooner all those other issues will be materially impacted. I think we are going to have to become the priests who teach the difference.

posted with permission

http://moriel.org/MorielArchive/index.php/discernment/church-issues/priests-who-teach-the-difference

Divorced FROM Church?

Feeling alienated from Church? If so, you are NOT alone!

Divorced FROM Church?

By Eric Barger

Repulsed by Emergent thinking, liberal theology, endorsements of the book "The Shack," or the Purpose Driven and "Seeker" philosophies, many authentic believers are being confronted with one of the most unsettling situations a Christian will ever be confronted with. Since alarming numbers of once-trustworthy pulpits and leaders are trumpeting varieties of Emergent and other heresies, what is the dedicated Bible-believer to do? Should we stay or must we go? While God may call some to try to warn others and to initiate a return to orthodoxy within their local churches, many are faced with either accepting or putting up with error or with leaving.

A recurring painful theme I read in many emails each month is the plight of so many brothers and sisters who've been treated as theological outcasts due to their continued stand for God's truths. Often, the letters start out by saying "We've been members of the "so and so" church for 40 years but now we just stay home."

The fact is many saints have been disfellowshipped without a hearing and have been disenfranchised for simply believing the Bible. The crux of the issue is that the same sort of destruction that came upon the older "mainline" denominations 100-150 years ago is now being revisited on the Evangelicals of our day. It is literally Satan's redo of deceit as once-sound, Bible-believing churches, denominations and seminaries are being reduced to theological ruins by the likes of today's counterfeit versions of Christianity. As in at least one example below, many who write are also desperately concerned for family and friends who have been consumed by liberal or Emergent darkness.

I have been up since well before dawn this morning considering how just one email update would be able to hold all of the letters we've received concerning this troubling topic. Simply, it cannot. However, here below I have selected just a few with the common theme "Divorced FROM Church." Here below are several letters which reflect tragic and sometimes desperate situations that many in the Church are facing in our day. I know many of you can imagine that as we read and answer letters such as these, our hearts break for those writing. I constantly try and remind folks, though, that our solace is in knowing Him in a genuine and personal way. Also, with the predicted apostasy underway, maintaining orthodox, biblical thinking in these end-times takes fortitude and stamina that only the Holy Spirit can provide. To my reply letters I usually add, "hang in there!"

If the letters here are not descriptive of your church situations, thank God. But if these letters describe what is happening to you, take heart for you are not alone. Regardless, I do challenge each reader to examine through the prism of scripture what is being taught and what we are accepting. Ask questions. Be inquisitive and, yes, respectfully and biblically demand answers from those who seek to lead you. I also exhort each of us to speak up when Emergent heresy comes knocking at our church's door. If it hasn't yet, it eventually will.

* Not sure what the Emerging Church actually is? Check out the video clip from Eric's seminar teaching "The Errors of the Emergent Church." Click here for the section "What is the Emergent Church?"

Rob Bell and Deception

Eric,

I don't need or expect a response, but I just want to let you know I've already listened 3 times to Eric's presentations on CD from Jan Markell's Oct. conference. He is absolutely outstanding in his discernment messages and I'm ordering 2 extra sets of Cd's to circulate. Ten thousand people in my area go to Rob Bell's Mars Hill Emergent church, including my own precious son and family. People just don't understand what is going on & don't get it, which grieves me deeply. I seem to be arguing to brick walls! I personally taught music to Rob's kids. Middle C is always Middle C. I didn't deceive his children but he is deceiving mine and now my adorable grandson with his message of relativism and "What ifs?" He wasn't that way at 1st....he was an incredible, right on Bible teacher, so I encouraged my son to go there. The changes were slow and subtle and now many in this "Bible-belt" area are among those who have "fallen away and are following deceiving spirits and things taught by demons."

Thank you for your ministry...please don't ever give up! There are a "remnant" of us out there who need your teaching to help contend for the faith and to be effective watchmen on the wall.

In the Dust of our Rabbi,
M.G. (Michigan)

Click here to view slides pertaining to Rob Bell from Eric's presentation "The Errors of the Emergent Church."


Rick Warren on a Pedestal

Eric,

I heard you on Jan Markell - and I just wanted to tell you thank you so much! I have been unhappy with our church for some time - and I think it is because our pastor puts Rick Warren on a pedestal and he preaches political correctness and inclusiveness - is that part of the Emergent church? Your testimony was very touching thank you so much for sharing it! I will be praying for your ministry and coming back to your website!

S.W. (Georgia)

Thanks for your encouraging words!

As for the question you have about your Pastor, it's hard to say if he is Emergent but many evangelicals are falling into liberal theological traps because of Warren and also because of the pervading and deceptive pressure of political correctness we see all around us.

I have developed a quick resource to help identify the Emergent heresy inside of churches. It's not all inclusive in scope but the piece I am talking about is a good starting point when examining whether a church or teacher has fallen into the Emergent cesspool.

Find "How to Spot the Emergent Church" by clicking here. Also note that at the end of the article there is a link that leads to the same article formatted so you can print it, tri-fold it and give it out to anyone you wish.

God bless you!

Eric

Concerned Nazarene (Received January 14, 2010, at 5:47am from Facebook)

Eric,

I am "Concerned Nazarene", who recently left my home church of 5 years because it has become an apostate church, heavily teaching the characteristics of not only the Emergent Church hub, but all its little spokes, like "Kingdom Now", "Dominionism", and "Open Theism". My former pastor has deconstructed the Lord's Prayer to teach people that we are living in the Millennial Reign right here, right now, and he called it "On Earth, as it is in Heaven". You can hear this heresy for yourself at www.xxxxxxxxxnaz.org. His last sermon, on Jan 9th was a doozy!

