Author: Bill

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Why Is Hell Eternal?

hellI’ve often been challenged with the reasoning: People are expected to forgive others for sinning against them, but God doesn’t have to forgive people. In fact, unless they turn to Him, He tortures them for eternity. Is eternity in hell for sin really fair punishment?

In the past, I’ve tried to reason with the questioner, and explain that God is infinitely holy. When we break His law, we sin against Him and Him alone. Since our sin is against an infinitely holy Being, our punishment is infinite. If I lie to a child, I probably will not suffer any consequences. If I lie to my boss, I could be fired. If I lie while under oath in court, I could go to jail. Under the right circumstances, if I lie to the U.S. government, it would be considered treason, and I could be executed. The same sin receives varying levels of punishment, depending on whom I’ve wronged.

I think that’s a valid explanation for why hell is eternal, but it’s somewhat long and hard to understand. The real reason that hell is eternal is because the Bible says it is. But what’s a good way to explain that to people who don’t care about the Bible?

It’s no surprise that people ask this question. It’s our fallen human nature to ask. I can’t imagine that a very high percentage of the criminals sitting on death row think they deserve the death penalty. I can’t imagine very many speeders in traffic court agree with the fine they’ve been given.

God, being just, is obligated to punish guilty sinners for breaking His law. Is it really any surprise that those guilty lawbreakers don’t like the punishment that’s been promised to them?

I think the best way to answer the question is to remind the person of their guilt, and that it’s their nature to whine and complain about it. The guilty don’t determine their fair sentence; the Judge determines the sentence. It is only ours to take our punishment or run to the Savior.

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A Spherical Gospel Tract

missionball11Last summer, my wife and I attended her class reunion. We piled into one of her classmate’s cars to do some sight seeing for the day. I was surprised to find some gospel tracts I was familiar with in their car. It turns out that this couple likes to go out witnessing. They’ve been on several missions trips, and they’ve had a great idea.

Most Americans realize that soccer is a terrible sport. But in most parts of the world, soccer is the most popular sport. A quick way to draw a crowd is to bring out a soccer ball. What better gift for people who love soccer than a soccer ball with a solid gospel message printed on it? How many people will get to read the message on the soccer ball?

Whenever a Christian tells my friend and me that we’re not witnessing properly, he always responds that they don’t have to do it our way, and rattles off a list of creative ways for them to preach the gospel. There is no shortage of creative ways to preach the gospel, only a shortage of people willing to actually carry out the ideas. I think this soccer ball idea is fantastic, and I’ll be praying for their success.

You can check out their website to find out more. They’re currently trying to raise money to have 10,000 soccer balls manufactured.

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UN Chief Castigates Hamas

United Nations Photo #123784 by Mark Garten of blue helmet dork

United Nations Photo by Mark Garten

Israel consistently takes a beating in the arena of public opinion for causing civilian casualties among the Palestinians. However, a little bit of truth came out in the UN Security Council.

John Holmes, the Humanitarian Affairs Chief of the UN said, “The reckless and cynical use of civilian installations by Hamas and indiscriminate firing of rockets against civilian populations are clear violations of international humanitarian law.”

So, Hamas was firing rockets from Palestinian civilian locations at Israeli civilians. That’s terrorism and murder. I know it’s hard to believe that Muslims are using terrorist tactics.

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Barry Lynn Debates Without a Bible

Here’s a portion of a debate between James White, and Barry Lynn, on the topic, “Is Homosexuality Compatible with Biblical Christianity?” I think the fact that the “Reverend” didn’t bother to bring a Bible to the debate illustrates his lack of respect for the Bible.

Is it not extremely clear which debater is more concerned with discovering what the Bible really says?

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Lifestyle Evangelism Is a Logical Impossibility

When I first started witnessing I assumed that when I ran into Christians, they would cheerfully offer their encouragement and prayers. That hasn’t turned out to be the case, and I’ve come to dread running into Christians, because most say I don’t witness properly. It’s almost certain that they’ll say the Bible doesn’t even tell us to witness. They say we should live a good Christian life, and people will be drawn to that, and ask us what makes us tick. That’s called lifestyle evangelism, and it seems to be very popular.

