Author: Pilgrim

by

Quotes (666)

Puritans We cannot prescribe how God should be glorified. . . . How have men fooled themselves and dishonored God in the matter of worship! They invent and prescribe forms and modes, when they have no ground to believe that He will accept them. . . . We must not determine these things ourselves, as to how, when, where, whom we please, for this would dishonor rather than credit the cause of God, because this matter wholly depends upon His pleasure. Now anything of our will would . . . subtract from that divine symmetry and concord which encompasses the wisdom, holiness, power, and sovereign grace of God. And we might as well teach Him how He should govern the world, as how He should dispose of us. . . . God is not glorified but in His own way.

– Dr. John Singleton
Died – 1706

by

Driscoll disqualified.

In the comment thread of another post, reader “David T” linked to a revealing article on Mark Driscoll from the blog The Christian Worldview which I wished to highlight in this post. You can read it here:

Mark Driscoll: Is He Qualified To Lead?

I caution you, however, that discretion is needed because the article quotes Mark Driscoll heavily. It’s unfortunate I have to provide a caution regarding what comes out of the mouth of a “minister,” but these are the times in which we live.

I hope that the article linked above will help those who are on the fence in regards to Driscoll. But beware, you may feel the need to take a shower after reading some of Driscoll’s quotes.

And for those who feel the need to defend their man Driscoll, before you leave your comments you must first reconcile Driscoll’s speech with the following Scriptures, or don’t expect your comments to be approved.

A worthless person, a wicked man, is the one who walks with a perverse mouth . . . Proverbs 6:12

The fear of the LORD is to hate evil; pride and arrogance and the evil way and the perverted mouth, I hate. Proverbs 8:13

The lips of the righteous bring forth what is acceptable, but the mouth of the wicked what is perverted. Proverbs 10:32

Better is a poor man who walks in his integrity than he who is perverse in speech and is a fool. Proverbs 19:1

Likewise urge the young men to be sensible; in all things show yourself to be an example of good deeds, with purity in doctrine, dignified, sound in speech which is beyond reproach, so that the opponent will be put to shame, having nothing bad to say about us. Titus 2:6-8

_______________________________________________________________________

See also:

Quotes (548)

I’ve had it with Mark Driscoll and his mouth

Sermon of the week: “Sound Doctrine; Sound Words” by Phil Johnson

Recognizing those who are taking a stand against the current downgrade


by

Wal-Mart now sells cult literature.

A few days ago I entered the book section of a local Wal-Mart and was shocked to see a large section of books on Mormonism. And no, this Wal-Mart was not in Utah.

I then checked the internet and discovered they even sell Mormonism’s plagiarized piece of fiction known as the Book of Mormon online. (To understand more about the Book of Mormon check out this excellent documentary.)

I never thought I’d see the day when a major retailer would carry cult literature. I suppose this isn’t much of stretch for Wal-Mart, though. They’ve been selling Rick Warren, Joel Osteen, and Joyce Meyer for years.

I wonder if the Jehovah’s Witnesses will demand their place on Wal-Mart’s bookshelves next.

by

You, not God, decides when you die: Jesse Duplantis continues his ‘twisting.’

This is a continuation from this previous post on Jesse Duplantis. This video shows Duplantis’ continued twisting of Scripture . . . twisting that would make Chubby Checker envious.

by

O Come, O Come, Emmanuel.

I suppose I’ll be the first to start this season’s music off with my all-time favorite Christmas song. This is a beautiful rendition by Christina Sonnemann.

O come, O come, Emmanuel
And ransom captive Israel
That mourns in lonely exile here
Until the Son of God appear
Rejoice! Rejoice! Emmanuel
Shall come to thee, O Israel

O come, O come, Emmanuel
And ransom captive Israel
That mourns in lonely exile here
Until the Son of God appear
Rejoice! Rejoice! Emmanuel
Shall come to thee, O Israel

O come, Thou Key of David, come
And open wide our heavenly home
Make safe the way that leads on high
And close the path to misery
Rejoice! Rejoice! Emmanuel
Shall come to thee, O Israel

by

Quotes (663)

Here is the great evangelical disaster—the failure of the evangelical world to stand for truth as truth. There is only one word for this—namely accommodation: the evangelical church has accommodated to the world spirit of the age. And let us understand that to accommodate to the world spirit about us in our age is nothing less than the most gross form of worldliness in the proper definition of that word. And with this proper definition of worldliness, we must say with tears, with exceptions, the evangelical church is worldly and not faithful to the living Christ.

– Francis Schaeffer

1912 – 1984

by

Jesse Duplantis does his best Chubby Checker impression.

For those who have never suffered under the bondage of the Word of Faith extension of the Charasmatic movement (that I and many others have been delivered from) you need to know that it’s not all about naming it and claiming it, begging for money, speaking in tongues, being slain in the spirit, (fake) healings, (false) prophecies, and dancing in the aisles; sometimes they actually teach from the Bible . . . and that’s when it really gets scary.