Anyhow, we have about 200 people in our church, about a 50% decline from where we were three years ago. Nevertheless, God has given me this knowledge of the Emergent Church, I believe, so that I can "fight" against it.

I LOVED your video, it was very easy to listen to, and it touched on many of the key teachers, and characteristics.
I was wondering how I might obtain several copies of the DVD? Most of the people from my old church will not have any fellowship with me, but I still feel the urgency to keep them informed.

May the Lord keep you and bless you, and encourage you to keep fighting for the Truth of His Word! Know that you are prayed for often, and you are not alone in this fight!

A.H. (Ohio)

For more, see the menu "The Church of the Nazarene and the Emergent Church"


Reprimanded for Exposing "The Shack"

Eric.

I appreciate your site and study in areas that have caused confusion and that have mislead thousands, for instance the book "The Shack". I knew in my heart just from glancing at a few excerpts from that book there was something drastically wrong with the book. My Pastor has encouraged staff and other members of the church to read it saying if you want to serve God and make a difference the book can help you. I told my Pastor the book only made me to study harder to learn to teach against many things such as The Shack taught that I see the book The Shack as complete heresy and no born again believer ought to read it. I was reprimanded sharply and told to keep my mouth shut. So now I speak out all the more against such things as the shack and the so called emergent church. I see those as diabolical. Unfortunately now I no longer have a church to attend since many in my area are now becoming "seeker friendly" of which I say it is all garbage. It is a deep shame what is taught today as truth in many churches. Thanks again for your ministry.

A.F. (Connecticut)

Want more info on "The Shack"? Read here or view video clip from "The Death of Discernment" DVD here.


The "Self-Amputation" of the Church

What a blessing the Lord Jesus is! And I praise Him for your willingness to display His presence in your writing. I read your personal testimony and also your email response to the church member regarding the seminar on Purpose Driven Life and Purpose Driven Church. There is a sort of "Christian veneer" that does appeal to a world full of people who seek the convenient and comfortable, advertised and sold to them like a spiritual "product necessity". Looking for salvation? We have an "app" for that.....I am a born-again, blood-bought believer in Jesus, and I am seeing in my lifetime what appears to be the self-amputation of the reach of the Church in our world today. Thankfully, my last statement does not apply to each and every group of believers as individuals or as corporate worshippers, but how heart-breaking to know that some souls are embracing this carefully crafted sparkling "new" message, and why shouldn't they after all, because they're hearing it from the pulpits and the publishers! And now we have to be careful about which "Bible" to read, given all the current translations and paraphrases designed to package the Word of God in a more "sellable" format. My intent in this message to you is simple and clear: KEEP GOING! I learned a long time ago that when you're in the center of God's will, you're in the crosshairs of the devil, and Satan won't lighten up on you when you declare the Truth of The Word, Jesus, the Lord. I will joyfully commit prayer to your ministry, and to blessing and protection for you and your family on the Authority of the Word. Press on, brother!

K.W. (North Carolina)

Posted with permission:http://www.ericbarger.com/

 

More Thoughts on... Divorced FROM Church?

By Eric Barger

Since sending "Divorced FROM Church?" to our email subscribers on January 17, we have received a steady stream of comments and response. Rarely has an email update or newsletter struck such a chord. Many of you who read my thoughts in "Divorced FROM Church?" have experienced the pain of watching your local church and even your denomination implode theologically. In the early days of my walk with God, Melanie and I experienced this and, even though I was certainly a babe when it came to understanding doctrine and theology, I vividly remember what it feels like to be ostracized by others who had drunk the kool-aid of spiritual liberalism and who were trying their best to give me a sip.

For a season we stood, prayed and dialogued with many in that first church we were a part of. I can't say how much progress we made there but I cared enough for the people that I wasn't going to give up and just go away, as I'm certain some there would have liked. I had blindly gone into Christianity thinking that, if a church, book store, radio station or individual claimed to be Christian, then they actually were Christian. In the message "The MOST Dangerous Cult" I tell how we were called by God and how at the same time I came face to face with the realization that not everything that says "Christian" is deserving of that title.

I was certainly "wild fire" in those days but I knew the Jesus who had miraculously delivered me from years of drug abuse and, though I had yet to read the entire Bible through, God was as real as anything I knew in the natural realm. Regardless of how green I may have been in the faith, I was His and He was mine and nobody - especially those who were claiming beliefs against the Cross, the resurrection and this wonderful salvation - was going to separate us. (Read my testimony "How I Came 'From Rock to Rock''" here.)

I have said all of this to say that I truly understand how each of those whose letters appear below have felt. Space limitations here will not allow me to reproduce all of the correspondence we have received on this but allow me to share just a few at random. Some of you reading this will surely appreciate the fact that you've been shielded from having to experience what some others have experienced because of devilish doctrines being promoted and accepted all around us. As you read the letters below, I encourage you to consider just how you would handle the situation if you and your family and friends were to encounter the false teaching and false teachers about which the New Testament constantly warns us. They are indeed going to be more pervasive throughout the professing Church as the end-times proceed.

One note first...