Here is a Youtube video by an author who wrote a book on evangelism. He explains why we shouldn’t witness the way we always have (and the way Jesus and the apostles did). I wouldn’t recommend watching it unless you really want to, but he says that his interpretation of the Great Commission shows that Christians shouldn’t witness, and his interpretation has never been refuted. I have little interest in reading the book. I don’t know what his arguments are, but here is my argument why Jesus taught us to go preach the gospel.

The Great Commission appears in Matthew 28:19-20, Jesus says, “Go therefore and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all that I commanded you; and lo, I am with you always, even to the end of the age.”

Jesus said to make disciples. Many Christians say that preaching the gospel isn’t making disciples; making disciples is a long process of teaching people how to behave as Christians. While learning to follow Christ will take the rest of our lives, this process will never start without salvation. People are either born-again, or dead in their sins. They’re either disciples of Jesus or they’re not. Making disciples is a synonym for making converts.

How do we make disciples or converts? Only through the preaching of the gospel will anyone ever be able to call on the Savior (Romans 10:14). When the Lord makes someone born again, He will follow through on the good work He has begun in him or her (Philippians 1:6). He doesn’t need our help in discipling people, though often we have the privilege of helping Him.

The whole concept in modern Christianity of discipling a new believer, while it is well-intentioned, is a misnomer. We’re all disciples of Jesus, not of other believers. If I were to disciple someone, they’re my disciple. That’s not what I want. It is indeed clear from the Great Commission that we are to teach others to observe all that He has commanded us. Much of what might incorrectly be called making a disciple should actually be called teaching someone who is already born again.

That leads us to the other objection I’ve heard to the Great Commission. People say Jesus was speaking only to those within earshot, the 11 remaining disciples, and we aren’t included in the command to make disciples. But Jesus commanded them to make disciples, and teach the new disciples to do what He’s commanded, which would include making disciples. All Christians should obey Christ’s command to make disciples.

This makes lifestyle evangelism a logical impossibility. Living a good Christian lifestyle involves being obedient to Christ. This would preclude picking and choosing to which commands we’re to be obedient. Among the commands Jesus gave is preaching the gospel. It’s impossible to lead a Christian lifestyle without opening our mouths and spreading the gospel.

Can I be a good lifestyle evangelist if I never show up to work on time? Can I be a good lifestyle evangelist if I treat my family poorly? Can I be a good lifestyle evangelist while being disobedient to Christ’s command to preach the gospel? My answer to all of these is: definitely not.

We’re all responsible to God for our obedience to the Great Commission. If you want a good dose of conviction that will hopefully motivate you, watch this.

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One Reason Why We’re In This Economic Mess

fox1I had the television on in the background while doing other things last Saturday. I was watching Bulls and Bears on Fox News, and the panel had a short discussion on how divorce affects the economy. I was shocked that everyone had the same opinion. Here’s a transcript of the conversation from the Bulls and Bears website:

Divorce Rates Drop During These Tough Financial Times: Is It Better to Stay Miserably Married With Money or Get Divorced, Be Broke and Happy?

Tracy Byrnes: If you want to stick it out and try counseling to make it work, I am all for it. But you have other things. Unhappy couples, and then we have domestic violence. You can make it work. Go to mediators. You don’t necessarily need attorneys. Attorneys are going to be e-mailing me now. But you can get it done economically. It is much more costly to be divorced, absolutely. But at the end of the day it has everything to do with your heart and happiness. Who cares about the wallet?

Wayne Rogers: You have to divide it. One is an emotional decision. The other one is a practical one. If you can’t afford it, you can’t afford it. You can’t mix the two. If you can’t afford it, you have to stay together. If it’s going to kill you otherwise then split up.

John Bradshaw Layfield: My wife is rich, so it is great for me to stay married. She is watching right now. So it’s better for me to stay married. But if you’re miserable, get out. One of the best things you can do as far as home ownership is stay married that help the economy. People buy more things when they own a home. But if you’re miserable, get out!

