Classic!
You can purchase a similar version of this bumper sticker here, and you can read a blistering article on the foolishness of the Coexist sticker here.
HT: 4 Simpsons
Jesus
Quotes (905)
Never are men’s hearts in such a hopeless condition, as when they are not sensible of their own sins. He that would not make shipwreck on this rock, must beware of measuring himself by his neighbors. What does it signify that we are more moral than other men? We are all vile and imperfect in the sight of God. “If we contend with Him, we cannot answer him one in a thousand” (Job 9:3). Let us remember this. In all our self-examination let us not try ourselves by comparison with the standard of men. Let us look at nothing but the requirements of God. He that acts on this principle will never be a Pharisee.
– J. C. Ryle
1816 – 1900
HT: JC Ryle Quotes
Men, Do You Worship Your Ministry?
Kind of an odd question, right? If you are a Christian, you worship God. Ministry is what you do in service to God. So how can you worship it? Let me explain by giving you a picture of my life, and how God has shown me where my worship lies.
I am a full time father and husband, as well as a full time employee. I am a part time evangelist, part time Sunday School teacher, and a part time Christian blogger. Now, if someone were to ask my friends and family what my full time work was, most would likely point to my “part time” work. That is because, were you to look at my life and what I am doing, that is what you would see. It is also constantly what I talk about and what is often posted by me in my social networking. In fact, while considering how to write this blog, I’ve been witnessing to a sixteen year old atheist on YouTube. It is a major part of my life. However, God began to show me something in the last year about how I view my part time ministries, as compared to my full time position as a husband and father.
If you are a Christian husband and father, your first and foremost ministry is your family. This is not even debatable. In fact, the standard for an elder in 1 Timothy 3: 2-5 tells us, “A bishop then must be blameless, the husband of one wife, temperate, sober-minded, of good behavior, hospitable, able to teach; not given to wine, not violent, not greedy for money, but gentle, not quarrelsome, not covetous; one who rules his own house well, having his children in submission with all reverence (for if a man does not know how to rule his own house, how will he take care of the church of God?)”. In other words, a man should have his own house in order before even being considered to become an elder. Does this mean that every single person in every single ministry has to meet the standard of an elder? No. But as it is a good thing to desire the office of an elder, I believe this sets a reasonable measure that we should look at when we are involved in ministry. But, when I began to look at my home, I realized this was an area I was lacking in.
Sermon of the week: “How Can God Love Sinners?” by Akash Sant Singh.
The glorious doctrine of propitiation is the subject of your sermon of the week, How Can God Love Sinners? by Akash Sant Singh.
In this evangelistic-minded message that you don;t want to miss, Pastor Akash expounds on what propitiation is and does:
1. Propitiation is a sacrifice.
2. Propitiation averts God’s wrath.
3. Propitiation expiates our sin.
4. Propitiation cancels our guilt.
It’s the same thing.
Not one to shy away from controversy, I present the following short video that I can only describe as sobering, shocking, and disturbing. This video depicts one of the arguments I’ve made for years in the abortion debate, and now that argument is effectively visual.
I wholeheartedly believe this video needs to be seen (truth should never be hidden), but I strongly urge caution for younger viewers. It’s one of the most powerful videos I’ve seen in quite a while (first viewing left me speechless, second viewing brought me to tears). Its impact will leave you shaken.
Viewer Discretion is Advised
If God Would Just Show Me a Miracle…
I think that just about every Christian who has ventured out to share their faith has heard this claim at one time or another. It seems reasonable enough, “God, if you are real, show me!” Why can’t someone make that request of God, right? If He truly wants that person to worship Him, shouldn’t God do what they ask? The problem lies in this, God has already revealed Himself and a miracle would not bring that person one inch closer to saving faith than they already were.
God has revealed Himself in His written word. The Bible is sixty-six books, written by forty authors over a period of time, in different countries, with a consistent theme that God will redeem sinners through the sacrifice of His Son. It has been proven historically accurate, and has more manuscript evidence than any book of antiquity. Yet, this person determines that the Bible is not enough.