Parishioners aren't the only ones feeling alone. Just imagine yourself a God-fearing, biblically-minded pastor who is watching as his once-solid denomination theologically goes down in flames. Countless leaders are feeling relentless pressure to acquiesce to the likes of Emergent, "seeker" and Purpose Driven philosophies as their congregations and other local church leaders are drawn like moths to an open flame to these unsound and unbiblical ideas.

Even the best are affected adversely. After all, when denominational leadership, peers and even the Bible college or seminary you've attended seem intent on forwarding the theology and philosophy of Emergents like Brian McLaren, it is bound to be disconcerting at very least. Some react almost subconsciously by slowly moving away from staunch biblical standards. Others resign their positions rather than be associated with the "new" Christianity. And still others are forced out of their churches by those demanding a shift from the authentic to what is nothing less than fraudulent religion.

Believers in the know must support godly pastors and staff, realizing that though they (and we) are not perfect, their job in proclaiming the unadulterated truth is getting harder and harder as the end-time deception deepens.

Two passages come to mind as I close.

2 Timothy 4:1-4 exhorts leaders what they must do and prophetically assures us that the very syndrome I've discussed here was indeed bound to proliferate through the Church in the end-days. Though we are instructed to carefully execute the preaching and proclaiming of the truth, many will reject the truths of Christianity and install people into leadership to tell them what they want to hear ("fables" i.e. myths) - instead of what is accurate and legitimate.

Paul writes: I charge thee therefore before God, and the Lord Jesus Christ, who shall judge the quick and the dead at his appearing and his kingdom; Preach the word; be instant in season, out of season; reprove, rebuke, exhort with all longsuffering and doctrine. For the time will come when they will not endure sound doctrine; but aftertheir own lusts shall they heap to themselves teachers, having itching ears; And they shall turn away their ears from the truth, and shall be turned unto fables.

Secondly, for the many that have written or called us expressing how lonely their stand for truth has been, don't despair! As you can see from just these few letters, you are not alone.

Elijah mistakenly thought he was the only prophet - perhaps the only Israelite - who had not forsaken God and His truths. However, God brought him reassurance that, instead, he was not alone. I Kings 19:18 says:

Yet I have left me seven thousand in Israel, all the knees which have not bowed unto Baal, and every mouth which hath not kissed him.

Indeed, Church, there are many in the Remnant who are refusing to bow to false religion and embrace its worthless gods! To them we say a resounding "AMEN!"

Emails:

Grieving Over The Church

Eric,

Thank you for posting the article on "Divorced From the Church" on my email. However, I am still crying over it. It does make me not feel all alone but I am so grieved by the deception in the churches. My daughter gave her information about "The Shack" to her pastor-led small group last week and received judgments from it before they even read the materials. These pastors were missionaries! They are not seeing through this stuff. It just breaks my heart. Thank you for your ministry. God is truly using it to open eyes. All I can rest on is that our God is Sovereign. Grieving over the church,

- L.S. (Internet)

Alarmed at The Church

Eric,

I found your site through my Olive Tree Ministries newsletter. I am so thankful for every ministry who still takes a stand for the Word of God in this upside down world we have found ourselves in.

I have been very, very alarmed at the church I belong to as I have watch the pastor bring in "The Purpose Driven Life", and "The Shack". My husband and I have become so alarmed and put off by the "seeker sensitive" garbage we are witnessing in our church that we now watch a trusted and true preacher of NOTHING BUT the Gospel on TV on Sundays.

We don't want to "forsake the assembling of ourselves together," but it has become increasingly difficult to find a pastor who sticks to the Blood of Jesus as THE ONLY way, and feeds the sheep so we can grow in "grace and in the knowledge of our Savior, Jesus Christ."

We are truly living in the perilous times the Bible talks about. Thank the Lord God for the Internet, and thank you for being true to His Calling upon your life.

- K.M. (Florida)

Calling Out Apostasy

Thank you Eric for what you are doing. We have just left our church for the same reasons. Calling out apostasy is a very important thing to be doing in this time. Knowing that so many others are dealing with the same thing makes it a little easier!

- C.L. (California)


Wandered From Church to Church

This was such a great email and I do want to thank you so much. I have forwarded it to many on my email list...whether they will like it or not...I pray that God will open their eyes. One of my relatives is a Nazarene Pastor....I hope I hear back from him....We desperately need this discernment today....We have wandered from church to church for the past five years since moving to this retirement community and have seen such changes it's astounding. We are now 'trying' a PCA church....

- J.K. (Pennsylvania)

Not In Vain

Keep up the good work, Eric. It is not in vain. As for the church, we just don't go any more. I've only been saved for 17 years and I see the same old thing being repackaged and given out to the congregation. All the Rick Warren stuff and the rest has taken over almost all of the churches in my area. We did find a small Pentecostal church that does not entertain and the pastor preaches the Word only so we go there but we will not join or become involved. I always thought that our whole family would be part of a church. Our daughter and her husband feel the same way. They do not want their children learning what is being taught in the churches. They teach them at home instead. Bless you for being a watchman. I remain undone and ruined by who He is.

- L.B. (Pennsylvania)

We Weren't Alone!

Eric,
When we received your email tonight, telling of other believers that have been cast off or had to leave their church, it shocked me! We weren't alone! We have gone to 15 churches in our area, and have been grieved by what we found. It started around 2007.We had a good country church that taught sound doctrine, but the new pastor changed over night. He cast out mature Christians and installed unknown people in the church board. They acted like tyrants! So, we left. Each day, I cry out to the Lord for a church family, but can find no sound doctrine. Relatives say we are being too picky, but I know what the Lord has shown me. I believe He has given me the gift of discernment. I feel absolutely crushed. But I will not deny my Lord just to fulfill the exhortation by the writer of Hebrews 10:25. When two or more are gather in the Lord's name, He promises He is there. We thought about starting a home church, but nobody seems to care. Come quickly, Lord Jesus!