Jonas Max Ferris: That is the irony. The American dream keeps people together when it is declining in value. They separate because they want the money from the home. Divorce can be good for the housing money. Right now if people got divorced, it would be excellent for the housing market. We need that demand. There are other things you benefit from being together. You have shared cost and more disposable income. If you are in an unhappy marriage with a lot of disposable income, you might buy things to try and make it better.

Jonathan Hoenig: For me, there is no difference between a relationship and a stock. If it is not working out, dump it. If it is not working out, cut your losses. It is going to be much cheaper in the long run.

God hates divorce (Malachi 2:16). For these people to unanimously say that it’s OK to get divorced with barely a moment’s thought given to what God might think reveals the predicament of this country. Righteousness exalts a nation (Proverbs 14:34), and these people don’t even give righteousness lip service.

When we get married, we make a promise, and to pursue a divorce is breaking our promise. If it’s so easy to break a promise that we make, oftentimes, before all of our friends and family, how can it be a big deal to break our word with people with whom we’re doing business? Capitalism must break down; it’s not designed for a completely unrighteous people. As America slips into paganism, our economy will become the economy of a pagan nation.

So how should these people have answered the question? The answer is that the purpose of marriage isn’t to make us happy, but to make us holy, and to make us more Christ-like. We keep our word, and stick things out.

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A Prophet’s Bizarre Beliefs

The sayings of Muhammad have been compiled in the Hadith. Muslims consider the Hadith to be sacred in Islam, albeit not quite as important as the Qur’an. They use it as a guide to living a good Muslim life, and to the interpretation of the Qur’an.

The following teachings of Muhammad are in the Hadith:

  • Adam (Eve’s husband) was 90 feet tall. “The Prophet said, ‘Allah created Adam, making him 60 cubits tall'” (Volume 4, Book 55, Number 543).”
  • If a house fly falls in the drink of anyone of you, he should dip it (in the drink), for one of its wings has a disease and the other has the cure for the disease” (Volume 4, Book 54, Number 537).
  • The spirits (Jinn) eat bones and animal dung. “What about the bone and the animal dung?” He said, “They are of the food of Jinns” ( Volume 5, Book 58, Number 200).
  • Satan may be in your nose. Be sure to practice proper nasal hygiene to dislodge him. “If anyone of you rouses from sleep and performs the ablution, he should wash his nose by putting water in it and then blowing it out thrice, because Satan has stayed in the upper part of his nose all the night” (Volume 4, Book 54, Number 516).
  • Fevers are caused by the fire of hell. The proper treatment is cold water. “The Prophet said, ‘Fever is from the heat of the (Hell) Fire, so cool it with water'” (Volume 4, Book 54, Number 485).
  • Satan may urinate in your ear if you sleep through prayer. “A person was mentioned before the Prophet (p.b.u.h.) and he was told that he had kept on sleeping till morning and had not got up for the prayer. The Prophet said, ‘Satan urinated in his ears'” (Volume 2, Book 21, Number 245).
  • When passing through a cemetery, Muhammad knew that one of the dead was in hell because the deceased had gotten urine on himself. “Indeed, one of them never saved himself from being soiled with his urine” (Volume 1, Book 4, Number 215).
  • While getting your own urine on yourself is terribly sinful, drinking a mixture of camel milk and urine is a good treatment for getting used to a new climate. “Some people of ‘Ukl or ‘Uraina tribe came to Medina and its climate did not suit them. So the Prophet ordered them to go to the herd of (Milch) camels and to drink their milk and urine (as a medicine)” (Volume 1, Book 4, Number 234).

There is no shortage of these silly writings; this is not anywhere near an exhaustive list. These teachings speak for themselves. How can any Muslim believe that Muhammad is a prophet of God after learning of these teachings? Is there any possible defense?

