Book review: “Justification and Regeneration” by Charles Leiter.

I recently completed the book Justification and Regeneration by Charles Leiter (with a forward by Paul Washer). This was a great book that explained in the simplest of terms the difference between justification and regeneration in the life of a believer.

It’s a quick and easy read and I highly recommend this book, especially to those who struggle to understand the difference between justification and regeneration.

You can purchase the book from Monergism. Thanks to Tom Rayborn from Christ Church Alton for sending me this book.

Movie Review: “The Search for the Real Mt. Sinai.”

mt-sinai-two-3d.jpg In this documentary two explorers take you to the real location of Mt. Sinai and they have photographic and video proof that this is where the Israelites camped, where Moses ascended the mountain, and where God gave him the Ten Commandments.

This is an amazing documentary that challenges the traditional theory of Mt. Sinai’s location. I highly recommend this video (I’ve watched it more than once). It is a must-see, and it will increase your faith in the authenticity of the Biblical account of Moses’ encounter with God.

Here’s the trailer:

Below is a video excerpt:

See also, the related video: The Mystery of the Ark of the Covenant.

Movie review: The Mystery of the Ark of the Covenant.

Have you wondered where the Ark of the Covenant vanished to? Are you curious as to its whereabouts today? Then this compelling documentary is for you. The Mystery of the Ark of the Covenant traces the possible route the Ark took from Jerusalem to its final resting place in Axum, Ethiopia where it remains today. The enormous mountain of evidence provided in is documentary to support this theory is astounding.

You will follow along as Bob Cornuke and his film crew take you to remote locations to see things that very few people outside of those locations have ever seen. If you’re interested in this adventure and viewing this documentary, you can order the DVD here.

The above picture is where the Ark of the Covenant is believed to be currently housed in Axum,Ethiopia. For more pictures of Axum, go here, here, here, here, and here. (Thanks to Exodus 2006 for the pictures.)

The History Channel also investigated this mystery. You can view the entire episode of their show on the search for the Ark of the Covenant below:

Part One:

Part Two:

Part Three:

Part Four:

Book review: “The Family Worship Book” by Terry L. Johnson

I recently completed The Family Worship Book by Terry L. Johnson. I found it to be a fantastic help in providing the reasons and resources to commit to a daily family devotion time (this, of course, is not at the exclusion of living every aspect of our lives as Believers not just during Sunday mornings and family devotion time).

This book (from a Reformed slant) has many resources contained within so these numerous reference sources are at your fingertips. Some of the things it contains are the Psalter, hymns, creeds, the children’s catechism, the shorter catechism, and a yearly Bible reading plan.

The chapters of this (almost 200 page) book include:

– Introduction to Family Worship

– Making the Commitment to Family Worship

– Outline for Family Worship

– Order for Family Worship

– A Sample of Family Worship

– Family Resources

– Historical Resources

– Family Psalter/Hymnal

I really enjoyed this book and found it to be a wealth of solid resources for family worship time. I highly recommend it for those who are seeking to begin (or improve) their family devotion time.

You can purchase the book here.

Book review: “The True Story of Noah’s Ark” by Tom Dooley (illustrated by Bill Looney).

This is a great children’s book that seeks to accurately portray the truth about the great flood and Noah’s Ark. It is just over 70 pages and each page contains the beautiful illustrations of Bill Looney. The book, entitled The True Story of Noah’s Ark makes you feel like you were really there. The book also comes with an audio book CD and is recommended by Ken Ham of Answers in Genesis.

You can purchase it at FamilyFaithBooks.com.

Destroying the “Jesus was Mithra” nonsense

I’m sure that at some time or another you have probably had some smarty-person try to roll up on you with “Did you know that the character of Jesus was based on Mithra?” nonsense. They may have laid all these “facts” on you about all the “parallels” between Jesus and Mithra. I prefer the Geico­ Caveman™ response:

“Yeah, I’d like to answer that. Uh…….what?”

