Faith

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“The Roman Road to Wrath” by Brannon Howse.

Back in June of 2008 I published a piece on the downward spiral of sin entitled The Evolution of Sin. In similar fashion I recently discovered the following piece by Brannon Howse from May of 2009 entitled The Roman Road to Wrath: Five Consequences for a Nation that Rejects God. The parallels between Paul’s admonitions and America’s current condition (as described in both posts) are inescapable.

The Roman Road to Wrath

Five Consequences for a Nation that Rejects God

By Brannon Howse

Ideas-and the actions they produce-have consequences, and the Bible is very specific about what a nation will reap when it rejects God. America is already experiencing the results of the ideological path it has been wandering. Lawlessness and disorder have their roots in our continually snubbing the God of the Bible.

Chapter 1 of Romans delineates five specific national consequences for denying God. To be sure, there are others outlined in Leviticus, Deuteronomy, and elsewhere in the Old Testament, but in this article I will focus just on Paul’s warnings because they are so explicit and frighteningly relevant to what is happening in America today.

1. The nation that continually rejects God becomes a nation of fools.

Romans 1:21-22:  
Because, although they knew God, they did not glorify Him as God, nor were thankful, but became futile in their thoughts, and their foolish hearts were darkened. Professing to be wise, they became fools.

According to verse 21, people become futile, vain, and useless. Their hearts become darkened, allowing them to be seduced into accepting spiritual lies.

Verse 22 points out that even though they profess to be wise, they actually become fools. This refers specifically to the extremes men will go to in order to justify their sin and false beliefs about God. Situational ethics, moral relativism, and postmodernism are all methods used to justify rebellion against the character and nature of God. (And remember Psalm 14:1? It tells us that it’s the fool that says in his heart there is no God. America has denied God and the need for His existence in every area of life.)

2. The nation that continually rejects God accepts pagan spirituality.

Romans 1:25:
Who exchanged the truth of God for the lie, and worshipped and served the creature rather than the Creator, who is blessed forever. Amen.

Pagan spirituality centers on the worship of nature, yet its ultimate goal is to sidestep feeling guilt-for anything. Our world has moved from theism to atheism to pantheism, the belief that “god is all and all is god and all is one.” The Denver Post in June 2008 reported that pagan spirituality is doubling in America every 18 months.

Continue reading →

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Persecution in Pakistan by the “Religion of Peace.”

A sobering reminder that most Christians in this world are not experiencing their Best Life Now.

Rasheed Masih was murdered with axes by six Muslims for refusing to convert to Islam. Arshed Masih was burned alive in front of a police station for refusing to recant his faith and his wife was raped by a police officer (article found here).

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Democracy is always temporary in nature.

DefCon is not a political blog. We do, however, touch on political topics when appropriate. See past posts such as Has the Religious Right Lost Its Voice in American Politics? and The Fall of the United States of Rome for examples.

I recently found the following piece that was written by VA Voter back on October 22, 2007. I found it here on Free Republic.com and felt compelled to share it with the readers of this blog. Although America was originally a republic, there is little doubt it has since morphed into a democracy.

VA Voter’s post is very eye-opening but since its posting I have received information that those who the quotes are attributed to never made them. I do not wish to promulgate error, and sincerely apologize if  this re-posting of VA Voter’s piece mislead anyone.

With that said, I will allow the following quote (from the original thread I procured this from) to stand. Regardless of whoever the original source of the following quote is from, I think it is very thought-provoking and is further proof that Believers should not trust in such temporal things as horses and chariots, but we should trust in the eternal name of our Lord (Psalm 20:7).

A Democracy is always temporary in nature:

‘A democracy is always temporary in nature; it simply cannot exist as a permanent form of government’

‘A democracy will continue to exist up until the time that voters discover they can vote themselves generous gifts from the public treasury’

‘From that moment on, the majority always vote for the candidates who promise the most benefits from the public treasury, with the result that every democracy will finally collapse due to loose fiscal policy, which is always followed by a dictatorship’

‘The average age of the world’s greatest civilizations from the beginning of history, has been about 200 years’

‘During those 200 years, those nations always progressed through the following sequence:

1. From bondage to spiritual faith;

2. From spiritual faith to great courage;

3. From courage to liberty;

4. From liberty to abundance;

5. From abundance to complacency;

6. From complacency to apathy;

7. From apathy to dependence;

8. From dependence back into bondage’

And finally, I wanted to leave you with a quote that’s been attributed to Winston Churchill:

The best argument against democracy is a five-minute conversation with the average voter.