- P.M. (Washington)

Posted with permission:
http://www.ericbarger.com/

Homosexuality in the End Times

Not too long ago, I went off line at about 4:30 to finish cleaning up the house and get supper started for Bruce for when he got home from work. We both like to listen to the news when it comes on at 5pm so I turned the TV on our local news station so that it would be on the right channel when the news came on. While cleaning I realized that the show playing then was Oprah and she had on a young country music star who had apparently recently come out and said she was a lesbian. She told a heart wrenching story of how she hid it all her life from everyone including her parents and how being brought up in a good Christian home she was sure she was hated by God and would go to hell for it. Her story was truly heart wrenching and my heart went out to her and to all those like her.

Unfortunately she still doesn't understand the Truth. She thinks she feels a billion times better now because she's told the truth and she's not "living a lie" anymore. And well she should! Lying is a sin (as she knew too) and of course "living a lie" is a sin as well. Sin hurts us in many ways and hurts those around us. So here are these poor people who are so enslaved to many sins that they feel their only way out is to either kill themselves and get it over with, or be a practicing homosexual and decide (somehow) that God doesn't see homosexuality as a sin anymore.

What's even sadder is that many of these people were raised in "good Christian homes" and went to "good Christian churches". Where then was the discipleship they so badly needed when they were young??? Why then do they not understand that God never hated them because they were tempted to sin??? He hates the sin, not them. Where is their understanding that God doesn't make mistakes, that He doesn't create people as "homosexuals" or pedophiles, or thieves, or murderers, or liars etc. Why do they not understand that all of those things, like so many others, are quite simply sins and temptations??? Why do they not understand that God has called us to take our thoughts captive and make them obedient to Christ???

Do they seriously believe that God creates people to be murderers and thieves and homosexuals??? Apparently they do, but they are so very wrong!

How very sad that they feel they have to act on their sinful desires in order to "be happy". All they had to do was tell the truth about their sinful desires to have a homosexual relationship instead of hiding them. It's when we hide our sins that we give Satan a hold over us and many of these people obviously hid this sin for a very long time. Then instead of confessing the sinful thoughts/feelings and taking them captive in Christ, they went the other way and determined to find a way to reconcile their sin and yet remain "Christian". Just as Adam blamed God for his sin when he said, "the woman you gave me" made me do it, so they are blaming God for their sin by saying "God made me this way so it's His fault".

And now they are blaming those "good Christian churches" for all their problems and this young lady actually said that churches are ruining young people by telling them that homosexuality is wrong!!!

Unfortunately she's right in some ways. Churches that haven't been or aren't discipling their youngsters, and parents that are waiting for the church to teach their children God's Ways instead of doing it themselves are hurting the young.

Our children should all know that they will be tempted many times in many ways, but that being tempted doesn't make them "bad". It simply means that they need to turn to the Lord for His help and they need to be taught how to guard their minds and hearts by taking their thoughts captive for Christ. Basically, it means they're human! They need to know that they can always go to God about any thought or feeling they have and that He loves them always and that He will help them. That doesn't mean that He will make it easy for them though. There's a big difference between helping someone and doing it for them! And that's a HUGE thing that many people today simply don't get anymore.

Everyone wants everything handed to them on a silver platter instead of having to work for it. While God does give us gifts that way sometimes, for the most part He requires us to work out our salvation and use the tools He's given us in His Word.

I could go on and on about what they "should" have been taught, and what they should know, but you get the idea. What's so horribly sad though is that now, because these people think that they have finally been "freed" they are preaching their "salvation" to everyone, using every means at their disposal--TV, Radio, movies, the Internet, meetings and community groups, political activism etc.

Some of them are in many ways a part of this "new Christianity", that Warren, Piper, and others preach--but it's a Christianity without the Gospel and those people are going to go to Hell and will bring everyone else right along with them! So this half of the homosexual group is attacking the church, the body of Christ, with all the ammunition they can bring on it, and the other half, the half that are "atheists" are paving the way for them in society by mocking God.

It really opened my eyes (even wider) to how very active Satan is in our times! It's like an old fashioned cattle round up, only humans are the cattle and they're being rounded up to go to Hell. I think these people, these "stars" are going to be at the forefront of the battle to have the bible banned as hate speech and that's just part of what they'll accomplish. The question is, how much of it will we witness before the rapture???

 

How should we respond to Homosexuals?

One thing that really distresses me is the horrible way that many Christians react toward gay people. It really breaks my heart, and their response to them, becomes the main excuse the gay person often uses to stay gay, because they feel that it proves that the person is wrong about God. Sadly, they confuse just what the person is wrong about. A Christian response to homosexuality is really no different then a response to any other sin that anyone's living in. It would depend on if they're saved yet or not. Of course we can be pretty sure that if they're gay they're probably not saved...not because they're too bad, but because most of them have had the scriptures totally twisted out of shape to them on both extremes, and have misinterpreted what the scriptures really say about it.