In short: There were two separate and distinct “Mithra” worship systems–one Persian (Iranian) centuries before Christ; another Roman, beginning at least 100 years AFTER Christ. The first system (Persian) had none of the hallmarks that make up the “Jesus was Mithra” argument. Even the Roman system did not have any characteristics that are UNIQUE to Christianity.

If you have about a half-hour to spare, read this article over at Tektonics. Make sure you do it with a clear head and as few distractions as possible, because it is rather scholarly, technical, and highly annotated. Here is a sample of their research:

What has been the point of this diversion? The point is to give the reader a warning, to be on the lookout any time a critic makes some claim about Mithraism somehow being a parallel to Christianity. Check their sources carefully. If, like Acharya S, they cite source material from the Cumont or pre-Cumont era, then chances are excellent that they are using material that is either greatly outdated, or else does not rely on sound scholarship (i.e., prior to Cumont; works by the likes of King, Lajard, and Robertson). Furthermore, if they have asserted anything at all definitive about Mithraic belief, they are probably wrong about it, and certainly basing it on the conjectures of someone who is either not a Mithraic specialist (which is what Freke and Gandy do in The Jesus Mysteries) or else is badly outdated.

Mithraic scholars, you see, do not hold a candle for the thesis that Christianity borrowed anything philosophically from Mithraism, and they do not see any evidence of such borrowing, with one major exception: “The only domain in which we can ascertain in detail the extent to which Christianity imitated Mithraism is that of art.” [MS.508n] We are talking here not of apostolic Christianity, note well, but of Christianity in the third and fourth centuries, which, in an effort to prove that their faith was the superior one, embarked on an advertising campaign reminiscent of our soft drink wars. Mithra was depicted slaying the bull while riding its back; the church did a lookalike scene with Samson killing a lion. Mithra sent arrows into a rock to bring forth water; the church changed that into Moses getting water from the rock at Horeb. (Hmm, did the Jews copy that one?) Think of how popular Pokemon is these days, and then think of the church as the one doing the Digimon ripoff — although one can’t really bellow about borrowing in this case, for this happened in an age when art usually was imitative — it was a sort of one-upsmanship designed as a competition, and the church was not the only one doing it. Furthermore, it didn’t involve an exchange or theft of ideology.

If anybody tries to pull this fast one on you, point them to this article. It should keep them busy for a while, and dispel any notions they have about such nonsense.

Book review: “Axioms of Separation” by John Ashbrook

I just finished reading a very short book entitled Axioms of Separation by John E. Ashbrook. I never heard of this book before and never heard of its author either, but it was given to me by a friend and it did not disappoint.

Ashbrook calls for true believers not to remain in apostate churches in some valiant but vain attempt to save them, but instead, to come out from among them and be separate. He makes a compelling case for the believers of God not to be counted among the false teachers and apostate churches, but to make a complete separation.

An additional (and more detailed) review of this book can be found here at Better Than Gold.

Book Review: “The Truth War” by John MacArthur.

truth-war.jpg I recently finished reading John MacArthur’s The Truth War, and I highly recommend it to the readers of this blog. It will help you to understand why this blog does what it does and it will give you a proper understanding of the role of the Christian in the defense of the truth of the Gospel.

Whether you agree with this blog or not it will certainly give you a better understanding as to why we do what we do! And for all those engaged in the Truth War, this is one book that you must have in your library.

I also highly recommend MacArthur’s book Ashamed of the Gospel: When the Church Becomes Like the World.

Book Review: “The Road to Reality” by K.P. Yohannan

road-to-reality.jpg After reading K. P. Yohannan’s book Revolution in World Missions, I was really impressed on how he grasped the realities of the lukewarm Church in America.

I just finished reading his follow-up book to that one: The Road to Reality. If he hit a home run with the book Revolution in World Missions, then he hits a grand slam with this one!