In the following clip Jesse Duplantis shamelessly ‘twists‘ Scripture to make God look less knowledgeable and powerful than He is, and conversely makes man look more knowledgeable and powerful than he is. (Those who have come out of this heretical movement know all too well that these wolves are infamous for bringing God down and raising man up.)

In a nutshell this is four minutes of absolute foolishness and is a perfect example of awful hermeneutics and complete biblical illiteracy. But hey, he sure does tickle ears, doesn’t he?

Thanks to DefCon reader Shane for alerting me to this video clip.

by

Quotes (661)

Far too much of today’s evangelical world has been swept up in the powerful magnetic field of the secular popular culture. Thinking they’re doing God’s work behind enemy lines of the atheistic popular culture, they’ve gradually and inadvertently taken on many more characteristics and attitudes of the enemy than they realize. That’s why, when I drive my car and turn on the radio, it sometimes takes several minutes before I can figure out whether I’m listening to a regular, secular rock song or a Christian rock song. They often sound uncannily the same–the Christian song being a virtual clone of the secular. In turn, the powerful popular culture ridicules evangelicals for their lame imitation of the real thing.

– David Kupelian

by

Hinn defends Hinn.

Benny Hinn attempts to defend himself . . . he doesn’t do such a good job.

From Justin Taylor:

Just in case you need a refresher on the numbers, here’s some of what they found on an expense report:

  • cost of his 7,000 sq-ft house: $10-million
  • amount spent per month for his private jet: $112,000
  • price of his two cars: $80,000 each
  • cost per night for staying at 5,400 sq ft luxury hotel room during a “layover”: $10,800 per night paid
  • tips for a 3-day period: $4,500.
by

Sermon of the week: “Sola Scriptura – The Supremacy of Scripture” by Brian Borgman.

Brian Borgman Your sermon of the week is Sola Scriptura: The Supremacy of Scripture by Brian Borgman. This is part four of a thirteen-part series entitled Introduction to the Reformed Faith that Pastor Borgman gave in 1998. Look for the each additional installment (in order) every couple weeks. See the last installment here.

by

Bemoaning the bemoaning of the secularization of Christmas.

It’s that wonderful time of the year again–the Christmas season. But unfortunately, along with the fresh snow, smell of baked goods, time spent with family and friends, and joyous holiday memories in the making, this time of the year also comes with an unavoidable annoyance. No, not fruitcake. I’m referring to all the keep Christ in Christmas campaigns with their bumper stickers and yard signs, and it’s Ok to wish me a Merry Christmas car magnets and buttons.

Do I have a problem with Christ being remembered as the reason Christians celebrate Christmas? Absolutely not. Am I happy with the removal of Christ from the very holiday that’s supposed to be celebrating His birth? No way. Do I think the secularization of Christmas is a positive trend? Certainly not. Am I pleased with the mass consumerism that Christmas has become? Never. Is this post about whether or not Christians should even celebrate Christmas? Nope.

This post is about my issue with the yearly keep Christ in Christmas campaigns accompanied with all their recommended boycotts of stores that choose “Happy Holidays” over “Merry Christmas.” My issue with these campaigns, however, is not in the substance of their arguments (stopping the expunging of Jesus Christ from Christmas), but my issue is in their misapplied efforts to correct what they deem as a sin almost equivalent to Judas’ betrayal of Christ. These folks with the best of intentions have grossly misdiagnosed the problem: It’s not them (the world), it’s us (the church).

Before I continue I want to acknowledge that it’s true, Christmas’ origins aren’t even Christian and most of the Christmas traditions we cherish today (Christmas trees, candy canes, tinsel, bulbs, stockings, mistletoe, yule logs, eggnog, etc.) cannot be supported by Scripture. Although I understand that there are many who want to argue against Christmas on those points, this is not what this post is about. The basis of this post can be summed up by these two points:

1. – Many of the most vocal opponents of the secularization of Christmas make nary a peep all year long to the secularization taking place within the church itself.

2. – These same folks fail to recognize that the true source of the removal of Christ from Christmas is only a result of the removal of Christ from our culture due to the removal of Christ from our churches; something that began a long time ago (long before secular retailers opted for “Happy Holidays” over “Merry Christmas”).

The secularization of Christmas is just a visible sore caused by the underlying affects of a cancer that’s ravaging the church. Trying to “save Christmas” while the bigger issue looms over us is like baling out a sinking boat with a thimble or putting a band-aid on a bullet wound. Your efforts may make you look busy and cause you to feel that you’re doing some good, but in reality they’re both just a waste of time against the tidal wave of the inevitable. Additionally, your efforts also adversely serve as a diversion from the real problem.

I am convinced that the efforts of these social-conscious Christians is not only futile, but distracting. You only hear from these Christians around the Christmas season bemoaning the secularization of the holiday while they remain passive to the secularization that’s crept into their churches all year long with its deadly poisons of lukewarmness and rank heresy.