So to me the Christian response would be to attempt to witness to them and tell them the true Gospel: "that God really does love them and wants to forgive them and save them. Yes, He does hate homosexuality and no it's not natural, it's a sin, just as sex outside of marriage is. But they can be forgiven and He will help them overcome it, in fact He's the only one that can." etc.... But really that's to be our response to anyone that's not saved that we know. We may also have to show them that their "gay feelings" are no different then any other feeling that people have, such as a desire to steal something, or to lie, or to cheat etc, and remind them that God consistently tells us not to trust our feelings, but to trust His Word instead. Then, if or when they allow us to, we can also share with them the way God gives us to overcome our wrong thoughts and feelings. That should be a huge relief to them to know that God has a plan and a way for us to overcome these things and it actually works!

Aren’t we told not to judge others?

No, the Bible tells us that we are to judge righteously. If you don't "judge" them, then how will you know if they’re right or wrong? We must be willing to stop being afraid of people and start doing what the Lord tells us to do in His Word. His Word tells us that when someone is living in sin, we are to tell the person that they are sinning and why. We are to do it in a loving but very firm and unwavering manner. We are to stand on the Word of God and not worry about what others will say of us or if that person will like or respect us any longer. 

If a minister announces that they’re a homosexual and at peace with it, he has become a wolf in sheep’s clothing and will kill and destroy many of our brothers and sisters if he isn't stopped. God wants us to be concerned about that and to do something about it.

Romans 14:1 Accept him whose faith is weak, without passing judgment on disputable matters.

John 7:24 Do not judge according to appearance, but judge with righteous judgment.”

We are not to pass judgment on disputable matters but this is not a disputable matter. God's Word is quite clear on this subject regardless of how badly they twist the scriptures to make it seem otherwise.

I know it's very hard to do, but it is what God says we must do. When we do things like this that is when we will be persecuted for being true Christians and followers of Christ. As long as we are like the world, no one will bother us or persecute us, but as soon as we stand up for Christ and stand firm on His Word, then everyone's fangs come out and you will be reviled for Christ's sake. The fleshly part of me cringes at that thought but my spirit wishes that it would happen to me so that I could stand for Jesus.

Matthew 5:11-12 “Blessed are you when they revile and persecute you, and say all kinds of evil against you falsely for My sake. Rejoice and be exceedingly glad, for great is your reward in heaven, for so they persecuted the prophets who were before you.

I'm sure you don't need these but I'll post them here for lurkers who might not understand what God's Word calls us to do:

Isaiah 8:20; 2 Peter 2:9; 1 Timothy 4:1-6 ;1 Timothy 5:20; 2 Timothy 3:16-17; 2 Timothy 4:2-5; Titus 1:9; Titus 1:13; Ephesians 5:11 ; 2 Thessalonians 3:6; Romans 15:4; 1 Corinthians 6:9-11;

How do we know when it’s our job to say something, or if we should just pray?

The way we know if we're supposed to do something is if we are aware of it and it's been brought to our attention personally, then it's our job to do something. God doesn't show us problems so we can go tell someone else to fix them, he shows us so that we will handle it for Him.  When God places me in a situation where I am confronted with someone speaking falsely or with someone who doesn't know the Lord and I'm in a situation where I can tell them the truth, then I know it's the Lord who has put me there. I've heard it called "divine appointments".  For example, if I’m in a roomful of people and one of them is talking about being gay and that it’s not a sin, then it’s my job to correct them.  If however, I’m in a meeting where the speaker is saying something like that, and I just happen to be in the audience but have no way of getting to the speaker, then that job belongs to someone else, and my job is to pray.

Isn’t it chemical makeup that makes a person gay?

If you're saying, "God made him that way" then what you're really saying is that either, God made a mistake, or that God purposely made people in such a way that it would be impossible for them to be saved. That goes against everything the Bible says, so I cannot and will not believe that. Even according to their own studies, that's simply not true. Most of the studies done on this are no more then jokes anyway.

If on the other hand it's something that's physically medically wrong with them, then it's something the medical community should be studying to cure rather then trying to proclaim it's OK and normal which is what they're saying. But then they're also leaning toward saying that pedophilia is also normal and OK along with a number of other things. Basically all they're doing is giving people an "excuse" for their reprehensible behavior and then telling the rest of us that we have to accept it. I refuse to do that too.

The Bible says that God cannot, will not, and does not tempt us, that we are tempted by our own sinful desires. It is our choice to allow those sinful thoughts/ideas/fantasies etc or to do what the Bible says and stop them, taking them captive to Christ and replacing them with the Truth from His Word.

The problem is that this hasn't been taught to people for generations and instead they've been filled with the worlds "wisdom" and ideas and we all know where that leads....straight to hell.

No one "has" to be homosexual, anymore then anyone "has to be" a murder, thief, a pedophile, a rapist, or anything else. They weren't "born" that way. They chose to allow those thoughts and ideas and then they chose to act on them. Thoughts and ideas become emotions; emotions beget more thoughts and ideas until eventually they become actions; given enough time they then become habits, and given more time they then become part of our character. And lo, a homosexual is born.

How do we deal with someone that’s become a homosexual and won’t repent?

Assuming that the person knew the Gospel and had been saved, what I would do first would be to make sure the person in question understood the correct biblical way to handle their situation/problem. If they did understand it and refused to accept the fact that they themselves brought this about by (probably unknowingly) not taking control of their thought life, refused to confess their sin, (admit to God that it is in fact a sin) and repent of it, (turn away from it and choose to take responsibility for their thoughts and emotions instead) then I would have to obey God's Word and not have anything more to do with them other then praying for them. I would tell them that I loved them and that I would be praying for them, but that until they chose to repent of their sin that I had to obey God's Word and not have anything more to do with them. I would also let them know that I was in fact showing my love for them by being obedient to God and telling them the Truth so that they too would hopefully some day come to really know Him and following Him and live a life of victory rather then one of defeat wallowing in their own sinful desires.

