Christmas is exactly two months away and we already have this year’s wares being peddled by the den of thieves of Christian marketing. Here is their latest debacle: the Nativity Sandbox.
“Reenact the birth of Jesus – with a fun sandbox twist. A 10″-square box holds ten figures plus a tiny stable and the appropriate tools for reverential sand grooming.”
You’ve seen the St. Joseph home selling statue, you’ve seen the patron saint of television statue, now the ancient Roman Catholic art of submission through superstition has spawned yet another useless statue for you to put your trust in and make an idol of: The Saint Benedict home protection kit.
So, are we supposed to use it as a club? Thanks, but no thanks, I’ll continue to rely on my Glock for home protection.
Here’s the official description:
For those looking for protection from the forces of darkness and temptation, our Saint Benedict Home Protection Kit may be just what they seek. Homeowners of all denominations are invited to bring Saint Benedict, the Protector of Hearth and Home, into their lives, into their homes. In this exclusive Home Protection kit, you will find everything you need to protect your home, including step-by-step instructions for its use.
The Saint Benedict Home Protection Kit display includes 16 statues, each in individual full color gift boxes. Individual box contains one 5″ resin statue, a full color story card, two Saint Benedict Medals and a full-color tear-off Saint Benedict holy card with the Prayer to Saint Benedict, Protector of Hearth and Home on the back. — Display: 12 1/4″ W x 8 1/4″ H x 8 1/4″ D; Individual Box: 3″ W x 2″ H x 5 3/8″ D; Two 3/4″ Dia Pewter/Enamel Medals
HT: A Little Leaven
We sometimes tend to think of the early church as pristine, pure, and untroubled by serious error. The truth is, it wasn’t always that way at all. From the the very beginning, the enemies of truth launched an effort to infiltrate and confuse the people of God by mangling the truth and by blending lies with Christian doctrine. Attacks against the truth regularly came not only from persecutors on the outside but also from false teachers and professing believers within the visible community of the church. . . . So false teachers had already infiltrated the [first century] church. They were at that moment safely ensconced in the community of believers. They were being accepted as fellow believers, and their poisonous false teaching was spreading in this church. Jude urged believers to oppose them rather than embrace them. The life of the church depended on it.
– John MacArthur
There is nothing in a man that causes God to justify him, including his repentance and faith. Repentance does not pay for sin. A criminal’s remorse for his crime does not satisfy the just demands of the law. Neither does faith pay for sin! Only the blood of Jesus can pay for sin! Justification is based on the blood of Christ.
– Charles Leiter
Needless to say, the purpose-driven, seeker-friendly churches have produced a huge crop of false converts. Fifteen years ago, when I became director [of Genesis Pregnancy Care Center in Pottstown, PA], we rarely saw Christians coming through our doors, but now 65-75% of our clients say they are “Christians.” Some have had four or more abortions; others are having their third or fourth child out of wedlock. Most are living with boyfriends and have not read a Bible or attended church since they repeated the “magic prayer.” Trying to reach these women with the truth of the Scriptures is like pulling teeth! They believe themselves to be saved, and that’s the end of the discussion. When confronted with their sin, they often become angry and defensive, sometimes to the point of leaving.
– Dianne Pomon
We continue our five-week series on Church discipline with week four’s sermon Protecting Church Purity by Jeff Purswell.
The doctrine of Church discipline is one that most American Christians are unaware even exists and which many others choose to ignore. However, not only is it a reality, it is a biblical mandate for the Church regardless if most pastors in America choose to ignore it (many times for fear it will hurt their church attendance numbers).
Jeff Purswell is pastor of Covenant Life Church.
There’s an old saying that many parents can be heard uttering: “I wish my children came with an instruction manual.” Well, children may not come equipped with an instruction manual, but I found the next best thing: Shepherding a Child’s Heart by Tedd Tripp.
I just completed this book and found it to be the most helpful work on training and disciplining your children in the Lord that I’ve had the pleasure of reading. It has helped me in understanding my faults, what my goals should be, and how to facilitate Biblical principles and standards in the shepherding of the hearts of my children. This book has helped me greatly in how I approach the issues of discipline with my own children.
I highly recommend this book to parents and expecting parents. I read an older version of this book but you can purchase the revised/updated version here or here.