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Sermon of the week: “The Shack Uncovered” by Michael Youssef.

Your sermon of the week is The Shack Uncovered by Michael Youssef. In this message Youssef lays out thirteen heresies in the book The Shack that, for some reason, many professing Christians think is a good book and sound in its doctrine.

The following video is a snippet from this message. You can watch the entire message here, or you can download the audio by right-clicking here. Additionally, I’ve included (below this video) the thirteen heresies Michael Youssef levies against this book.

Thirteen Heresies in The Shack

1. God the Father was crucified with Jesus.

Because God’s eyes are pure and cannot look upon sin, the Bible says that God would not look upon His own beloved Son as He hung on the Cross, carrying our sins (Habakkuk 1:13; Matthew 27:45).

2. God is limited by His love and cannot practice justice.

The Bible declares that God’s love and His justice are two sides of the same coin — equally a part of the personality and the character of God (Isaiah 61:8; Hosea 2:19).

3. On the Cross, God forgave all of humanity, whether they repent or not. Some choose a relationship with Him, but He forgives them all regardless.

Jesus explained that only those who come to Him will be saved (John 14:6).

4. Hierarchical structures, whether they are in the Church or in the government, are evil.

Our God is a God of order (Job 25:2).

5. God will never judge people for their sins.

The Word of God repeatedly invites people to escape from the judgment of God by believing in Jesus Christ, His Son (Romans 2:16; 2 Timothy 4:1-3).

6. There is not a hierarchical structure in the Godhead, just a circle of unity.

The Bible says that Jesus submitted to the will of the Father. This doesn’t mean that one Person is higher or better than the other; just unique. Jesus said, “I came to do the will of Him who sent me. I am here to obey my Father.” Jesus also said, “I will send you the Holy Spirit” (John 4:34, 6:44, 14:26, 15:26).

7. God submits to human wishes and choices.

Far from God submitting to us, Jesus said, “Narrow is the way that leads to eternal life.” We are to submit to Him in all things, for His glory and because of what He has accomplished for us (Matthew 7:13-15).

8. Justice will never take place because of love.

The Bible teaches that when God’s love is rejected, and when the offer of salvation and forgiveness is rejected, justice must take place or God has sent Jesus Christ to die on the cross for nothing (Matthew 12:20; Romans 3:25-26).

9. There is no such a thing as eternal judgment or torment in hell.

Jesus’ own description of hell is vivid … it cannot be denied (Luke 12:5, 16:23).

10. Jesus is walking with all people in their different journeys to God, and it doesn’t matter which way you get to Him.

Jesus said, “I am the way, the truth, and the life, and no one will come to the Father but by me” (John 14:6).

11. Jesus is constantly being transformed along with us.

Jesus, who dwells in the splendor of heaven, sits at the right hand of God, reigning and ruling the universe. The Bible says, “In Him there is no change, for He is yesterday, today, and forever” (Hebrews 11:12, 13:8; James 1:17).

12. There is no need for faith or reconciliation with God because everyone will make it to heaven.

Jesus said, “Only those who believe in me will have eternal life” (John 3:15, 3:36, 5:24, 6:40).

13. The Bible is not true because it reduces God to paper.

The Bible is God-breathed. Sure, there were many men through 1,800 years who put pen to paper (so to speak), each from different professions and different backgrounds, but the Holy Spirit infused their work with God’s words. These men were writing the same message from Genesis to Revelation.

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Quotes (712)

A W Pink Christendom has not fallen into its present condition all of a sudden; rather its present state is the outcome of a long and steady deterioration. The deadly poison of error was introduced here a little, there a little, with the quantity increased as less opposition came against it. As the acquiring of “converts” absorbed more and more of the attention and strength of the Church, the standard of doctrine lowered, sentiment displaced convictions, and fleshly methods were introduced. In a comparatively short time many of those sent out to “the foreign field” were rank Arminians, preaching “another gospel.” This reacted upon the homeland, and soon the interpretations of Scripture given out from the pulpits moved into line with the “new spirit” which had captivated Christendom.

– A.W. Pink

1886 – 1952

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10 Things.

The following top ten list (plus one, which really makes it eleven) comes from a piece entitled 10 Things That Make a Lay Person Want To Spit which can be found on this post from the Bororean.

Enjoy.