God has revealed Himself through His creation. The intricate complex design of the vast universe, from the largest star to the smallest sub-atomic particle practically screams of a Designer. In fact, there is so much evidence of design from the fact that information is built into our very genetic code (which cannot happen by accident) that many non-religious scientists have adopted the study of Intelligent Design. Yet, the vast complexity of our existence is not enough for them.
God is also revealed through the very conscience we possess. Throughout all mankind, a universal knowledge of right and wrong exists, a knowledge of good and evil. True, some societies, including our own, have attempted to alter or water down this objective morality, yet it still exists. It testifies a law that exists outside ourselves, a standard we must all be judged by. And if that law exists, then the Lawmaker exists as well. And if there is a Lawmaker, then He will one day judge us by that standard. Still, this person cries for yet more proof.
Most of all, God is revealed through His one and only Son, Jesus Christ. Second person of the triune God, fully God and fully Man, Creator of all things. Almost 2,000 years ago, Jesus came to Earth, took on human flesh, lived as one of us, tempted in all the ways we are, yet He never sinned. Some thirty to thirty-three years into this life, He willingly laid down His life (John 10: 17-18) to take upon Himself the wrath of God rightfully due to us. Then three days later, He rose Himself from the grave, proving His victory over sin and death. No fact of history has greater proof than the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ. These events were recorded by eyewitnesses at the time of other eyewitnesses and would withstand the scrutiny of any legal examination. Yet, this person still demands a sign.
This demand mirrors the one made by the Jews to Christ in His day. Matthew 12: 38-40 states, “Then some of the scribes and Pharisees answered him, saying, “Teacher, we wish to see a sign from you.” But he answered them, “An evil and adulterous generation seeks for a sign, but no sign will be given to it except the sign of the prophet Jonah. For just as Jonah was three days and three nights in the belly of the great fish, so will the Son of Man be three days and three nights in the heart of the earth..” When you read this passage, on the surface, it seems like a legitimate request, just like the one at the beginning of this article. In fact, Jesus’ response almost seems inappropriate and even rude. Yet, when we look earlier in the chapter, we see two incidents that took place which shed more light on the subject.
Incredible conviction from Tim Conway.
Mormonism’s great big secret.
College conspiracy.
Many have lamented the perils of sending kids to liberal, anti-theist colleges (and rightly so), but the following video opposes sending kids to college for entirely different reasons (the same reasons John Stossel discusses in his article The College Scam). Even though these reasons are secular in nature, they’re still very eye-opening.
You might be a Calvinist . . .
The following is from the Disciple Man blog:
You Might Just Be A Calvinist If….
If you have a Martin Luther Jell-O mold… you just might be a Calvinist.
If your DVR has over 25 episodes of Wretched With Todd Friel recorded on it… you just might be a Calvinist.
If your child’s first word was “Westminster”… you just might be a Calvinist.
If your 4 year old can explain what the word “propitiation” means… you might just be a Calvinist.
If you send your mother tulips on Mother’s Day… you might be a Calvinist.
If your passion for evangelism blows away your Arminian friends… you might just be a (true) Calvinist.
If you hate rap music BUT you listen to Lecrea, The Cross Movement, Flame or D.A. T.R.U.T.H. because of the lyrics and theology… you might be a Calvinist.
If quotes from Pink, Spurgeon, Luther, Piper, and McArthur make up 90% of your Facebook statuses…you might be a Calvinist.
Nephi or Moroni?
The following is an interesting article from an unlikely source.
What most LDS have been taught in church and believe as truth.
The name of the angel that visited Joseph Smith three times on the night of Sept. 21, 1823 was named Moroni. The name of the angel is mentioned several times in many LDS publications and he has always been referred to as Moroni.
Significant details & problems that most LDS are not aware of.
This angel is the one who told Joseph Smith where the gold plates were buried and can be seen on top of most LDS temples. However, a close examination of early church history tells a different story. Some early LDS sources which say that the angel’s name was actually Nephi are as follows:
Keep reading here.
Sermon of the week: “The Carnal Christian Doctrine” by Albert N. Martin.