So what’s my solution? Am I complaining just to complain and be a Scrooge? Not this time.

My recommendation is that first, these seasonal activists recognize that the world is acting like the world. We wouldn’t expect a goldfish to act like a tiger, so why do we expect unregenerate sinners to act like Christians during Christmas time, or at any other time for that matter?

Those of the flesh are hostile toward God. Forcing them to keep Christ in Christmas accomplishes nothing but provides them with a false sense of religious security: “But God, I went to church every Christmas.”

Secondly, stop holding Target, Starbucks, Wal-Mart, and  GAP responsible for the spiritual stagnation of your community, church, and family, and start holding your pastors responsible! When your pastor preaches cutesy little candy-coated, Osteenesque-type, esteem-building, Christ-less lectures about your best life now, protest that!

Finally, teach your children the true meaning of why we celebrate Christmas. Emphasize the real reason Christ stepped from Heaven to be born among men. Be faithful to your calling as parents to teach your children the faith, and don’t abdicate that responsibility to some biblically illiterate youth pastor.

Never let your kids for one moment think that the real story of Christ’s incarnation is about anything other than Christ and Him crucified. The whole point of Christ’s birth was not for gift exchanges and office parties, it was about God making Him who knew no sin to become sin on our behalf so that we might become the righteousness of God in Him (2 Corinthians 5:21).

So here’s my question: If these proponents of keeping Christ in Christmas prevailed today, and everybody put Christ back in Christmas tomorrow, in the realm of eternity, what will they have actually accomplished? Would they have not successfully created a throng of hypocrites who honor God with their lips but whose hearts are far from Him?

Continuing to bemoan the absence of Christ from Christmas while remaining quiet on the absence of Christ in our pulpits is like complaining about the smoke burning your eyes while your house is burning down with your family trapped inside.

Have a Merry Christmas.


by

Quotes (660)

Gary Gilley Too many Christians, just like their unsaved counterparts, are impressed by appearances rather than structure; are seeking thrills and excitement rather than substance; are more apt to respond to emotional manipulation than a rational discourse. How does a church compete in this rather crowded marketplace? If entertainment has become the standard way of life (as some are suggesting) then how can the churches vie unless they become a bastion of entertainment? But if it gives way to this powerful temptation has not the church been transformed into something other than the church?

– Garry Gilley

by

The idolatry of celebrity worship: Giving to man what rightly belongs to God.

Paul Proctor has written a much needed piece on the idolatry of celebrity worship, something that has taken our culture by storm. Here’s a quote from the article:

Under their exploited influence, our envy and infatuation often bypasses logic, reason and sound judgment, persuading us to listen and follow their lead even though they don’t know us and we don’t know them beyond the manufactured and well-guarded image we see and hear in the media.

This is the mysterious power of celebrity – a seductive and intoxicating force that too many covet and too few fear – a form of inebriation and delusion, and at times, insanity that incites brazen and bizarre behavior from those who fawn at the feet of fame, making them say and do things they would not otherwise.

The next time you happen to be anywhere near a celebrity, don’t watch them – watch the people around them and you’ll better understand what I’m talking about. Hopefully, what you see and hear will be offensive enough to keep you from being brought under the celebrity’s spell.

Proctor also addresses this same phenomenon within the church as he cites one pastor’s starry-eyed infatuation with the universalist Billy Graham. To read Proctor’s entire article, click here.



by

Quotes (659)

A W Pink

Within fifty years of the death of the last of the apostles, so far as we can now learn, the Gospel of God’s grace almost ceased to be preached. Instead of evangelizing, the preachers of the second and third centuries gave themselves to philosophizing. Metaphysics took the place of the simplicity of the Gospel. Then, in the fourth century, God mercifully raised up a man, Augustine, who faithfully and fearlessly proclaimed the Gospel. So mightily did God empower both his voice and pen that more than half of Christendom was shaken by him. Through his instrumentality came a Heaven-sent revival. His influence for good staved off the great Romish heresy for another century. Had the churches heeded his teaching, popery would never have been born. But they turned back to vain philosophy and science, falsely so-called. Then came the Dark Ages, when for centuries the Gospel ceased to be generally preached. Here and there feeble voices were raised, but most of them were soon silenced by the Italian priests. It was not until the fifteenth century that the great Reformation came. God raised up Martin Luther, who taught in no uncertain terms that sinners are justified by faith and not by works.

– A.W. Pink

1886 – 1952

by

Quotes (656)

Error is like leaven of which we read, a little leaven leaveneth the whole lump. Truth mixed with error is equivalent to all error, except that it is more innocent looking and, therefore, more dangerous. God hates such a mixture! Any error, or any truth-and-error mixture, calls for definite exposure and repudiation. To condone such is to be unfaithful to God and His Word and treacherous to imperiled souls for whom Christ died.

– Harry Ironside

1876 – 1951