I'm not saying that it would be easy for me to do, because it wouldn't. It would be the hardest thing in the world to do, but I would do it for Christ.

God never promised that following His path would be easy. In fact He said it would be hard. He even told us that this kind of thing would happen and that families would be driven apart due to our following and obeying Him. On top of that, He told us this would be the cost of following Him and said this would be the cross that many of us would have to bear:

Matthew 10:34-39 “Do not suppose that I have come to bring peace to the earth. I did not come to bring peace, but a sword. For I have come to turn “ ‘a man against his father, a daughter against her mother, a daughter-in-law against her mother-in-law— a man’s enemies will be the members of his own household.’ “Anyone who loves his father or mother more than me is not worthy of me; anyone who loves his son or daughter more than me is not worthy of me; and anyone who does not take his cross and follow me is not worthy of me. Whoever finds his life will lose it, and whoever loses his life for my sake will find it.

Luke puts it this way:

Luke 14:25-27 Large crowds were traveling with Jesus, and turning to them he said: “If anyone comes to me and does not hate his father and mother, his wife and children, his brothers and sisters—yes, even his own life—he cannot be my disciple. And anyone who does not carry his cross and follow me cannot be my disciple.

We are to put Christ above everyone and everything in our lives, even if it means dying physically because we do.

We are in the last days and God said that this would happen and that it's only going to get worse: Micah 7:4-7; Mark 13:12-13;

He also promised us this: Matthew 19:29 And everyone who has left houses or brothers or sisters or father or mother or children or fields for my sake will receive a hundred times as much and will inherit eternal life.

Let me share this wonderful email from a man who was gay and who’s family kept telling him the truth because they loved him.

Thanks for offending me with the Gospel

Mike Goeke

MIDLAND, Texas (BP)--As a pastor and as someone in ministry to churches and people across the country, I have seen a growing trend over the last several years.

It seems that we, as the church and as individual Christians, spend a lot of time pulling back the outward expression of our faith for fear of offending people. Churches sometimes water down theology and their message to make sure no one leaves offended. People ignore the destructive, sinful behavior of their friends to make sure their friends are not offended. People seek community that is intentionally non-confrontational so that they will not personally be offended.

In the last weeks, it seems like I have been inundated with issues that almost seem to be begging for confrontation, but ones in which no one wants to take that step. It has made me think about my own faith. Do I believe the Word of God? If I do believe it, why am I so afraid to share it with people I say I love? If I really love people, shouldn't I risk their offense if it means saving their lives?

The reality is that the Gospel of Christ, and the truth of the Word, is by its nature offensive. It is described as a sword, and it divides, and it exposes, and it digs to deep, hidden places. It also leads us to God, to truth, to healing, to fulfillment and to freedom.

As I have thought about this, I have been reminded of a time in my life when I was deeply offended by my friends and family. I had left my wife to pursue a life built around and defined by my feelings of same-sex attraction. I had expected my friends and family to accept what I was doing, support what I was doing, and not question what I was doing. I was offended by much of Christianity, and for a season I walked away from people who loved me, and I walked away from the church.

But today, 13 years later, I would like to say a hearty "THANK YOU" to my wife, and my parents and family, and my friends who cared enough about me to offend me. I get a sick feeling in the pit of my stomach when I consider the ramifications in my life, had the people in my world bought into the lie that to love me was to affirm me in my sin. When I left my wife, she boldly told me that she knew God could work in me and in our marriage and that she would not pursue divorce. She protected her interests but always professed her love for me and her desire to work through this together.

My parents (and other family members) told me that what I was doing was wrong. They bought books and other materials and tried to get me to talk to a counselor. They also called frequently to check on me, sent me money when I needed it, came to see me on my birthday, and flew me home for holidays. My friends drove hours to talk to me about what I was doing, and told me what they believed. They flew from other towns to take me to dinner and tried to convince me to get help and to turn from the life I was living. They also sent me cards and letters full of love and affirmation of our friendship.

And each of them offended me. Each of them made me angry. I viewed them as bigoted, unenlightened, ignorant, prejudiced and hateful. If they truly loved me, I told them, they would accept me and affirm me in the lifestyle I was living. I ignored their calls and I viewed them with skepticism. I did my best to sever my relationships with those who were offending me. But they would not let me go. They did not coddle me, but they refused to give up on me.

I eventually took a book from my dad. I did not want the book -- I viewed it as more of his "right-wing Christian propaganda" -- but I took it just to shut him up. I was ready to draw a line in the sand and cut all ties with my wife, my family and my friends. But God was ready to pierce my heart. The book that my dad gave me did not condemn me, but instead showed me more than the sentimental, saccharine love of Jesus that my new theology had sold me. It showed me the powerful love of the risen Savior, and I was compelled back to Him by that love. The offending parties in my life were waiting, as loving and gracious as they had ever been, not holding my sin against me, but standing there, ready to walk with me in the journey ahead of me.