Maybe the saddest saying I ran across was this one: “By Allah, though I am the Apostle of Allah, yet I do not know what Allah will do to me” (Volume 5, Book 58, Number 266). If Muhammad doesn’t know where he’ll spend eternity, no Muslim can. This is a stark contrast with Christianity. The Bible says that we can know for certain that we are born again as children of God (Romans 8:16), and have assurance of eternity in heaven (1 John 5:13).

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Missing the Messiah

The majority of Jews do not believe that Jesus is the Messiah. Even though they are God’s chosen people, the Bible tells us that many will miss the Messiah: “For the Israelites will live many days without king or prince, without sacrifice or sacred stones, without ephod or idol. Afterward the Israelites will return and seek the LORD their God and David their king. They will come trembling to the LORD and to his blessings in the last days” (Hosea 3:4–5).

At the dedication of the first temple (2 Chronicles 7:1–3), the glory of the LORD filled the holy building; fire came down from heaven and consumed the sacrifices. The priests couldn’t even enter into the temple. It must have been an amazing sight, but what happened at the second temple was to be even more glorious.

The prophet Haggai says, “This is what the LORD Almighty says: ‘In a little while I will once more shake the heavens and the earth, the sea and the dry land. I will shake all nations, and the desired of all nations will come, and I will fill this house with glory,’ says the LORD Almighty. ‘The silver is mine and the gold is mine,’ declares the LORD Almighty. ‘The glory of this present house will be greater than the glory of the former house,’ says the LORD Almighty. ‘And in this place I will grant peace,’ declares the LORD Almighty” (Haggai 2:6–9).

This prophecy was fulfilled when God in the flesh (Jesus Christ) came to the temple and taught the people, offered Himself as the spotless Lamb on Passover, and offered the first fruits of resurrection when he rose from the dead on the day of the Festival of Firstfruits. He brought peace with God through the forgiveness of sins. There is no other explanation for how the glory of the second temple could have been greater than the glory of the first. Either the Messiah came to the second temple, or He’ll never come. The second temple has been destroyed, but what happened there was more glorious than what took place at the first temple.

Even though many Jewish people are oblivious to their Messiah, they are a light to the Gentiles to bring salvation to the ends of the earth (Isaiah 49:6). Through the offspring of David, billions of people worship the God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob. Hosea 3:4–5 has already been partially fulfilled, and some day soon it will be fulfilled in its entirety—when the Israelites “will come trembling to the LORD and to his blessings in the last days.”

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Poignant Commentary from James White

In my Bible study this morning, we discussed what we should be praying for Barack Obama. It turned into an hour long discussion, and it seemed we arrived at many of the same conclusions that James White has arrived at in this 18 minute video.

America is very materialistic. The people of this country need to decide whether they are going to trust God or mammon. It seems that many times God, in His grace, slowly removes all our options, until we are forced to choose His way. If He has to destroy everyone’s retirement account to bring one person to faith in Him, that is a small price to pay.

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Sunday Worship

On Sundays, my wife and I join other believers, and worship the Creator, who alone is worthy of praise. Little did I know it at the time, but on the same day we went to church, some other people gathered to sing praises to their own god. To see it take place is pretty creepy.

Be sure to watch this video only once, or the tune will get stuck in your head.

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Boston’s Old South Meeting House

On a recent vacation, my wife and I spent a day in Boston visiting some interesting historic sights. The Old South Meeting House, where we stopped first, was a Puritan church building. (The Puritans never called their buildings churches, as they recognized that the church is the people who make up the body of Christ.) The building held many types of meetings with a variety of famous orators, including George Whitfield. It’s most well-known, however, for the meeting in which 5,000 colonists gathered to discuss the British tax on tea. When Samuel Adams gave the pre-arranged signal to begin the tea party by saying, “This meeting can do nothing more to save the country” the Sons of Liberty stormed out and emptied three tea ships of their cargo.

Today, the Old South Meeting House is a museum, with displays for each phase of the structure’s history. These include statues of some important people who have been involved in the history of the building. Margaret Sanger, the founder of Planned Parenthood, has been honored with a statue for her stance on freedom of speech. She wanted to speak at the meeting house, but the mayor of Boston prohibited her (and many others) from speaking because of her controversial views. In protest, she covered her mouth with a piece of fabric.