In this book he provides a scathing indictment of the lukewarm church and calls the Christian to quit living the lukewarm life. The book flows well and is a page turner. K.P. knows how to communicate well and gets his points across that will certainly leave an impression on you.

Here’s an excerpt from chapter 21:

The streets of India–especially in our bloated, overpopulated cities like Bombay and Calcutta–are maddening to Western visitors. Millions of homeless people are born, live, and die in them. Part toilet, part barnyard, part roadway–they are also the bedroom, living room, and marketplace for the poorest of the world’s poor.

In summertime’s furnace heat, the dust of centuries rises from them to fill your eyes, choking your mouth and nose. In the monsoon rains, the streets turn into vast seas of mud and sewage. In winter, the freezing pavements bring disease and death to those who have nowhere else to rest their starving bodies.

It was one of these nightmarish streets of Bombay that I was surrounded by an army of begging children. Already late and on my way to an important meeting, I tried to ignore the pleading children as I waited for the light to turn green.

Suddenly from the sea of hungry faces I heard a voice so distinct from the rest that I was paralyzed. In crystal clear tones I heard her speaking in plaintive Hindi, “Sir, my father died three months ago of tuberculosis. My mother is too sick to beg anymore. My little brothers and sisters have not eaten for two days. Please, sir, they are hungry and crying. Can you please give me a few pennies so I can buy some bread?”

The light turned green. But I couldn’t move. I was arrested by the image of this little girl who must have been about 9 years old. Her face was one of the most beautiful I’ve ever seen, perfectly shaped with big brown eyes and long black hair.

Through the tears on her cheeks, the dust and the sweat, I could see that in different circumstances this desperate little waif could easily have been a princess. Her filthy hair had obviously not been washed or combed for weeks. She was barefoot and dressed in rags. But I’m still sure she had the potential of being a winner in the Miss World beauty pageant.

Then something else happened. It was as if another face came before my eyes right beside hers. It was another child, about 8, also with big brown eyes. But she had long, clean hair and a shining face. Her clothes were fresh and colorful–and she wore nice socks and tennis shoes. I knew her. She was the best student in her class. Each night she said her prayers and read the Bible. Her parents loved her. She had a comfortable home, air-conditioned from the Texas summer and heated in the cold winter. She had a comfortable bed with clean sheets every week. I didn’t know the name of the dirty little beggar girl, but I did know the name of the girl beside her. It was Sarah, my own darling daughter.

Then I heard a supernatural voice beside me ask, “What is the value of this beggar girl? Is she of less value than your daughter, Sarah?”

To read more, you’ll have to get the book, and I highly recommend that you do. The book can be purchased at Gospel For Asia by clicking here.

Book review: Winning the Witnesses by Daniel Rodriguez.

winning-the-witnesses.gif I just got through reading the brand new book Winning the Witnesses by Daniel Rodriguez (Evangelist to Jehovah’s Witnesses for over 22 years). It was a very good book; quick and easy read. This 107-page book deals with evangelizing Jehovah’s Witnesses using an entirely different method than suggested previously by such men as Walter Martin and Bill Cetnar.

In this book, Daniel Rodriguez explains why the old approach of throwing Scripture back and forth is mostly ineffective by outlining why no matter what verses you quote, the JW is conditioned to not accept what you’re saying. This is because they consider it to be your interpretation, not the Watchtower’s. And since you are viewed as a pagan under the influence of Satan, you can quote Scripture all day long to no effect because they will refuse to accept what you say, even if it’s printed in black and white in their own Bible.

The author’s approach is to sever the JW’s lifeline, the source of all their “truth” and understanding: Their utter dependence and blind obedience to the Watchtower Society. Rodriguez says that if you can help the JW to see that the Watchtower Society is not inspired, you can begin to make great progress with the JW. Rodriguez then provides simple insight on how to show them that the Watchtower Society is not only not inspired, but that they’ve never claimed to be and why they never can claim to be.

