Gospel
Quotes (520)
If man is merely the result of a cosmic accident, there is no inherent dignity or value in human life. In fact, it was this type of evolutionary thinking that led to the atrocities of the Nazi regime in Hitler’s Germany. If there are races of people who represent a higher level of evolution than others, then it is incumbent on the more evolved race to dominate and/or exterminate the less evolved. While most secular humanists would abhor such thinking, my question to them would be, on what grounds?
– Voddie Baucham
Quotes (519)
For myself, as I am ashamed of my dull and careless heart, and of my slow and unprofitable course of life, so, the Lord knows, I am ashamed of every sermon I preach; when I think what I have been speaking of, and who sent me, and that men’s salvation or damnation is so much concerned in it, I am ready to tremble lest God should judge me as a slighter of His truths and the souls of men, and lest in the best sermon I should be guilty of their blood. Me thinks we should not speak a word to men in matters of such consequence without tears, or the greatest earnestness that possibly we can; were not we too much guilty of the sin which we reprove, it would be so.
– Richard Baxter
1615 – 1691
HT: Soli Deo Gloria
Sermon of the week: “Seeing the Risen Christ” by Jonathan Sims.
Your sermon of the week is Seeing the Risen Christ by Pastor Jonathan Sims of Shelbyville Mills Baptist Church in Tennessee.
Unlike the unbiblical foolishness masquerading as “Christianity” among the Laodicean landscape this past Resurrection Sunday (e.g. AC/DC Sunday at New Spring) this message by Pastor Sims was all about Christ and Him crucified; true Biblical preaching. This is a message that most of those attending the entertainment-driven churches would turn away from it because it’s too hard (John 6:60-66).
In a world without God, rape can be moral.
Kyle Butt cross-examines Atheist Dan Barker in regards to the morality of rape.
Book Review: “The Robber’s Cave” by Charlotte Maria Tucker.
Yet another fine book from the Lamplighter Series of Rare Books. Written in 1887 by Charlotte Maria Tucker under the alias of A.L.O.E. (A Lady of England), The Robber’s Cave is a good read for all ages. It is suspenseful, reflective, and entertaining. Furthermore, Tucker is not afraid to show Roman Catholicism (the religion practiced by the book’s antagonists) as the idol-dependent false religion that it is.
The hills of Calabria, Italy are home to bands of nefarious thieves, but a single light can shine so brilliant in the darkest places. Why would a talented, skilled, and very innocent believer dwell purposefully with the cruelest villains? Perhaps you will learn the answer as you get to know Rafael, the Improvisatore. Ungrateful Horace Cleveland gains the answer to this question under the harshest of circumstances. The unfortunate opportunity is given to young Horace to learn the true value of things lost that he had taken so much for granted.
You can purchase this book at Family Faith Books.
Quotes (518)
If the Holy Spirit were taken away from the New Testament church, ninety percent of what they did would come to a halt. But if the Holy Spirit were taken away from today’s church, only ten percent of what it does would cease.
– A.W. Tozer
Another example of Mormons “not attacking” another religion.
Anyone who tries sharing the true gospel of Jesus Christ with a Mormon will eventually (if they haven’t already) run into the tried and true LDS tactic of pulling the victim card. They’ll say, “We have never attacked anyone’s religion, why are you attacking us?”
Well, not only has this claim by Mormons been proven to be an outright lie (see the post What Mormons Really Believe About Christians), but here’s a video showing just how sensitive to other people’s faith some of them are, and with some questionable racial overtones too.
Quotes (517)
I cannot see how any man deserves to be called “holy,” who willfully allows himself in sins, and is not humbled and ashamed because of them.
– J.C. Ryle
1816 – 1900
Man Retreat 2009.
Maranatha Chapel is planning their Man Retreat 2009 for this May, and they needed a really cool theme. I can only imagine the planning went something like this:
(The following exchange is purely fictional, but sadly, the end result is not)
Hip and Relevant Pastor: We need something to attract the men to our summer retreat. Something manly that men like. Any ideas?
Church Marketing Team: Football? Powertools? Cars? Wrestling? Cable television? Action movies? Lawnmow–
Hip and Relevant Pastor: Wait, what did you say?
Church Marketing Team: Lawn mowers?
Hip and Relevant Pastor: No, before that?
Church Marketing Team: Action movies?
Hip and Relevant Pastor: Before that.
Church Marketing Team: Cable tv?
Hip and Relevant Pastor: Um, no, I believe it was before that too.
Church Marketing Team: Wrestling?
Hip and Relevant Pastor: Bingo!
Church Marketing Team: I think the Catholics have the market cornered with Bingo, sir, and besides that only attracts old people who like hymns and stuffy stuff.
Hip and Relevant Pastor: No, I meant ‘bingo’ as in that’s it!
Church Marketing Team: What’s it?
Hip and Relevant Pastor: Wrestling!
Church Marketing Team: Wrestling?
Hip and Relevant Pastor: Yes. Men love wrestling.
Church Marketing Team: Uh, sir, with all do respect, many men are not fond of wrestling.
Hip and Relevant Pastor: This is true, but the kind of men that we want to attract and keep do.
Church Marketing Team: True.
Hip and Relevant Pastor: So we need to somehow incorporate ‘wrestling’ into our theme for our upcoming men’s retreat.
Church Marketing Team: How about we slap a scripture verse on it somewhere?
Hip and Relevant Pastor: Excellent idea! Quick, someone get a concordance and look up the word “wrestling.”
Church Marketing Team: Here! Ephesians 6:12.