While I support everyone’s right to free speech in public places, I think it’s curious that the museum chose to honor Margaret Sanger, an avowed racist and proponent of genocide. Here are a few of her quotes:

“The most merciful thing that the large family does to one of its infant members is to kill it.”
Woman and the New Race

“Birth control must lead ultimately to a cleaner race.”
Woman, Morality, and Birth Control. New York: New York Publishing Company, 1922. Page 12.

“We should hire three or four colored ministers, preferably with social-service backgrounds, and with engaging personalities. The most successful educational approach to the Negro is through a religious appeal. We don’t want the word to go out that we want to exterminate the Negro population.”
Margaret Sanger’s December 19, 1939 letter to Dr. Clarence Gamble
 
I wonder what the curator’s thought process was when he or she chose to honor Margaret Sanger with a statue. Did the museum’s decision makers realize they were honoring a very evil person—one who sought extermination of an entire group of people? Why didn’t they honor the KKK members or someone else who was prohibited from speaking at the meeting house? As a museum customer, I was offended that someone so wicked had been honored with a life-size statue.

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Witnessing at the Democratic National Convention

A friend and I met some guys from Nebraska to go witnessing at the Democratic National Convention in Denver last month. It was quite interesting to see the overwhelming police presence, the great number of reporters, and the creepy protestors. The guys from Nebraska have some interesting witnessing techniques that I wasn’t sure about at the beginning, but after observing them in action, I realized they were effective ways to get conversations started easily.

The Nebraskans had three 5’x7’ signs, which they display on poles. The large signs can be seen from quite a distance. The one we were using says, “It’s your choice: Jesus or hell.” Of course, to think about myself standing there with a sign was a little bit of a gut check. Do I really want to take such a bold stand for the gospel? Is this drawing too much attention to me? (Of course, it’s important to exercise wisdom about the proper venue for such a sign.) After seeing many people walk up to these guys and ask questions about the gospel—whether to start a debate or with genuine questions—the effectiveness was evident. They didn’t have to try to start conversations with people. People interested in conversing came to them. At various points, the sign drew quite a crowd of people with whom to discuss our faith.

Witnessing with the sign near the state capitol.

Witnessing with the sign near the state capitol.

 One Nebraska friend also came with a tract specially written for the event titled, “Jesus doesn’t vote Republican” and in fine print, “(Democrat either).” It explained that Jesus, as the King of Kings, appoints to office whomever He wants, and it gave a solid gospel message. We were folding about 200 copies in Office Max when a young man asked if he could read it. He quickly glanced at the title, announced he was with the Ralph Nader campaign, and asked if we would like to have a table at the Green Party event the following day. We told him that we’d be interested, but we didn’t hold out much hope that the offer would stand after they scrutinized the message of the tract. He just said that he’d have a lady from the campaign call us with the details.

After folding the tracts, we went witnessing at the interfaith assembly, packed with people. One of the Nebraskans who stood there with the sign must have had 50 pictures taken of him, and was interviewed by various media outlets multiple times. I handed out about 150 tracts. Most people were busily going wherever they were headed, and not too interested in having conversations, although I did have a couple.

After a couple of hours, we went to the park in front of the state Capitol where the protest parades were beginning. Our original plan was to eat lunch—until we heard a singer in a band performing there said that there would be no Judgment Day. We took that to mean that the people there needed to hear the truth about Judgment Day, and we set up our sign in the park. The people were open to talking; each of us had many good conversations there.

While the other guys were standing with the big sign, they passed me a little sign that said, “Repent for the kingdom of God is near.” I leaned against my leg and passed out tracts to the people who walked past. Several people came up and talked to me. I was interviewed by a Fort Collins radio station, and I gave a quick gospel message. I was also interviewed by a Boulder newspaper. The other guys were interviewed on camera by BET and Al Gore TV and others, so I hope the gospel got on the air somewhere.