I wanted to share with you Runtu’s top ten list of reasons why he says he can no longer be a Mormon.
10. The Book of Abraham turns out to be a common Egyptian funeral text called the Breathing Permit of Horus.
9. Anachronisms and clear plagiarisms in the Book of Mormon.
8. Joseph Smith’s history of claiming to be able to find buried treasure by looking at a rock in a hat, the same method he would later use to “translate” the Book of Mormon.
7. The wholesale stealing of Masonic rites for Joseph’s inspired temple ceremony.
6. Joseph’s practice of sending men on missions and then “marrying” their wives as soon as they had left town; see, for example, the story of Marinda Johnson Hyde.
5. Joseph’s practice of “marrying” teenage girls behind his wife’s back and promising eternal life to parents of teenagers for their consent.
4. Widespread use of church funds to enrich church leaders, from the days of the Kirtland Safety Society to Brigham Young and beyond.
3. The Mountain Meadows Massacre.
2. Racism, sexism, and homophobia.
1. Most of all, the church’s pattern of hiding all of these things. If you grew up Mormon, you were never told any of these things.
They’re all true. And I won’t be a part of that anymore.
Thank you for sharing, Runtu.
Sincerely,
– The Pilgrim
How apropos.
The Catholic religion has become corrupt the same way Judaism became corrupt—by following the traditions of men instead of the Word of God (Mark 7:13). The Pharisees taught much truth, but by mixing it with error, they “made the word of God of no effect.”
– Mike Gendron
Apparently Trish from Fish With Trish isn’t immune to these Laodicean mailings.
I think Keystone Church is running behind the “relevance caboose” as they’re a little behind the times. The whole Beatles thing was like so five minute ago.
I checked into Keystone and found the following “trailer” for their Beatles “sermon” series.
Sanctification, again, is a thing which does not prevent a man having a great deal of inward spiritual conflict. By conflict I mean struggle within the heart between the old nature and the new, the flesh and the spirit, which are to be found together in every believer. . . . A true Christian is one who has not only peace of conscience, but war within. He may be known by his warfare as well as by his peace.
– J. C. Ryle
1816 – 1900
This is a great video. At the end James White asks the Mormon two questions that the Mormon simply cannot answer.
If we are indistinguishable from the world we will never effectively proclaim the Gospel to the world.
– Jeff Purswell
It is hard to improve on the pattern set by the very first church at Jerusalem. Acts 2:41-42 gives the details: “So then, those who had received His word were baptized and there were added that day about three thousand souls. And they were continually devoting themselves to the apostles’ teaching and to fellowship, to the breaking of bread and to prayer.” We see from these verses the essential functions of the local assembly: evangelism, instruction in the Word, participation in the ordinances, prayer, and fellowship. Intertwined within these would be worship and edification. These activities defined the New Testament church, and distinguished it from a social club or political rally.
– Gary Gilley
Back in July I published a post entitled When the Church Stops Being the Church. In this post I highlighted a trend in which churches claiming to be “Christian” are refusing to preach the Gospel (one of the church’s primary purposes for existence). In this previous post I exampled three particular churches and their (proud) refusal to preach the Gospel
Note: the assembling of the Body together is for our encouragement, building up, instruction, and edification, however, outside the walls of the building the “Church” should be evangelizing.
Now, sadly, I have to make another addition to this commentary: Welcome Zero Church to the repository of the new era of man-centered Christianity as they begin “rethinking faith together.” In their attempt to be edgy and relevant they throw out “preaching” for “a talk” and they have “a band” but “not much worship music.”
Does anyone else see a problem with this? Are we on the slippery slope or are we already face down in the bottom of the canyon?
How then will they call on Him in whom they have not believed? How will they believe in Him whom they have not heard? And how will they hear without a preacher?
Romans 10:14
This week DefCon presents the final installment of Pastor Chuck Betters’ three part series on the lost art of Church discipline.
Chuck Betters’ final sermon on this matter is How to Conduct Church Discipline. I highly recommend this series on this much-neglected doctrine of the Church (you can listen to part one here and part two here).
Chuck Betters is pastor of Glasgow Reformed Presbyterian Church in Bear, Delaware.
Christ Alone Wyoming 