After seeing the Hoodlum Pastors short list of things that make a pastor want to cuss, I thought I would make a list of my own that truly makes me want to spit!

10 Things that make a lay person want to spit!

01. Preachers who insist on exalting themselves instead of magnifying Christ, they draw men’s attention to them or their church instead of pointing to Christ and His cross.

02. Preachers who fail to rightly divide the Word of Truth and attempt to pass off some self-esteem psycho-babble as biblical preaching.

03. Preachers who talk about being a biblical man but have very little warmth in their speech or actions! They are not sensitive nor tender to the flock of God and are callous in their dealings with growing saints and say hateful things on their blog or facebook for the shock effect.

04. Preachers who think they actually need to promote sex within the church.

05. Preachers who are preoccupied with their image and physical appearance and make a point to boast about their Harley Davidson, you know; the cool dude.

06. Preachers who have a disdain for the word “DOCTRINE”.

07. Preachers who start every sentence with “I believe”, vs “thus saith the Lord” and always makes a point to use the buzz words. (un-churched, Christ-follower you know the words that don’t offend lost sinners)

08. Preachers who proudly flaunt how different their church is from what has gone before and treat Christians from the past (and their hymns) with scorn.

09. Preachers who’s hero is Rick Warren or Joel Osteen.

10. Preachers who are always promoting some new thing or novelty that will change my life forever.

Puhleeeezzzzeeee!!!

I guess I got one more in me! Oh feel free to add your own list in the comments.

11. Preachers who want to cuss because of weak and shallow Christians who sit under weak and shallow preaching, now that really makes me want to spit!!!

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Quotes (707)

I charge you never to give up the old doctrine of the blood of Christ, the complete satisfaction which that atoning blood made for sin, and the impossibility of being saved except by that blood. Let nothing tempt you to believe that it is enough to look only at the example of Christ, or only to receive the sacrament which Christ commanded to be received, for which many nowadays worship like an idol. When you come to your deathbed, you will want something more than an example and a sacrament. Take heed that you are found resting all your weight on Christ’s substitution for you on the cross, and His atoning blood, or it will be better if you had never been born.

– J. C. Ryle

1816 – 1900

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Quotes (706)

Gary Gilley Give Christians the need-oriented pop-psychology that they had grown to love, . . . just alter it a bit with some verses and some references to Jesus–they would never catch on that what they were swallowing was not biblical Christianity at all, but an almost unrecognizable perversion. Whether this approach was calculated or naively taken matters little. The result is the same: a psychologized Christian community which no longer recognizes the difference between the teachings of the Bible and the teachings of Carl Rogers and no longer cares.

– Gary Gilley

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Another sad day.

It is so sad to watch pastor after pastor, and ministry after ministry acquiesce to or downright endorse Mark Driscoll.

It is with a heavy heart that I bring your attention to yet two more examples–two websites that I have long respected for their work, but now I can no longer endorse on DefCon.

The first one is Monergism. I have greatly enjoyed their Reformed resources but I have discovered that they endorse Mark Driscoll (as evidenced by their 163 links about him found on their website).

The other Driscoll endorsement was brought to my attention by DavidW, a regular reader and commenter on this blog. He pointed out this article from apologetics ministry C.A.R.M. in which the following quote was found:

Would I recommend anybody go to Mark Driscoll’s Mars Hill Church?  Absolutely yes.  Not only will you get good teaching, but you’ll encounter a vibrant community of believers in the midst of a very unchurched society.  Keep up the good work Mark.

It is so discouraging that there seems to be so little discernment within the Church today, even from those who in the past have exhibited great discernment. Times are getting grim.

At this time I have removed both of these ministries from DefCon’s category links and I will be contacting both of them. If my contacts are ignored or I’m told they’re going to continue in their endorsement of Driscoll, then you will see that their sites remain absent from DefCon. However, if they do change their stance on this man I will welcome them back with open arms and even announce DefCon’s endorsement of them in a future post.

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Quotes (703)

A W Pink When a man has really been convicted by the supernatural operation of the Holy Spirit, the first effect on him is complete and abject despair. His case appears to be utterly hopeless. He now sees he has sinned so grievously that it appears impossible for a righteous God to do anything but damn him for eternity. He sees what a fool he has been in heeding the voice of temptation, fighting against the Most High, and in losing his own soul. He recalls how often God has spoken to him in the past—as a child, as a youth, as an adult, upon a bed of sickness, in the death of a loved one, in adversities—and how he refused to listen and deliberately turned a deaf ear. He now feels he has sinned away his day of grace. But the ground must be plowed and harrowed before it is receptive to seed. So the heart must be prepared by these harrowing experiences, the stubborn will broken, before it is ready for the healing of the Gospel.