The next morning, the lady from the Ralph Nader campaign called, and gave us the details about setting up a table at the rally, which was held at the University of Denver arena. We were the sole Christian table. Others had messages such as stop torturing terrorists, impeach Bush, give Israel to the Palestinians, fight for women’s rights at work, and support the Sierra Club. It was clearly miraculous for us to get the opportunity to pass out tracts and witness inside a far left event.

Our table at the Ralph Nader rally.

Our table at the Ralph Nader rally.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

The people were nicer than I had expected at all of the events. I’ve found that oftentimes those who hold tolerance as the highest virtue fail to exercise tolerance of Christians, but most people behaved well. There was no shortage of leftists with their far-out ideas, but the worst thing to see was the “sweet,” little, old pro-choice ladies.

I’m sold on the sign evangelism technique. I think every Christian should be handed his or her own huge sign as he or she exits the baptismal waters. Until then, we’ll all have to procure our own.

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A Mormon Mistake

Mormons believe that Jesus is Jehovah, (the LORD in most versions of the Old Testament). I would certainly agree with them on that. Since that is the case, it becomes very easy to refute most of what they believe about Jesus.

Those who adhere to the teachings of Mormonism believe Jesus hasn’t always existed. But Psalm 90:2, referring to Jehovah, says, “…even from everlasting to everlasting, thou art God.” They say you should only pray to the Father, but throughout the Old Testament, people prayed to Jehovah (Genesis 25:21 says, “Isaac prayed to the LORD on behalf of his wife, because she was barren. The LORD answered his prayer, and his wife Rebekah became pregnant.”)

Latter-day Saints also believe at least three gods exist: The Father is a god called Elohim, the Holy Spirit is a god, and Jesus is a god. According to the Bible, however, before Jehovah there was no God formed, nor will there be after Him (Isaiah 43:10).

Clearly, whoever came up with the concept that the Father is Elohim and Jesus is Jehovah had zero knowledge of Hebrew. Elohim is the Hebrew word for God, and Jehovah is God’s name (Psalm 83:18). There are dozens of verses that claim Jehovah is Elohim. Deuteronomy 4:35 says, “Unto thee it was shewed, that thou mightest know that the LORD [Jehovah] he is God [Elohim]; there is none else beside him.”

Furthermore, a belief in three separate gods makes mincemeat out of the first of the Ten Commandments. The first commandment (Exodus 20:3) says, “Thou shalt have no other gods before me.” Jehovah wrote that with His finger in stone. If that is Jesus speaking, as the second god, is it blasphemy for Him to say that we should have no gods before Him? What about the Father? If it’s the Father speaking, why is Jesus worshipped by the angels (Hebrews 1:6)? Aren’t the angels obligated to obey the Ten Commandments?

Mormons would like us to believe that the Bible is corrupted, and Joseph Smith was able to restore the truth. They have to believe the Bible is corrupted, because if it weren’t, the LDS church would cease to exist. Here’s a chicken or egg question for you: Did Mormonism come about because Joseph Smith thought the Bible was corrupt, or did he teach the Bible was corrupt because he came up with Mormonism?

While there are so many misconceptions about the Trinity, it is the concept that makes sense out of the entire Bible. All of the non-Trinitarian ideas-including those of the Mormons-fall apart when viewed through a Scriptural lens.

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Becoming a God

If you’re looking for a religion that promotes the aspiration to become a god, you won’t have to look far.

This seemingly popular doctrine must appeal to a basic desire of sinful men. Satan played on this desire in the Garden of Eden (Genesis 3) when he convinced Adam and Eve to doubt God, who had said the couple would die if they ate the fruit. Instead, Satan told them, they would be like God if they transgressed the only law God gave them.