For those who want help in their evangelism efforts to JWs, this book is a must-have in your library and makes a great resource for future quick-reference.

I would love to put this author’s evangelism technique to the test, but unfortunately my house has been red flagged by the JWs.

Underground Reality: Vietnam.

underground.jpg I am disappointed to report that Voice of the Martyrs is no longer offering Underground Reality: Vietnam. However, I am pleased to announce that it is now available for rent here from Netflix.

I highly recommend this video. This is a must-see video and it should be shown in all youth groups.

The DVD describes itself as follows:

See what happens when eight ordinary teens set out on a mission to meet the underground church in Vietnam. Travel with The Voice of the Martyrs and a group of American and Australian teenagers as they journey through cities and jungles in order to witness the everyday life of the Vietnamese underground church.

These teens come from the nominal, lukewarm Christian churches so common in America, Europe, and Australia, but by the end of their journey (which includes smuggling Bibles) you see their lives transformed by the realization of what it truly means to be a Christian when your life and liberty are at stake.

The two hour DVD is broken into four half hour episodes and will keep the attention of even its younger viewers.


*** Update ***

The Voice of the Martyrs has made this video available again. You can order it here.

Book review: Holiness by J.C. Ryle.

holiness-jc-ryle.jpg I recently completed reading this powerhouse book Holiness by John Charles Ryle. This is one of those books that every Christian should have on their bookshelf next to their Bible and Pilgrim’s Progress.

This book is a collection of Ryle’s sermons and he conveys his messages clearly and bluntly. He’s very direct and pulls no punches when it comes to sound doctrine and defending the faith (many times from the heretical errors and influences of the Roman Catholic Church). Ryle’s contention throughout the book is that holiness should be one of the major components of a Christian’s life.

It’s very hard to find a good, biblically sound book that was written within the last century. They are out there, but are not so common (error and compromise is pervasive in our time). Many of you know exactly what I’m talking about. If you want good, solid teaching you have to read books from the 19th century or earlier. This book is one of those shining examples that lends support to my theory.

I firmly believe that if more Christians read books like this instead of the junk they read today (and the copious amounts of television to boot) they’d experience a greater growth in their walk. And if more pastors preached like this, their church numbers might become smaller in number, but they would be making an actual impact on the world.

Book review: Ashamed of the Gospel by John MacArthur.

ashamed-of-the-gospel.jpg I just finished reading John MacArthur’s book Ashamed of the Gospel: When the Church Becomes Like the World. I swallowed this up and enjoyed every minute of it.

In this book (written in the early 1990s) MacArthur parallels the compromise in the Church that Charles Spurgeon dealt with in the 19th century with the compromise that we are dealing with in the Church today. MacArthur also deals heavily with the “end justifies the means” approach to evangelism that’s plaguing Christianity today.

The book is well written and an easy read. I highly recommend it to anyone who is concerned with the state of the Church today. I even recommend it more urgently to those who see no problems with the state of the Church today.

John MacArthur definitely hit a home run with this book. My only regret is that I didn’t read it sooner.

You can purchase this book at Family Faith Books.

Movie review: Amazing Grace.

amazing-grace-movie.jpg

I just got to see the movie Amazing Grace. It was very well done and the acting was compelling. (There are several instances in which the “N-word” and “bloody” is used. The words “hell” and “damn” are also used but not in their Biblical context).

While watching the movie I couldn’t help but be constantly reminded of the parallels between the abolition movement and the pro-life movement. The same tired excuses used to continue in the sale of humans back then are similar to the same tired excuses used to continue in the slaughter of humans today. And both of them were done for money.

I’m interested in hearing from anyone else who has seen the movie and came away with the same haunting realization.

Joseph Smith: The Enchanter

enchanter.gif I just received a copy of the brand-new, full-color, 32 page comic The Enchanter produced by Chick Publications. The comic is on the life of Joseph Smith and I was very anxious to read it.