Today my marriage is restored and has grown beyond my imagination. I have three beautiful children and am living out the call on my life to vocational ministry. Healing has happened in my family relationships, and I am closer to that cadre of friends than ever before. As I listen to people worry about offending people, and as I watch people change their whole belief systems to make other people feel more comfortable, and as I see people enabling destructive behavior just to avoid conflict, I wonder where I would be today had Stephanie simply pursued divorce like I wanted her to do. I wonder where I would be if my parents and friends had supported me and encouraged me to divorce Stephanie and had rallied around me in my new found identity. I wonder where I would be if my pastors and spiritual shepherds had encouraged me to accept the very thing I needed to lay before the cross of Christ. I shudder at the thought. I know it must have killed them to think of losing me, but they loved me enough to take that risk.

Thank you, dear friends, for your offense to me. At the time, the truth you shared was the aroma of death to me (2 Corinthians 2:15) but today it is the sweet fragrance of life.

 Now THAT is a beautiful picture of how individual Christians and the body of Christ together is supposed to work! Praise God for the people who aren't afraid to speak the Truth in love and save the soul of a loved one! Or perhaps I should say Praise Him for the people who are terrified but still speak the Truth in love to save the soul of a loved one. I pray the Lord will help me and each of us be just like that, able to speak the Truth even though it hurts, even though we're terrified the loved one will turn away from us, or try to cut ties with us, or will say they hate us, etc. That's real love!

Police-State America Strikes Homeschool Families Again:

Police-State America Strikes Homeschool Families Again:7 Children Taken from Parents During Search for “Miracle” Treatment Chemical

LTRP Note: A Lighthouse Trails reader from Arkansas called today and told us of this story that happened in the same state. She said she believes this is a family who loves the Lord and whose parents are loving parents to their seven children. This is one of many stories over the past seven years where heavy-handed, gestapo-like children’s services in the United States have taken children out of their homes for extended periods of time. You may visit the Stanley family’s Facebook page here.

By Josh Berry
ArkansasMatters.com

HOT SPRINGS, AR – A “miracle” mineral treatment alleged to be a remedy for cancer and aids is at the center of an law enforcement search warrant. The investigation ended in the removal of seven children from their home in Garland County.



Stanley family children being removed from home during the night because the father allegedly used an unapproved mineral supplement. Photo from the Bringthestanleykidshome Facebook Page.

The family has cried foul, saying only the father has taken it and it’s mostly used for purifying water for their garden.

The substance in question is referred to as “MMS” or Miracle Mineral Solution. The FDA has weighed in on the substance citing serious health concerns reporting that it can turn into a potent bleach and cause nausea, vomiting and diarrhea if taken.

The Stanley family however say it wasn’t grounds for the way they were treated during a search Monday (1/12) night that ended with their seven children taken away.

“Policemen here, policemen here,” Hal Stanley pointed, standing on his front porch. “Over here, on the side roads full of policemen.”



Hal and Michelle Stanley with seven of their children on Jan. 16, when the parents were permitted to visit the kids, who are now in state custody. (Courtesy of Hal Stanley)

Stanley opened his door Monday afternoon to find a warrant waiting for him and his home surrounded by State and Garland County agents.

“It said we’re here to search your house,” Stanley explained.

Click here to read more.

posted with permission:
http://www.lighthousetrailsresearch.com/blog/?p=17037

Can Satan be saved?

Can Satan or demons be saved? Should we pray for them?

I asked the same question many years ago and the Lord showed me in His Word why they can't be saved and we aren't to pray for them.

God's Word is true and written in stone. It cannot be changed and the Lord never, ever contradicts Himself. So if He has stated something in His Word, that's the way it is, period. And according to His Word, Satan is going to the Lake of fire. (Revelation 20:10) And that's just for starters.

Only human beings can be saved, not angels. Satan and the fallen angles have seen God, spoken to Him, had a closer relationship with Him then Adam and Eve, for they saw Him constantly in all His glory, yet still chose to sin. God tells us that everyone is judged according to how much knowledge they had, and no one could possibly have more then the fallen angels and especially Satan. So they are greatly deserving of God's wrath.

See, we can be saved because God provided an atonement for us - Jesus. In order for Jesus to save us, He had to have a human nature as well as being God. If He hadn't had a human nature as well, we couldn't have been saved. He became human like us, in order to pay the price of our sin. Therefore, in order for Satan or an angel to be saved, God would have to do the same for them. He would have to take on an angelic nature to provide an atonement for them, but He hasn't, and won't. If you read Hebrews 2 among many other scriptures, you'll see that God has not arranged salvation for angels, but only for humans.

God doesn't give help/save the angels or Satan because they have seen Him in all His glory and yet still chose to sin. See, we were tempted (by Satan no less!) to sin. He and the angels were not tempted, they knowingly chose evil over God, and so cannot be saved. When I say, "knowingly", I don't mean it the way we at times sin knowing that we are doing so, but rather that they had ALL the information. They knew and know all about God and themselves. They knew exactly what they were doing and what the consequences would be, and they knew it was evil. I know I'm not putting it very well, but I can't think of anything better to explain it.

God also tells us repeatedly to hate evil and they personify evil. God will show them no mercy, for they deserve none. We don't really have a clue how much pain and misery they've caused humans, including ourselves here on earth over the years, but you can bet it's a lot more then we can imagine. That makes God angry. To understand who Satan is, read what Jesus says about Him and what the apostles say. From these it's quite clear that God opposes Satan and doesn't love him. Instead He hates the evil he has become. Jesus defeated Satan, and in fact, that's why Jesus came to earth - to save us and defeat Satan! (1 John 3:8)

Another thing we can look at to show that Satan can't and won't repent is is some verses such as Revelation 20. This tells us that Satan is bound in a bottomless pit for 1000 years. I would think that 1000 years would be more then enough time for someone to repent if they were ever going to. (I'm not saying that's why God bound Him, because it's not, only that if we use human reasoning, that would be true) But, what does he do the second he's released? Does he beg forgiveness? No! He immediately begins an attack on God and on God's children again! No, I'm sorry, but the Lord says that Satan is totally corrupt and cannot and will not change and therefore He does not offer him that opportunity. God is much wiser then we are too, so sometimes, when we just can't wrap our mind around something, we simply have to remember that, and remember that and accept that whatever He does, He does for a good reason.