Mormonism teaches that good Mormons will become gods. This is a doctrine that the Mormon missionaries won’t bring up on their first door-to-door visit, but, from my experience, they will defend it when confronted with it. Becoming gods is a clear teaching of the LDS church, contained in their Scripture:

Referring to those who are married eternally through Mormonism, and don’t commit murder,

“Then shall they be gods, because they have no end; therefore shall they be from everlasting to everlasting, because they continue; then shall they be above all, because all things are subject unto them. Then shall they be gods, because they have all power, and the angels are subject unto them.” (Doctrines and Covenants 132:20).

Catholicism also teaches that people can become gods—in very plain language.

“For the Son of God became man so that we might become God. The only-begotten Son of God, wanting to make us sharers in his divinity, assumed our nature, so that he, made man, might make men gods.” Catholic Catechism 460

While there are many schools of thought in Hinduism, new ageism, paganism, and Satanism, many who practice these religions also hope to become gods. Hindus can become gods through many cycles of reincarnation. The new age religion teaches that men will evolve into gods someday (in the age of Aquarius). Pagans worship nature and deities that control nature, and through learning more and more about esoteric truths, they believe they may attain godhood (also known as Gnosticism). Some Satanists believe that Satan is the true God of the universe, and will someday re-ascend to his previous place. When this happens, his loyal followers will be made gods as their reward.

Mormonism and Catholicism appear to me to be merely Christianized versions of new age, pagan and Satanic religions. They all use the prospect of becoming a god to appeal to the pride of fallen man.

The Bible teaches something much different: There is only one God (Isaiah 43:10, John 17:3). If that isn’t a big enough blow to the pride of sinful man, here’s an even bigger insult: Every human is commanded to die to him or herself, and live for the glory of the only true God. Anything else is idolatry.

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Confronting the Religious

Pilgrim’s post showing street preachers confronting an antichrist church reminded me of some other similar videos I’ve seen and enjoyed. May God grant every one of us the boldness these guys have.

The first two videos are a couple of open-air preachers outside of a Rob Bell event. I’ve met the guy on the right. You can check out Kerrigan Skelly’s website.

Here’s a guy (who’s a little less polished) outside Joel Osteen’s church:

I just found out about this one today. I know nothing about this guy, and it’s hard to tell what he says, but he at least told Gene Robinson what he needs to hear: “Repent!”

If the above video is unavailable, you can check out this site.

Added 2/20/10 as a result of this post.

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Are Jehovah’s Witnesses Children of the Devil?

When I ask if Jehovah’s Witnesses are children of the devil, I’m not trying to provoke an emotional response. The Watchtower leaves me with no other option than to answer that question in the affirmative. I’ve asked many Jehovah’s Witnesses if they’re children of God or children of the devil, and most have refused to answer the question, and none have offered a satisfactory response.

1 John 3:10 (ESV) says, “By this it is evident who are the children of God, and who are the children of the devil: whoever does not practice righteousness is not of God, nor is the one who does not love his brother.

This verse offers two alternatives. Everyone is either a child of God or a child of the devil. According to the Watchtower:

  • Only the 144,000 are children of God. According to the Watchtower article, “Who are Born Again?” that refers to the 144,000, “More than that, Jehovah now recognized them as his sons. The apostle Paul shows how: ‘For all who are led by God’s spirit, these are God’s sons . . . God’s children’ (Romans 8:14, 16). They were now accepted as part of God’s heavenly family.”
  • Only those certain ones destined for heaven are children of God. In “What Does It Mean to be “Born Again”?” the Watchtower writes, “By thus being born of spirit, those disciples became spirit-begotten sons of God, with the prospect of heavenly life. They are Kingdom heirs in association with Jesus Christ. Commenting on this in his letter to believers at Rome, the Christian apostle Paul wrote: ‘You received a spirit of adoption as sons, by which spirit we cry out: “Abba, Father!” The spirit itself bears witness with our spirit that we are God’s children. If, then, we are children, we are also heirs: heirs indeed of God, but joint heirs with Christ.'”-Rom. 8:15-17.”

I agree with the Watchtower that only those who are born again are children of God (John 1:12-13). But that leaves the millions of Jehovah’s Witnesses who are not of the 144,000 as children of the devil. Do children of the devil inherit the earth? Will they spend eternity on paradise earth? Clearly they will not-unless they choose to repent and trust Jesus alone for their eternal salvation.