– A.W. Pink

1886 – 1952

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Elton John’s “Jesus” was a gay man.

The Sun is reporting yet another big name entertainer who has gotten too big for his britches. Openly homosexual musician Elton John claims that:

“I think Jesus was a compassionate, super-intelligent gay man who understood human problems.”

But I tell you that every careless word that people speak, they shall give an accounting for it in the day of judgment. “For by your words you will be justified, and by your words you will be condemned.” Matthew 12:36-37
It is a terrifying thing to fall into the hands of the living God. Hebrews 10:31
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Quotes (700)

voddie-baucham So many of our children have little idea what they believe or why they believe it. Couple this with the fact that they are fallen human beings whose natural bent is to sin, and it is not difficult to see their dilemma. Failing to catechize our children is tantamount to surrendering to the culture. . . . Failing to catechize our children only makes it that much easier for the Secular Humanism with which they are constantly bombarded in school, on television, and through friends, neighbors, and coaches to take root and become the guiding principle by which they live.

– Voddie Baucham

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A Medical Nun’s Story

This video shares the story of Lolly Harding, a woman who was a Catholic medical nun for 13 years.  It is really a timely video and provides some more insight in how Catholics will accept without question what they hear from their superiors.  Something Bill encountered in a conversation he had with two Catholics.

But more than this, Lolly shares her story about how she came to believe in Jesus Christ alone for her salvation.  She goes through her time in the convent and how religious life is nothing more than a facade which covers up the reality of the sin that the religious are in bondage to.

I believe everyone will profit from watching this video as Lolly is a very authentic believer who speaks frankly about the sin in her life and how, even though she was a nun, was still dead in trespasses in sins.  Lolly then goes on to explain about what happened in her life to lead her to forsake the Catholic religion and to embrace Jesus alone for her salvation.

Please watch this video and share with others.

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Catholic Agenda Embedded in Manhattan Declaration

 At DefCon we have dealt with The Manhattan Declaration in previous posts (see here, here and here) speaking to its ecumenical postering and Evangelical signatories.  Just recently, Richard Benett from Berean Beacon has published a paper looking into this important matter. Here, Mr. Bennett has highlighted how this declaration is rife with Rome’s agenda.  An agenda that can be summed up wth the following quote where we read,

In order to soften up the Evangelicals in their separation from the Catholics on biblical doctrinal issues, particularly the authority of the Bible alone and the Gospel, the Catholic modus operandi calls for using social issues on which both Evangelicals and Catholics agree as preliminary common ground. 

To read the rest of this very important paper, please go here.

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A Catholic Leap

There is little doubt that many Roman Catholic doctrines simply aren’t in the Bible. They’ve been introduced by the Roman Catholic Church over the centuries. Much as Muslims make weak attempts to find prophecies about Muhammad in the Bible, Catholics grasp at straws to find support for their doctrines in the Bible.

I recently had a conversation with a couple of knowledgeable Catholics. I started by discussing the fact that the Bible blatantly contradicts some of their beliefs. Specifically, they claimed that atheists “of good will” could end up in heaven. There are dozens of verses that prove that line of thinking wrong, and I quoted a few to them. Their response was that they don’t care what I say about the Bible, because according to Catholic teaching, no one is able to interpret the Bible outside the authority of Rome.

This was the first time I’d heard that from a Catholic, and it turns out that it really is the standard teaching of Rome, and it’s based on a misinterpretation of 2 Peter 1:20. Later, they mentioned that there really is no infallible interpretation of this verse, so I’m not sure what authority they have to give any interpretation of that verse.

I showed them Acts 17:11, which describes how the Bereans were commended for scrutinizing Paul’s teaching with the Scripture. I asked them why the Bereans were able to verify Paul’s teaching with the Scripture, but today I am unable to verify Rome’s teaching with Scripture. They never directly answered my question. I gave up asking the question when the only “answer” provided was:

Why did Paul have to “check in” with the Apostles and have them lay hands on him to continue his ministry?

That has absolutely nothing to do with my question. Honest, knowledgeable answers generally don’t start with a “why” and end with a question mark.