Albert Martin delivers a riveting message putting to rest the false doctrine of Carnal Christianity so rampant in evangelicalism. This message is as important and as timely today as it was when he preached it 47 years ago.
Mormonism’s Bigfoot.
I recently published an article on one of Mormonism’s wild claims about big, black, hairy Cain still roaming the earth in the post Mormon Prophet Lends Credibility to a Wild Claim. And, of course, the first response that post received from a Mormon apologist was:
The real shame is that it is simply a waste of time as no self-respecting person would really care enough to take the time to right [sic] about such meaningless prattle. Such a pity.
This was an interesting response considering the fact that it was important enough to Mormon President Spencer W. Kimball to write about it in his book The Miracle of Forgiveness. Evidently it’s only prattle when a non-Mormon discusses the matter.
And apparently one Mormon didn’t get the memo because he’s still talking (and writing) about the Cain/Bigfoot (and racism) matter. Blogger Doug Gibson has risked not being self-respecting because he’s been wasting his time by writing about such prattle when he recently published the post Awareness of Racism Eased Mormon Folk Tales Regarding Cain, Bigfoot. According to Gibson’s article, President Kimball wasn’t the only one in Mormon history to report claims of Cain/Bigfoot sightings.
Although some Mormon apologists would have you ignore such “prattle,” I highly encourage you to read Gibson’s article. And be sure to read all the enlightening comments afterward, like this sample from a commenter named Mikeasell:
Here is the deal: the church likes to teach what they call unchanged, revealed doctrine. When said doctrine becomes unpopular and threatens the church financially, the doctrine gets downgraded quickly to a “teaching” or a “guideline”, then a further downgrade to a “practice”, it is then removed from manuals and books (hence why people of different generations heard or did not hear the stories). Then the practice can simply be “discontinued”. They begin with the Lord has said X because Y is a true principle, live by it or go to hell, then they begin saying well we have been taught in the past that X=Y, then they begin with the “we don’t understand, but we are sure there is a mysterious purpose as to X is somewhat related to Y, but it is not for us to question the Lord”, then the blatant downgrade: we no longer “practice X, X practice has been discontinued, it is not really tied with Y”.
The reality is that the LDS church had inclusion criteria based on race. When it became apparent that the NCAA would allow teams like Stanford to avoid playing BYU and therefore the Church was having their non-profit status reviewed by the IRS, then suddenly (within a month) God changed his mind. Same with polygamy, it went from we will die before we give it up, we will break the law cuz God is a higher law, to sending ppl to Mexico to practice it to eventually pretending it really did not happen for that long or that it was because it was just a trial, there were too many men, etc. . . . .It is amazing to me, shocking really, that people are gullible enough to believe that a never changing restored gospel needs changing all the time, and surprisingly to accommodate cultural pressures. I cannot believe that people that believe in prophets can also believe that those prophets can not agree on basic doctrine, to the point that Joseph Smith, if he were to come back, would be excommunicated from the church he founded because of his beliefs and practices.
If Mormonism were true.
An article from Mormon Coffee offers the following six things you’d expect to see if Mormonism were true. You can read the entire article here.
____________________________________
If Mormonism were true…
1. … Joseph Smith would have been able to consistently, accurately, remember his visit from two separate supernatural beings, God the Father and Jesus the Son. We now know that is not the case (for more info, see here, here, and here).
2. …the LDS “truth” that there are at least two gods, our Heavenly (spirit) Father, whose name is Elohim, and Jesus (Elohim’s son), whose spirit-name is Jehovah, would have been consistent since Mormonism’s beginnings. Instead, the Book of Mormon, Joseph Smith’s first work, preaches that there is only one (modal) God (see Alma 11:26-31, 2 Nephi 31:21, Mosiah 15:1-5 for example). Joseph Smith originally taught that Jesus’ father’s name was Jehovah, and Brigham Young, Mormonism’s second prophet, taught that Heavenly Father was actually Adam, the first man on earth. Joseph also originally taught that of the three members of the “Godhead,” only Jesus had a body. That of course is no longer Mormon belief.