Hip and Relevant Pastor: Perfect fit. Now we need to provide a whole array of fun things to do because after all, men who are attracted to wrestling can’t possibly have depth to their personality nor that long of an attention span.
Church Marketing Team: Uh, you do realize that you just insulted the very core group our marketing strategy is targeted at, don’t you?
Hip and Relevant Pastor: I’m just making a point that if we’re going to keep these men we have to feed them with what we baited them with, mainly shallow entertainment.
Church Marketing Team: Point taken. Do you have any ideas of what activities we can have at our church men’s retreat to keep them entertained?
Hip and Relevant Pastor: How about wrestling.
Church Marketing Team: Duh, why didn’t we think of that one?
Hip and Relevant Pastor: And food, gotta have lots of food ’cause men like to eat.
Church Marketing Team: Archery?
Hip and Relevant Pastor: Good idea. What about horseback riding?
Church Marketing Team: Are you serious?
Hip and Relevant Pastor: I’m the pastor.
Church Marketing Team: Copy, horseback riding it is.
Hip and Relevant Pastor: Men like shooting stuff don’t they?
Church Marketing Team: They certainly do. Let’s have paintball!
Hip and Relevant Pastor: I was thinking more along the lines of skeet shooting.
Church Marketing Team: Who says we can’t have both? After all, it’s our church isn’t it?
Hip and Relevant Pastor: Right you are.
Church Marketing Team: Well I think that this will be great. We’ll slap some image of a wrestler on the ad (preferably from a popular Hollywood movie) and our church men’s retreat ad will be perfect.
Hip and Relevant Pastor: Well, as a pastor, I think we need to Christianize the ad just a little more.
Church Marketing Team: What do you suggest?
Hip and Relevant Pastor: How about something that has to do with church?
Church Marketing Team: Hmmmm.
Hip and Relevant Pastor: [Silence]
Church Marketing Team: [Silence]
Hip and Relevant Pastor: How about something along the lines of salvation?
Church Marketing Team: Good idea.
Hip and Relevant Pastor: But nothing too preachy.
Church Marketing Team: How about “Come learn about God’s salvation, found in none other than Jesus Christ and His substitutionary death on the cross.”
Hip and Relevant Pastor: Are you kidding? Do you not want people to show up to this retreat or not? Do you wanna lose church members and watch attendance go down?
Church Marketing Team: Uh, no.
Hip and Relevant Pastor: Than don’t suggest such and narrow, close-minded, uncool idea.
Church Marketing Team: Ok, how about “Because we wanna talk about salvation ‘n’ stuff“?
Hip and Relevant Pastor: Now you’re talking. Don’t make that part too big either.
And there you have it.
Happy birthday DefCon.
Yesterday, April 15th, marked DefCon’s one-year anniversary.
Since changing from Reformation Nation to DefCon one year ago, we’ve had over 370,000 views and our top three posts are:
Taking a closer look at Todd Bentley . . . literally.
John MacArthur on Mark Driscoll.
Thank you to all our readers for the support and encouragement we’ve received over the last year and thank you for your faithful and continued readership.
Ten more (very) quick Questions for Jehovah’s Witnesses.
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(Also for LDS)
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(Also for LDS)
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To see the first ten (very) quick questions for Jehovah’s Witnesses, click here.
Ten more (very) quick questions for Mormons.
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(Also for JWs)
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(Also for JWs)
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(Also for JWs)
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Judgment.
Quotes (516)
Answering a student’s question, “Will the heathen who have not heard the Gospel be saved?” thus, it is more a question with me whether we, who have the Gospel and fail to give it to those who have not, can be saved.
Charles Spurgeon
Debates: Walter Martin vs Bishop John Spong.
The late Christian Apologist Dr. Walter Martin takes on the heretic Bishop Spong in this fifteen part debate on the topic of morality, homosexuality, and other sexual ethics. The first four videos set the tone for the debate as Spong denies the physical resurrection of Christ and His deity.
C. J. Mahaney sermon jam: The Cup.
You can download the entire sermon from this post.
Quorum of the Twelve Apostates.
Sometimes you can find the truth about Mormonism in the most unlikeliest of places.
Joy to the world, He is risen!
The problem with American “Christianity” can be summed up by this church ad.
One of the biggest problems with American “Christianity” and the impetus behind all the entertainment-driven, fad-driven, purpose-driven marketing found in the professing church today can be seen in the tag line of the above church advertisement for Capital Christian Center for this “Easter” weekend.
Albeit subtle, notice the emphasis is not on the Lord Jesus Christ (His death, burial, and resurrection), but it’s on that other god that man loves to worship . . . self.
In this church ad, husband and wife pastoral team Stan and Connie Friend ask, “What needs to be resurrected in your life?”
Huh? What needs to be resurrected in my life? Do those attending church this Sunday need a man-centered, self-improvement info-mercial and a self-help course?
No, no, no! What they need is the professing church to get a backbone and proclaim the Good News to all men that God the Father made Jesus the Son, who knew no sin, to become sin on our behalf, and that it was the only way that an infinitely holy and righteous God could redeem a perpetually depraved and sinful people.
The perfect, spotless, unblemished Lamb of God, Jesus Christ the Savior, was killed, was buried, and was raised again on the third day to rescue sinners from the wrath of God that we so rightly and justly deserve.
Worthy is the Lamb that was slain to receive power and riches and wisdom and might and honor and glory and blessing.To Him who sits on the throne, and to the Lamb, be blessing and honor and glory and dominion forever and ever.
Christ Alone Wyoming 