After reading it I was very disappointed on many levels. Although the design, layout, and artwork are good, it failed to touch on the many problems with Mormonism that it could have.

The story starts with a modern-day crime scene and cover-up. The Mormon Doctrine of Blood Atonement is exercised and the Mormon-run police force conclude the murder was a suicide. The victim’s wife seeks financial help from some men in another city to flee the town of Mormons. The two gentlemen who send this lady money to help her, have their curiosity piqued and seek to know more about Mormonism. Another man meets with them and the rest of the book is their conversation with illustrations of Joseph Smith and early Mormonism. The story never returns to the woman who lost her husband.

I have to admit, in my years of studying Mormonism, this comic alleged several things I never came across in my studies (not saying that they’re not true, I just never heard of them). Almost all of the other errors and lies of Mormonism were neglected.

I feel that Chick completely dropped the ball on this one. They missed so many grand opportunities and focused on matters that had less of an impact.

Additionally, I did not like the lack of documentation. If you’re going to make the allegations that this comic did, it only stands to reason to footnote where this information came from. This way when Mormons charge that you are lying and made this stuff up (like Jim did in this post) they can research the information for themselves; if they dare.

After reading this comic, I felt more like it was designed to just bash Joseph Smith and Mormons, not intellectually examine the facts and point the reader to the true Christ. Although the gospel message is included, it gets lost in all the drama.

In conclusion, I feel this comic may do more harm than good in sharing the Gospel with Mormons and enlightening those who are unfamiliar with the organization and its gross errors.

I think that many times Christians in their zealousness to share the truth do much damage. That’s why I cannot recommend this comic. Its attempt to cast Mormons in the light it did, does not sit well with me. Just the other day I was listening to Issues Etc on Pilgrim Radio on the topic of Jehovah’s Witnesses. One caller referred to the Mormons by saying something to the effect “when talking to the morons, uh I mean Mormons . . .” which he did intentionally. This grieves me and angers me at the same time. People who would say that does not have the Mormon’s best interest in mind (their eternal soul) but are just trying to win arguments.

I have yet to meet a Mormon I didn’t like. It’s their false doctrine I take issue with, not the individual Mormon. I get falsely accused all the time of being anti-Mormon and being a Mormon-basher. It usually comes from Mormons who can’t engage in the debate because they know that the Truth is not on their side. In reality, I love the Mormon people. I want to see them saved from the eternal fate they are in, (the deception and the lies which will lead them to Hell), and come to a true relationship with the Jesus of the Bible.

** UPDATE **

It has been brought to my attention by OB Server (thank you) that Chick Publications has referenced the material in this comic on their website. You can see it by clicking here. I wish they had put the references in the book, not everyone will have the opportunity to refer to the website.

Movie review: The Most

I just got the opportunity to watch the Academy Award Nominee short film entitled The Most. (Thanks Tom for blessing me with it). It was a great movie. If you haven’t seen it I recommend you do. Here’s a review from Christianity Today: People who have seen this film count it among the best and most powerful movies they have ever seen. Some say it’s been life-changing.

It has easily become one of my top five favorite films. A parable for our time.

“The Most” is Czech for the bridge. It’s the story of a bridge tender and his young son. A tragedy occurs one day at the bridge which causes the father to have to make an eternal decision: save the life of his son and allow numerous people to die, or sacrifice his son so that those people may live.

Check out more about the film and view the trailer by going to the Most website. I’ve also provided this short video below for you to view.

Vodpod videos no longer available.

Movie review: Thou Shalt Laugh DVD. Fun for the whole lukewarm family.

thou-shalt-laugh.jpg Consider this post a public service of sorts for those of you who have not seen the “Christian” stand-up comic DVD Thou Shalt Laugh. The DVD is marketed at Christians but I’m not sure why. Of course, everyone in it professes faith with their mouth, but the content of their comedic material leaves me wondering. I’ve decided to post a review that I wrote for this DVD from last December. If you’ve seen this video I invite your comments. If you haven’t seen it yet but plan on it, please use caution. Not everything that glitters is gold.