3. …the Book of Mormon, a book that is supposed to contain the “fulness of the gospel,” would teach on the plurality of gods, man’s potential for godhood, eternal marriage in Mormon temples, baptism for the dead, three degrees of heaven, and the other beliefs that separate Mormonism from orthodox Christianity. Not only does the Book of Mormon not teach these things, it and the other LDS scriptures frequently contradict current Mormon truths, and each other.
4. …there would be evidence of a large battle on or around the Hill Cumorah in New York, and other archeological evidence to support the notion of Book of Mormon life on this continent. Instead, LDS apologists are still struggling to locate and identify possible Book of Mormon geography sites (see also here and here).
5. …the Book of Mormon would not contain Greek and French words like “adieu” and “Jesus” and “Alpha” and “Omega.” It would not speak of things that had not yet been invented. It would not contain quotes from the KJV Bible, including KJV mistakes. It would not abuse the phrase “it came to pass” in all of its books but two. It would not contain country-boy vernacular. But it does.
6. …when portions of the papyri used to create the Book of Abraham were recovered and translated, the text would be very similar to what Joseph had written. Instead, just as you would expect if Joseph Smith had bought merely a couple of random mummies that had been found in an ordinary catacomb from a man with many mummies and scraps to sell, the papyri has been discovered to be common Egyptian funerary documents.
Falling off yet another slippery slope.
Those who warn others about impending issues, problems, doom, or calamities are often chided and ridiculed for being alarmists, and are often told that mentioning the “slippery slope” is nothing more than a scare tactic. It seems that to some, mentioning the “slippery slope” is a debate-killer much like when someone uses “Hitler” or “Nazis” as a comparative in their argument.
But don’t be fooled. Current facts, observable trends in a particular direction, and historical precedent are all valid indicators and can be properly used as predictors of what is likely to come.
It’s for this same reason that people can conclude that there’s a fire based on the presence and smell of smoke, and others surmise that a storm is coming based on dark clouds and the smell of rain in the air. But for some reason when the warnings are of a concern like the advent of socialism in a currently capitalistic nation or the falling away from truth in once well-grounded preachers (Ravi Zacharias and John Piper come to mind), then all of a sudden the facts, observable trends, and historical precedent are ignored and the “slippery slope” is considered a knee-jerk rant of an overzealous alarmist.
Remember those “crazy” pro-lifers from years ago that warned if abortion is made legal it would result in the death of millions of children as the barbaric act would become a form of birth control? “Nah,” retorted the abortion proponents, “It will only be done in the rare case of rape or incest, or if the mother’s life is at risk.” And remember how the pro-lifers with foresight argued that it was a “slippery slope” but were subsequently ridiculed by pro-abortionists for being extremists?
Forty million dismembered corpses later, the truth is obvious: We fell long and hard from that “slippery slope.”
And remember how Christians argued that granting special rights to those who practice a homosexual lifestyle was wrong, were labeled crazy and close minded because homosexuals only wanted to be protected from persecution and discrimination? And remember when Christians who claimed that normalizing homosexuality was a “slippery slope” toward normalizing other deviant behaviors like incest and pedophilia, were called oppressive bigots by vitriolic pro-homosexual activists?
Behold the first steps of legitimizing pedophilia:
Academic Conference Seeks to Normalize Pedophilia
Do not be shocked. We will continue to witness the downward spiral of the Evolution of Sin while we continue down the Roman Road to Wrath because we truly are in the Days of Noah. And don’t be discouraged because as the dark gets darker, the light of the Gospel shines brighter.
Look up, for our redemption draws near.
Evangelism, Facebook, and modesty.
What does evangelism, Facebook, and modesty have in common? More than you may think.
Thanks to Trish Ramos for daring to touch this taboo issue affecting the church. I wish more women like Trish would take a stand with the few men who have already dared to address this problem. Together we’d still comprise only a minuscule minority, but that should not discourage us from encouraging the church to let the gospel revolutionize this area of our lives. We’ve been quietly stumbling over this elephant in the room for far too long.