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Movie Review: Fireproof

I got to see Fireproof last week, and I thouroughly enjoyed it. My wife works for a Christian organization, so we got to see it before its offical release in September. Not only is it entertaining, but it also has a solid gospel presentation. I would highly recommend going to see it when it comes out in theatres in September.

You can take a look at the Fireproof website, and check out the preview below:

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Fun with My 1,000 Closest Jehovah’s Witness Friends

My friend and I had an adventure at the Jehovah’s Witness district convention on the weekend. Our goal was to pass out tracts to those leaving the event.

I was surprised by how large the event was—probably a few thousand people. One person told me all the surrounding states were represented. We sat on a bench outside the venue, waiting for the convention to conclude. After a few minutes, a guy came up to us and asked if we were planning to hand out literature. How he knew why we were there, I’m not sure (there were other events going on in the same area). We answered in the affirmative; he just told us we were wasting our time. Continue reading →

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Words are Necessary

Random pastors, an elder in my church, and a special breed of drunk “Christians” (who try to pass themselves off as expert advisers as they stumble out of bars) all give me eerily similar advice: my evangelism methods are all wrong.

The advice I’ve heard so often seems to be gaining in popularity—along with a ministry dedicated to wimpy evangelism. Doable Evangelism is dedicated to “re-inventing evangelism.” (I didn’t realize it needed to be re-invented; I’m convinced God got it right the first time in the Bible.)

Doable Evangelism’s premise is that because most Christians aren’t gifted evangelists, it’s okay if they choose to do good deeds rather than preach the gospel. I agree that good deeds are important and commanded of Christians—but doing kind actions alone without speaking words of truth is not evangelism. I do agree with Doable Evangelism’s belief that much of evangelism in America isn’t very biblical. We don’t eliminate unbiblical evangelism, however, by espousing new, unbiblical methods.

Romans 1:16 says, “For I am not ashamed of the gospel, for it is the power of God for salvation to everyone who believes, to the Jew first and also to the Greek.” This verse contains the diagnosis for everyone who has a misunderstanding of biblical evangelism. The gospel is the message that saves!

Preaching the gospel is not necessarily easy or even enjoyable (though I have found it to be fun, and I can attest that Philemon 6 is true), but it is commanded. We must not be ashamed of the gospel, unwilling to risk anything for Jesus.

Can you really say you’re trying to be an example to others by living a Christian life and doing good while being disobedient to Jesus’ command to preach the gospel? And if you’re not telling others using words—and just hoping they’ll read your mind as you do kind deeds—are you really living a Christian life?

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Was Hitler a Hindu?

Interestingly, there are many similarities between Hitler’s beliefs and Hinduism.

Hitler Hinduism
People of Aryan descent are a more pure race. Society is divided into castes, and the higher castes are expected to have lighter skin. The term “Aryan” comes from Hinduism.
Humanity can be bred to become a master race. Through yoga and many lifetimes, people may become gods, and eventually reach Nirvana.
The symbol of Nazism was the swastika. The swastika is a symbol that has been used for hundreds of years to represent the Hindu god of creation, Brahma. It is a prevalent symbol in Hindu society.

 

Hinduism seems to provide much of the foundation for many religions, including new age thought, Buddhism, and Wicca. Nazism is just one more in a long line of such adaptations.

Clearly the swastika has some satanic significance. While Hindus believe the swastika has a positive meaning, it represents opposition to the one, true God, which is never positive. When the swastika arrived in Germany, all positive pretenses from India were discarded and evil—in its most palpable, horrendous form—was unveiled.

Hitler, who didn’t claim to be a Hindu, nevertheless believed in a combination of evolution and occult concepts stemming from Hinduism. Evolution conveniently provides a seemingly scientific reason to believe in the caste system of Hinduism. Hitler took this belief—that some have evolved more than others—to its ghastly, yet logical, conclusion.