December 03, 2006:

For comedy, it’s ok. For cleanliness it’s better than MOST comedy out there. To call itself “Christian Comedy,” however, I beg to differ! Here’s a quick run down:

1. One comic relates how he was talking to his son about a woman’s breast.

2. One comic used the Lord’s name in vain, not once, but twice. (“OMG”)

3. One comic made several references to him and his wife having sex.

4. One comic told a story of how he tried to kiss a girl that didn’t want to be kissed and when she asked him why he thought she wanted him to kiss her, he said because she “took off her blouse.”

5. One comic makes several references to Voo Doo.

6. In the “outtakes” one comic walks up to a guy on the street and asks him if he’s ever used the Lord’s name in vain, when they guy replies that he’s not sure, the comic kicks him and the guy utters a profanity. (It is bleeped out but it is obvious what he said).

If you are a true Christian who hungers and thirst for righteousness, you will not agree with the DVD claiming to be “Christian.” If you’re a Sunday-only or holiday-only Christian, you’ll see no problem with the above mentioned material, and instead call me a zealot… thank you! Evidently none of the reviewers I’ve read, including mainstream Christian reviews, sees any problem with the material contained in this DVD carrying the name “Christian.” No wonder why Rick Warren is so popular. Tis a shame!

I wonder whatever happened to the pursuit of holiness?

“So because you are lukewarm, and neither hot nor cold, I will spit you out of My mouth.” REVELATION 3:16

Book review: K.P. Yohannan’s book Revolution in World Missions.

I recently finished reading K.P. Yohannan’s book Revolution in World Missions (1.5 million copies in print). I have to admit that, although I had seen in numerous times before, I had no intentions of reading it. But after my wife kept telling me about it as she read it, I picked it up when she was done and was very glad that I did.

This is a fantastic book, easy to read, and a page turner. Yohannan speaks of recent drastic changes in World Missions in light of today’s political and social climate, and he pulls no punches when it comes to the state of the Western Church. He steps on lots of toes in his examination of our comfortable Christianity in light of those truly suffering for the sake of Christ. And best of all, you can order this book absolutely free from the Gospel For Asia website.

Here’s an excerpt from the forward of the book by David and Karen Mains:
“. . . Those evangelists traveling into the unreached villages of Asia have more heart, more fervor, more passion to spread the Gospel of Christ than most of us who are surrounded by the comforts and conveniences of our Western world. We know because we have seen them and talked with them, and they have put us to shame.

Not a book for the satisfied with the status-quo, don’t-rock-the-boat, nominal professing Christians, but definitely a book for those who have a heart for God, a heart for the spreading of the Gospel, and a heart for their neighbor… even if that neighbor is on the other side of the world.

Book review: John Bunyan’s “Pilgrim’s Progress.”

pilgrims-progress.jpg This classic should be on every Christian’s bookshelf. Do I need to even recommend this book? Well I wish someone had for me. I didn’t even know this book existed till last year. Fifteen years in the Charismatic-style church will do that to you. If you are interested in purchasing this book, check it out at Bridge-Logos Publishing. You can also find an exquisite reproduction of the 125 year-old historical compilation manuscript in its original 860 page entirety at Family Faith Books.

pilgrims-progress

Book review: The Triumphant Church featuring Richard Wurmbrand, John Piper and Milton Martin.

triumphant-church.jpg This book, compiled and produced by the Voice of the Martyrs, is a three-part study from the writings of Richard Wurmbrand, John Piper and Milton Martin. An easy read, this book explores God’s perspective of the persecution of His Church. It not only offers first hand accounts of persecution and torture for the sake of Christ, but it also encourages Christians in how to face it. This book is only four dollars and can be ordered by clicking here .