Source: Fish With Trish
No doubt our Facebook pages can be a witnessing tool for the Gospel and with the advancement of modern technology and all the various social media venues, we don’t even have to leave the house to be a witness for the Lord. In fact, why else have a Facebook, but to tell of the Lord’s wondrous deeds and call others to turn from their sins and trust in the Savior, Jesus Christ. I’m sure there are many other reasons why we have Facebook pages but in the midst of it all, proclaiming the gospel should be the chief aim for any follower of Christ.
To show this more clearly, when you accept a friend on Facebook, typically the very first thing they do is view your pictures. In fact, sometimes that’s all they may do. They quickly skim through them to see how you look and what you’ve been up to for the past decade or two and then off they go, onto the next person’s page. It reminds me of the ol’ adage, “a picture is worth a thousand words.” This saying refers to the idea that a picture communicates something. Sometimes it communicates too much. So with that in mind, when was the last time you went through your Facebook pictures and asked yourself, “Is this modest?” or “What am I communicating to my ‘friends’?” and “Would I want my brothers and sisters in Christ looking at theses pictures?”
Ladies, this is especially for us. If you are a professing Christian and if you haven’t done this already, here’s something practical that you can do: Go through every picture on your Facebook (This may take time depending upon how many pictures you have, but it will be worth it since on Judgment Day you will give an account to the Lord for all of these things) and if you are dressed in an immodest manner, hit ‘Delete!’
If you need help with deciphering what is modest and what is immodest, ask a modest sister in your local church for help, or a godly older women who can give you wise counsel, or ask your husband (assuming that he has biblical standards for modesty). And if all else fails and you have no one else to go to, well then, there’s always me and I’ll be quick to toot my modesty horn.
For starters, here’s a few specific areas that might help you out, let’s begin with cleavage. Ladies, if you are showing cleavage, hit ‘Delete’ as fast as you can! I don’t care how “cute” you look or if someone else posts to pic of you or if it was way back in your BC (before Christ) days. This is not acceptable in any circumstances for a woman who professes to follow Christ. Simply delete the picture or ‘Un-tag’ yourself.
If you have photos of you or your friends in bikinis, hit ‘Delete’ as quickly as you can and don’t look back. Or if your mid (midriff) section is showing hit ‘Delete’ please. And short shorts are a no no, so you know what to do with that, ‘Delete, delete, delete’. And then check your heart and ask yourself, “What is it within me that desires to present myself in this manner?” and “What does this speak of the condition of my heart?”
“In like manner also, that women adorn themselves in modest apparel…” 1 Timothy 2.9a
For more great resources on this subject, please go to these past two posts to download the following sermons:
Validating the Gospel in Modesty by Albert N. Martin
The Soul of Modesty by C. J. Mahaney
I also recommend the following reads:
The Disrobing of Society and the Church by DefCon contributor Brother Michael
Modesty, Morality, and Miss America by DefCon contributor Coram Deo
Quotes (900)
You may speak of religion in a general way, of preachers, of churches, of missions, of societies, for doing good, and still be popular; but speak of the Lord Himself, of His precious blood, of the full assurance of salvation, of oneness with Him in heaven, of separation from the world, and you will greatly reduce the number of your friends.
– Andrew Miller
1810 – 1883
Nope. Never.
You hear Mormons say it all the time whenever you challenge any of their doctrines: “We never attack other faiths.” Or, “We never disparage other religions.” Or, “We’re too busy sharing the gospel to be negative about other people’s beliefs.”
For those who know better, these words are usually uttered out of either a profound ignorance of their own religion or a desperate attempt to get you off topic and put you on the defensive.
It is a fact that Mormonism has attacked, disparaged, ridiculed, and spoken negatively about the Christian faith (anyone who knows Mormon history knows this; it’s not even debatable).
The very Mormon organization is founded on a preemptive attack of Christianity. Mormonism’s founder, Joseph Smith, claimed that all of Christianity was apostate. Without his assault on the Christian faith, the impetus for Joseph Smith’s religion is removed and there would be no need for Mormonism.