Here are a few scriptures you can use to help you get started if you'd like to begin to study this with the Lord yourself:

Hebrews 2:16–17 —For assuredly He does not give help to angels, but He gives help to the descendant of Abraham. *Therefore, He had to be made like His brethren in all things, so that He might become a merciful and faithful high priest in things pertaining to God, to make propitiation for the sins of the people. *

John 8:44 —You belong to your father, the devil, and you want to carry out your father’s desire. He was a murderer from the beginning, not holding to the truth, for there is no truth in him. When he lies, he speaks his native language, for he is a liar and the father of lies. *

Luke 8:12 —Those along the path are the ones who hear, and then the devil comes and takes away the word from their hearts, so that they may not believe and be saved. *

1 Peter 5:8 —Be self-controlled and alert. Your enemy the devil prowls around like a roaring lion looking for someone to devour. *

1 Thessalonians 3:5 —For this reason, when I could stand it no longer, I sent to find out about your faith. I was afraid that in some way the tempter might have tempted you and our efforts might have been useless. *

Ephesians 6:11–12 —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. *

1 John 3:8 —He who does what is sinful is of the devil, because the devil has been sinning from the beginning. The reason the Son of God appeared was to destroy the devil’s work. *

If you ask the Lord to show you His Truth in His Word about it, He will, and He will give you understanding. 

In response to a reply about this:

As I said, I hope no one prays for him, because if they do, they're sinning against the Lord and His Word. I'm afraid that I don't feel any compassion at all for Satan, but neither would I revile him as Jude1:9 tells us even the archangel Michael wouldn't do that.

God didn't say that He was good and then turned evil, God tells us in His Word that Satan was wicked "from the beginning". (John 8:44, 1 John 3:8; etc) So Lucifer may have looked "good" and even acted "good" for a time, (just as many false Christians do), but inside he was wicked and evil from the very start. The one who does what is sinful is of the devil, because the devil has been sinning from the beginning. The reason the Son of God appeared was to destroy the devil’s work. No, God didn't create evil, everything God created was good, but Satan chose evil from the very start.

It's an interesting subject though, and a deep one. God has good reasons for all he does and we have to be very careful not to judge Him using our puny human knowledge. Those who do are on very dangerous ground, that's for sure! But God knows what He's doing, that we can be sure of, and we can be sure that His reasons are not only good but are driven by love for us. We do know too though that one of the things that Satan does best is deceive us, and this very subject is one of his earliest and favorite deceptions! In fact, I believe it may very well be at least part of the deception that the AntiChrist will use.

We know for a fact that Satanists have been teaching for ages that Satan is the good guy and God is the bad guy; that poor little Satan didn't deserve what he got. That's a great example of an unbeliever's mind and how very corrupted and deceived their thinking is. But we have the mind of Christ, we don't have to think that way anymore and shouldn't. God tells us we're to take those kind of thoughts captive (stop them) and replace them with His Truth.

The same goes for the way the atheists talk about him saying that God was bad for allowing Satan into the garden when He knew that Adam would sin. The thought behind it is that poor Adam didn't stand a chance against the evil Satan, but that's simply not true. Adam did have a chance. He had a choice and he chose to disobey God. If I walk up to you, and tell you to beat your child black and blue, would you do it? I certainly hope not! If you did, would I be to blame? No, I may have suggested it, but you're the one who chose to do it. No court would convict me, but you would go to prison. People for some reason tend to think Adam wasn't all that smart, but in fact he was most likely far more advanced in his thinking then we are!

Besides all of that, we know that God never tempts anyone, so God wasn't responsible for what Satan did. God gave everyone, including Satan free will. Satan chose to do evil and so did Adam and Eve, and so do we. We also know that God never gives us more then we can bear, so this wasn't beyond Adam or Eve's ability to make the right choice. (nor was it beyond Satan's ability in the beginning to choose to love God rather then hate Him).

What I find interesting about it all too is that during the Millennium when Satan is locked away, there will still be a great deal of sin. In fact, millions of people will turn away from God and wind up in hell before the end of it, and without any help at all from Satan. That amazes me most of all, and I personally think that one of the reasons the Lord has arranged things this way is to show us humans who think we know it all, that we will choose sin over Him every time, with or without Satan's help. In other words, Adam and Eve were tempted by Satan, but if they hadn't been, they most likely would have sinned anyway.

The big problem is pride. Satan wouldn't accept that he needed God, just as many of us won't accept it. The angels who did accept that, knew they couldn't obey God without His help, but Satan would have none of it. He wanted to be God himself, not accept help from God to make the right choices. Like most two year olds, all he could say was "I wanna do it myself!" We're told though to submit to God and He will lift us up; submit to Him and He will help us, guide us, teach us, care for us. When, like the 2 year old, we refuse, He lets us go our way, and we wind up with our lives in a rotten mess, just like Satan has, though he won't admit it. That's one thing the Millennium will finally prove to everyone beyond any doubts.