They do think that I should verify the doctrines of Rome, but not by searching Scripture. I should determine the truth of Rome’s claims by verifying that their doctrines haven’t changed over the last 2,000 years, and I should do this by reading church fathers. (They were kind enough to give me a list of church fathers to check out.)

But this only leads to more questions. If I’m not trustworthy enough to interpret Scripture, why am I trustworthy enough to interpret the writings of church fathers? Why should I read the second generation (or later) of Christian beliefs when the Bible provides the first generation? If two church fathers disagree (there are many early “Christians” who were outright heretics), which one is trustworthy?

There is no good way to test the Catholic Church. Bottom line: I’m supposed to become a Catholic, because the pope says so.

Trust me.

At the root of this disagreement is the epistemology of Catholics and Evangelicals. Evangelicals believe the Bible is the only source for absolute truth, and Catholics have the Bible plus their tradition. The problem is that the Bible is insufficient to arrive at modern Catholic doctrines (if not contradictory to those doctrines), and there is no other infallible, inerrant source to attest to Catholic doctrines. In order to buy into the teaching of Rome, you must take a blind leap of faith.

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Quptes (693)

A W Pink The Word declares, “The carnal mind is enmity against God” (Romans 8:7). Multitudes go through the form of paying homage to God, but of a “god” of their own imagination. They hate the living God, and, were it possible, would rid the universe of Him. This is clear from their treatment of Christ, for He was none other than “God . . . manifest in the flesh” (1 Timothy 3:16). They hated and hounded Him to death, and nothing short of death by crucifixion would appease them. At Calvary the real character of man was revealed, and the desperate wickedness of his heart laid bare.

– A.W. Pink

1886 – 1952

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Rome’s Purgatorial Arguments and Blasphemy

Please watch the video below where James White from Alpha and Omega critically analyzes Catholic Answer’s Tim Staples’ purgatorial arguments.  He also shares about the Catholic doctrine of purgatory which statues that nearly all Catholics must endure the purging flames of purgatory to make full expiation for their sins.  Sins that the Catholic Jesus was unable to remove from his work at Calvary.

 

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Quotes (692)

voddie-baucham If our homes are to reflect our position as the people of God in the midst of the opposition of a pagan culture, we, like the Israelites, must learn to love. Our homes must be rife with the aroma of love. Those who visit us should notice immediately that they have left the world of self-serving, egocentric narcissism and have entered a safe harbor where people value and esteem others above themselves. Outsiders should enter our homes and never want to leave. Our neighbors should find excuses to visit us just to get another whiff of the fragrant aroma of love. The brokenhearted should long to be near us. The downtrodden and the abused should seek us out. Families on the brink of disaster should point to us and say, “Why can’t out homes be like that?”

– Voddie Baucham

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Jonah: The Father’s sovereignty and the Son’s deity.

I was recently reading Jonah when I discovered something throughout the book: The thread of the Father’s sovereignty which leads to the Son’s deity.

You can see God’s sovereignty throughout Jonah in the following verses where He displays His majestic control over His creation.

God is sovereign over . . .

1:7 – The lots. (You didn’t really think it was coincidence it revealed Jonah, did you? See Proverbs 16:33.)

1:14, 1:15, 4:8 – The storms and the wind.

1:17, 2:10 – The fish of the sea. (Even the really, really big ones. Who did you think directed the animals onto Noah’s Ark, and who did you think directed the ravens to bring Elijah food in 1 Kings 17:6?)

2:6 – Jonah’s very life.

3:5 – The salvation of an entire city of over 120,000. (This is also known as election.)

3:9, 4:2 – His own anger.

3:10, 4:2 – Calamity. (Yes, even in places like Haiti.)

4:6 – The plants.

4:7 – The insects. (Remember that little plague of insects the Egyptians had to endure prior to the Exodus?)

In the midst of all this, two things stand out to me in these verses that should not be missed.

1). Only God can forgive sins (Psalm 79:9, Isaiah 55:7).

2). Man can’t even control the wind (Ecclesiastes 8:8) but God controls the storms (Psalm 65:7, 89:9, 107:29, 135:7).

When one compares these truths of God the Father with that of His Son we plainly see that the only person to walk this earth that not only controlled storms (Matthew 8:26-27 and Luke 8:24-25) but could forgive sins (Matthew 9:2, Mark 2:5-6, and Luke 5:20-21) was none other than the glorious Mediator between man and God, the perfect spotless Lamb of God, the eternal Son, Emmanuel, Yeshua Ha’Mashiach, God in the flesh, the Lord Jesus Christ.