Simply put, Mormonism’s very existence is predicated on the lie that Christianity is apostate, the Bible is mistranslated, Christ’s sacrifice was insufficient, and “The Christian God is the Mormon’s Devil.”
And other early Mormon leaders were not shy with divulging their disdain for our faith. See this article to read some of the mean, nasty and downright hateful things uttered about Christians by Mormon prophets, leaders, and apologists.
And inevitably there will be Mormons who claim, “We don’t teach that anymore” as if truth one day is a non-truth the next (and notice that they rarely ever say, “We don’t BELIEVE that anymore“). If they were honest they’d say, “We’re just more subtle about it now.”
The below video from the June 2011 Manti Pageant reveals that the well-hidden derogatory sentiment against Christians by the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (and some not so hidden) is still alive and well.
Thanks to Mormon Coffee for posting the video and astutely observing:
In this short clip, the Mormon Church pageant makes fun of the Christian doctrines pertaining to the nature of God and eternal punishment, portrays Christian pastors as being unwilling or unable to answer the most basic of life’s questions, and misrepresents the “fervor of religious revival” with “the exhortations of contending preachers, each proclaiming his own church the only avenue of escape from the horrors of a burning hell.” The narrator jeers, “Amen, Hallelujah”; one of three pontificating preachers drones, “It is only here that you will find salvation. Only here,” while churchgoers dismiss the play’s sincere truth-seekers, Mary and Robert, with an annoyed sweep of their arms.
Edging closer to Revelation 13?
Revelation 13:16-18
And he causes all, the small and the great, and the rich and the poor, and the free men and the slaves, to be given a mark on their right hand or on their forehead, and he provides that no one will be able to buy or to sell, except the one who has the mark, either the name of the beast or the number of his name. Here is wisdom. Let him who has understanding calculate the number of the beast, for the number is that of a man; and his number is six hundred and sixty-six.
From Breitbart:
A hair-thin electronic patch that adheres to the skin like a temporary tattoo could transform medical sensing, computer gaming and even spy operations, according to a US study published Thursday.
The micro-electronics technology, called an epidermal electronic system (EES), was developed by an international team of researchers from the United States, China and Singapore, and is described in the journal Science.
“It’s a technology that blurs the distinction between electronics and biology,” said co-author John Rogers, a professor in materials science and engineering at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign.
“Our goal was to develop an electronic technology that could integrate with the skin in a way that is mechanically and physiologically invisible to the user.”
The patch could be used instead of bulky electrodes to monitor brain, heart and muscle tissue activity and when placed on the throat it allowed users to operate a voice-activated video game with better than 90 percent accuracy.
“This type of device might provide utility for those who suffer from certain diseases of the larynx,” said Rogers. “It could also form the basis of a sub-vocal communication capability, suitable for covert or other uses.”
The wireless device is nearly weightless and requires so little power it can fuel itself with miniature solar collectors or by picking up stray or transmitted electromagnetic radiation, the study said.
Less than 50-microns thick — slightly thinner than a human hair — the devices are able to adhere to the skin without glue or sticky material.
“Forces called van der Waals interactions dominate the adhesion at the molecular level, so the electronic tattoos adhere to the skin without any glues and stay in place for hours,” said the study.
Northwestern University engineer Yonggang Huang said the patch was “as soft as the human skin.”
Rogers and Huang have been working together on the technology for the past six years. They have already designed flexible electronics for hemispherical camera sensors and are now focused on adding battery power and other energy options.
The devices might find future uses in patients with sleep apnea, babies who need neonatal care and for making electronic bandages to help skin heal from wounds and burns.
Sermon of the week: “The Great White Throne Judgment” by Steve Lawson
Wow. Your sermon of the week, The Great White Throne Judgment by Steve Lawson, is a riveting reminder of what’s to come for the unrepentant, and why it’s so imperative that we never tire of sharing the gospel with the unsaved, because it will be an incredibly terrifying thing to fall into the hands of the living God (Hebrews 10:31).
Christ Alone Wyoming 